Bummer that this is the only picture I took on my birthday! It ended up being a really great day overall. We had planned to have a party at the park and invite tons of people, but we woke up to pouring rain and decided to cancel. Then we decided that we could clean the apartment up enough to invite people over (we'd only been here for one week). We spent the afternoon cleaning and then called everyone and told them to come over for cake and ice cream and salgadinhos, the salty snacks that are so common here. The only thing I asked for for my birthday was cake. I wanted a strawberry cake and a cafe cake, two of my favorites from my favorite bakery, Zelandia's!! After cutting the cake for everyone else, I cut myself a slice of each and sat down alone at the table. I just smiled. Should delicious cake make me so happy?? It did. I was oblivious to the rest of the people in my home for the few minutes it took me to devour my cake. I decided it was a great day!! It was really fun for me to look around during my party. There were Americans, Brazilians, Mexicans and a German in my home. I haven't found words to express how my heart felt when I realized the cultural differences present. I'm thankful to have this opportunity. I feel like a different person than I was two and a half years ago. I'm so thankful for the different people who have come into my life since moving here. Realizing some of who I've become felt like a gift that could never have a price tag attached.
