A Birthday in Japan

Monday was a fairly normal day, and I didn't actively seek to do anything special. But a lot of people knew it was my birthday, so I got a few pleasant surprises from Sunday to Tuesday. These included:

• "Happy Birthday" karaoke
• A small cheesecake
• A bag of chocolate candy (advertised as my favorite food for all those Q&A sessions with students)
• Students sang happy birthday to me in class (a cheeky one guessed I was 55 years old)
• 3 gorgeous handmade birthday cards with origami decorations
• Bath salts
• A framed print of the four seasons in Japan
• A last minute invitation to go see a live performance of a band from Okinawa

It was kind of amazing to get all these little surprises. I've felt really happy and cheered by the people around me for the last few days, and I think this is the best way to spend one's birthday. Not to mention the emails, cards, packages, and facebook messages that poured in from home. I feel loved :D