rufmita: 39 and NOT counting

This all started around 35. 'This' being my obsession with the number of my age. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you are only as old as you feel, but you and I both know that is a bunch of crap and only young people say it anyway, a kind of way to settle down us old people when we get out of hand. I was talking to my kids at school today, they are between 14-17 and I asked them, hey, can you even IMAGINE turning 40??? Of course they said no, and I said ME EITHER and I'm 39! It's not that I have a death wish, but seriously I didn't think I'd live this long. I remember being in high school and I was the kid who couldn't imagine being married, having kids and a family. I couldn't picture myself in my future, and well now I'm in my future and I don't know what to make of it.

I got to thinking about this and I have concluded that this quality about me must be the reason I love being around high schoolers all day. You know how I feel about being a teacher. I have the perfect job for a person like me. I'm not the best role model, I don't pretend to be, I am honest, though.

February 9, 2011 started out like any other day, except that I was on edge. I have personal space issues, I have age issues, I just want to have a normal work day. I knew I wouldn't be overlooked, but I didn't want a huge deal made out of this day. I threatened my roommates within inches of their life to leave me alone in the morning.

The morning announcements always congratulate birthdays so that wasn't a surprise. I am now teaching an extra class and it is first block, so that was ok. Then came break. Yes, in private international schools we get a morning break for 25 minutes. It's awesome. I notice my girls running around and acting a little strange and I am called to the office, only to get immediately shoved out and back to my room. I sit down and a huge tray of food comes charging at me! It's breakfast :) My girls have bought me an awesome breakfast!

I think one of the reasons I like this group so much is that they really are kind people. Not that fake kind, but genuine kids. Honest. I love that. They are not fake, at all, and when they go out of their way to show affection, you know it is real and it means something. I look up to them, respect them and am happy they didn't listen to me gripe about not wanting to celebrate my birthday.

I can't remember if I told you, but in December when I visited Ana for her birthday I mentioned that mine was in February and the family excitedly invited me back to celebrate. The past few weeks, with that teacher quitting, has been crazy and I've been working to death and, of course, got sick. I waited til the last minute to call the office to see about visiting Ana, secretly hoping that they would have forgotten about my birthday...

As you can see, they didn't. It was awesome. A family that has next to nothing, zero, went out of their way to make me feel like a part of their family, special, loved. The kindness coming from the family was thick enough to smother yourself in. We have a sugar shortage in Bolivia. It's stupid really, but has affected so many people. There has been NO sugar in the stores and if you can find it the prices have doubled. Not a big deal to me, but what about a family of 11 that makes all their food and needs sugar?

I don't know what they had to do, but look at this cake! The dirt neighborhood that Ana lives in doesn't have a birthday candle selection so they got me a church candle to stick in the middle! Of course they sang Happy Birthday in English and then Spanish and in accordance with the Latino tradition I had to bite the cake. Chanting: bite the cake, bite the cake, bite the cake

I know I look super young for my age, but I know what that means...