I turned 25. I have reached the quarter century mark, and I must
admit, it feels a little old. Our generation calls this the “over the hill” age
and I’m definitely feeling over the hill.
Alex was very
thoughtful and planned a surprise birthday party for me on Friday, February 5th
with our colleagues Meltem and Asli. She
was very sneaky about the entire plan; they even got a cake and gave it to the
restaurant ahead of time. We ate at a fancy restaurant called “Çatı” which means
“roof.” It had a live band, the atmosphere was very family-oriented, and the
aroma of good food filled the entire place. One bizarre thing that happened
during our evening was that roof windows above our table opened and closed
every 10 minutes to let the smoke out, even though it is prohibited to smoke in
public spaces like restaurants. Alas, this is Turkey. After eating Adana kebab
and drinking şalgam (turnip juice),
the live band started playing a tune that I recognized…and all of a sudden, “doğum günün kutlu olsun Mariya” and I
was shocked! The entire restaurant clapped and cheered. My friends are great,
they made me feel so special in that moment. Meltem and Asli gifted me a poncho
that I had been wanting for a while, and Alex got me some magnets from places
we had visited together, as well as a wallet to carry my change in—all of these
were thoughtful gifts and very much appreciated by me.
Two days later,
on my actual birthday, I was surprised by another
birthday cake by my Pakistani family. They also managed to surprise the gullible
me. They told me they forgot to pick up my cake, and that they hope I don't mind. Then, after dinner, the lights went out, and a glowing cake was carried out to me. I’m so grateful to have all these people in my life.
