Birthday in Honduras

So, last year for my birthday, I must say, was 100% disappointing, however, it was also all my fault. My family, and especially my mom, all know the type of person I am. I never mention my birthday to the people I love, hoping secretly that they will miraculously remember, and throw me a huge surprise party. Seriously, that´s how I am and have always been.

Well, in Honduras, it´s 5X worse, because if you aren´t reminding people every day 3 times a day, they are sure to forget. And that´s exactly what happened last year. I told a few close friends about a week or two before my birthday that it was coming up, and as the day approached, hoped to God they would remember. Well, they didn´t, much to my surprise and great disappointment. I just remember the disappointment of that day, when I was relating the whole story to my family up in the woods behind my house.

This year, I vowed to make it much, much different. So I had a party! In my town, when someone has a birthday party, it´s custom to have a celebration first (mass without the priest), then give out food and cake, and break a piñata. So that´s exactly what I did. The day before, the profesora, the woman I lived with before moving to my own house, drove me to Choluteca and helped me pick out all of the things I would need to make the food. When I got back, I went over to a friends house, and brought her back with me to spend the night, and help me make the cake (yes, i stupidly decided to make 2 cakes for 50 people myself!).

The cake making was quite an experience, I must say. First of all, I had gone to the city the day before especially to buy butter for the cake, something that is almost impossible to find. Well, upon arriving to my house, I set the bag with the butter in it on the chair outside, and went inside to set up for making the cake. To my surprise and horror, when I went to get the butter, it was nowhere in sight! The stray dogs that like to come around my house scavengering for food because their owners don´t give them anything to eat had stolen it! I was devastated. How the hell was I going to make my cake now? Luckily, my friend consoled me and she and my boyfriend both helped me make a cake with shortening instead. Not half as good, but it would have to do.

The next day, I went early in the morning to the Profesora´s house to cut vegetables, cook the chicken, and get everything ready for the food. I came back later that day to finish everything, and carried a huge pot that she had lent me all the way up the hill to my house. I was ready for a party. People started showing up. The kids first, then the parents came lagging behind. I remember walking back from the cooperative, carrying chairs, and seeing a multitude of children running around outside my house, and beaming with glee. I loved seeing my house like this!

During the celebration, many people expressed their sentiments for me, and how much I meant to them. And afterwards they sand various songs to me. The breaking of the huge piñata, almost the size of me, was the last blow out, and tons of fun. I had filled it to the brim with so much candy, they could hardly lift the darn thing! Every time a kid hit the piñata and candy shot out, it was a race to see who could get it first. And when it finally broke for good, it was a disaster. Candy, children, pieces of piñata everywhere. Just what a good birthday party should be.