My 16th Birthday!!

My birthday finally rolled around this year, and I will say I was kind of nervous for the day. I thought it would be a hard day to spend away from my home and my family. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it ended up being a really great day with the people I love here in Germany. 

When I woke up, my host mom had hung a little Happy Birthday banner in the kitchen for me to see when I went to eat breakfast. My host sisters and host mom also immediately gave me hugs, which was a great way to start the day.

At school, all of my friends gave me hugs and the entire class (including my teacher) sang Happy Birthday to me. It was really special to me that they all remembered and it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Since it was a short day at school, Josie and I ate lunch at home with my host mom and Lillian. After lunch, my host mom brought out the vanilla-mandarin cake she baked for me. She even texted my real mom a few days earlier to make sure that I would like it. On top of the cake, she had written “16” in chocolate candies. My host family sang Happy Birthday to me again and I blew out my candle (and made a wish of course). I was so grateful for all the work they put into everything – the cake, banners, and presents. It was honestly an amazing birthday and definitely one I'll remember for a long time.