For the first time, I got to spend my birthday away from home and my family. I had two midterms around dinner time on my birthday, so I decided to celebrate it the day before and after my exams. On the day before my birthday, I went over to my aunt's, had delicious sashimi and cake. It’s been over 6 years since I celebrated my birthday with them so it felt nice to make memories and spend quality time. On the morning of my birthday, I facetimed my family in Hawaii and made myself a nice breakfast with my mom’s recipes. It was my first time celebrating my birthday by myself but it was a good opportunity to really appreciate my life, family, friends and all my surroundings. I got to think about the meaning of birthdays again and I was surprised that I actually enjoyed my alone time in the morning. After I took two exams, my childhood friend came over with a cake saying “today’s birthday princess.” We ordered a lot of food and talked for hours, enjoying the last hours of my birthday. The next day, I hung out with Nick and Michelle during lunch and with my middle school best friends for dinner! Although it felt weird at first to have my birthday away from home, I had an amazing birthday with my friends, relatives, new perspectives and lots of cakes!
