A Special 25 Surprise.doc

Birthdays are fun, but the actual day is a bit of an out of body experience - you're the centre of attention and there is nothing you can really do. My 25th was extremely memorable for a number of reasons.

The first being that it was my second birthday away from home. I think it'll make all the subsequent birthdays at home all the better. I really miss spending the special day with family during thanksgiving, and with friends who have known me for a good six years. At the same time, it was nice to know people back home were thinking of me. It's always humbling to log on and see 100 facebook posts wishing me well, and messages from family back home. My parents sent me a very thoughtful gift for my birthday. My ipod had kicked out during the summer of traveling (I squeezed three and a half years out of it) so they replaced it with a new slick blue 5th Generation Nano which now features a great little video camera. I really feel that I have all I need, but the ipod is a nice luxury for jaunts about town and at the gym.

At the same time that I missed family and friends back home, my friends here in the UK gave me a smashing birthday celebration. On Thursday, Tory, Zoey, and I decked out the apartment with red and white paraphernalia and loaded the freezer with delicious eats for our guests. Everyone got into the Canadian theme. Bec whipped up a beautiful Canadian cake which was devoured once the clock struck midnight. Lotte and Tory entertained the group with a wonderful rendition of a Celine Dion hit before we hit the town. There were over twenty people in our small little posh pad, but it was such a great celebration. The party was one of the best our MAIPR group has had. Some of the new students attended, and it was nice for the groups to get to know each other further. As the time here at the program slowly winds down (I'm reminded of that with the passing of each week), the party was a reminder of all the fantastic connections made over the thirteen months spent together. I've made some really great friends from all different parts of the world.

My actual birthday on Friday was pretty low key. After a very late night on Thursday, and a long sleep in on Friday, Tory and I hit the town and got some great eats for the rest of the day. Birthdays are an excuse to relax, and after such a crazy night before, we just chilled out for the majority of the day. In the evening, Bec came over with some cake and we sat around with tea. Around 11, after a restful but fulfilling birthday, in the one hour before I wasn't the special centre of attention - the birthday surprise came. I received a welcome call from Emily. I thought it was really sweet of her to be calling from Portugal. I went into my room to chat and she asked how the day was. As I told her we weren't up to much that evening, a mysterious stranger banged on my bedroom window and yelled, "Rally back Doctor! Rally back!" Emily had come to Leamington to surprise me on my birthday. To say I was shocked was an understatement. From what I knew, Em had a full week left in Portugal and the arrival was absolutely impossible. It took a good fifteen minutes for the reality to sink in. At the same time that the party the evening before was memorable, on my actual birthday I was feeling homesick (maybe the most homesick I've felt while over here) and Emily's visit came at the perfect time. It joins the 23rd birthday celebrations as two of the most memorable birthday moments. The friendly face from home warmed my heart. I'll remember the surprise always.

So my whole weekend turned around. I went from planned homework to hosting my best friend here in Leam. We've had a wonderful weekend so far, and Em is here until Tuesday. I'm really thankful to spend time with her amidst all the dissertation work. I think it'll help me on the road to getting a draft together. Updates on our thanksgiving weekend in the next post.

Happy Holidays back home in Canada!

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Turkey, turkey, gobble, gobble, stuffing, and all that.