Quarter century
You know how you feel when you wake up on your birthday or Christmas morning, or even on the morning of a big trip? You just feel…special. Well I didn’t have that on Saturday. I woke up early in the morning from a nightmare and I can’t even blame it on anti-malaria medication this time because I’m not taking them over here. I took it as an omen, a bad start to a new year. So I went back to sleep to start over again, and when I woke up I played Stevie Wonder´s “Happy Birthday to You” to inspire me. Since the big day fell on a Saturday, half of my birthday was spent in church, there was a big American group visiting so the whole service had to be translated. Last year, I was in Cameroon on a mission trip and didn’t tell anyone it was my bday. They still found out and I got a snack-size packet of M&Ms. This year I was fully prepared to spend my birthday in a new country, in my room completamente sola, with a bar of dark chocolate and a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos, which I stuck in my suitcase before I left a few weeks ago specifically for this momentous occasion. But in the evening, I was lucky enough to go into Teguc and enjoy a piece of birthday cake with some new friends.
But I can’t get over how old I am. I've been dreading this day since my last birthday and I'm pretty sure I suffered a quarter-life crisis. 24 still sounds young. 25, well that is a quarter century and that’s a whole another can of worms. Now you can’t get around the dreaded “A” word. You’re an adult, and you can now rent a car. Talk about significant. Now my grandmothers have just cause for asking me when I’m going to get married. Before it was “Oh don’t worry, you’re still young and have plenty of time, focus on your education first.” Now its, “Umm, tick tock Tina, you’re not getting any younger.”
Quarter century, holy smokes. That just sounds impressive, like I should be interviewed on Larry King or something...
Larry: So Tina, you’ve been alive for a quarter of a century, what has been your biggest achievement thus far?
Tina: Well Larry, I’d have to go with being born. Yeah, birth. I’m pretty proud of that, I feel that was a pretty significant moment for me.
Larry: But you didn’t actually do anything, you just escaped from the birth canal. What else have you done with your life?
Tina: Hmmm, let’s see. Well I don’t want to brag or anything, but when I was 10 I beat my older sister at arm wrestling, that was pretty sweet.
Ok, I suppose I have done a lot in a short time. The first words my supervisor said to me when I arrived a few weeks ago was, “Wow, you ‘re a lot younger than I expected.” I’m not sure what she was expecting, I told her I had just finished my Master’s a few months ago. But I guess that doesn’t say anything about my age since there are so many people going back to school these days and I did kind of just plow through it all. In any case, I couldn’t help wonder if she was disappointed or scared that she ended up with an inexperienced, snot-nosed little kid. When people meet me here they always ask me how much longer I have left in school (and by this they imply bachelor’s degree). When I tell them I just finished with my Master’s degree, their eyes just about pop out of their heads. “Oh, I thought you were like 19.” Nope, I’m old. I just look like a kid, and generally feel like one too.
But for someone who never thought they’d live past 18 (don’t ask me why, I have no clue), I’ve done a lot. I noticed this last week when I was talking to a new friend and mentioned I had been a lifeguard for a few years, the week before I had told her my first job was at McDonald’s.
“Man, how many jobs have you had Tina?” she asked. She told me that most teenagers or college students don’t work in Honduras, if they do it’s seen as a bad thing, like they are of a lower class. Even though 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, and therefore pretty much everyone should start working young.
So that made me thankful that I’ve had the chance to see and do as much as I have, and now I have to get cracking on my “Things to do before I’m 30” list, only 5 more years !! The list includes sky-diving, reading the 100 best-novels of all times, and traveling to 30 countries.
So here’s to the future!
t.p., over and out
quote of the day:
"Age ain't nothin' but a number" - Aaliyah
But I can’t get over how old I am. I've been dreading this day since my last birthday and I'm pretty sure I suffered a quarter-life crisis. 24 still sounds young. 25, well that is a quarter century and that’s a whole another can of worms. Now you can’t get around the dreaded “A” word. You’re an adult, and you can now rent a car. Talk about significant. Now my grandmothers have just cause for asking me when I’m going to get married. Before it was “Oh don’t worry, you’re still young and have plenty of time, focus on your education first.” Now its, “Umm, tick tock Tina, you’re not getting any younger.”
Quarter century, holy smokes. That just sounds impressive, like I should be interviewed on Larry King or something...
Larry: So Tina, you’ve been alive for a quarter of a century, what has been your biggest achievement thus far?
Tina: Well Larry, I’d have to go with being born. Yeah, birth. I’m pretty proud of that, I feel that was a pretty significant moment for me.
Larry: But you didn’t actually do anything, you just escaped from the birth canal. What else have you done with your life?
Tina: Hmmm, let’s see. Well I don’t want to brag or anything, but when I was 10 I beat my older sister at arm wrestling, that was pretty sweet.
Ok, I suppose I have done a lot in a short time. The first words my supervisor said to me when I arrived a few weeks ago was, “Wow, you ‘re a lot younger than I expected.” I’m not sure what she was expecting, I told her I had just finished my Master’s a few months ago. But I guess that doesn’t say anything about my age since there are so many people going back to school these days and I did kind of just plow through it all. In any case, I couldn’t help wonder if she was disappointed or scared that she ended up with an inexperienced, snot-nosed little kid. When people meet me here they always ask me how much longer I have left in school (and by this they imply bachelor’s degree). When I tell them I just finished with my Master’s degree, their eyes just about pop out of their heads. “Oh, I thought you were like 19.” Nope, I’m old. I just look like a kid, and generally feel like one too.
But for someone who never thought they’d live past 18 (don’t ask me why, I have no clue), I’ve done a lot. I noticed this last week when I was talking to a new friend and mentioned I had been a lifeguard for a few years, the week before I had told her my first job was at McDonald’s.
“Man, how many jobs have you had Tina?” she asked. She told me that most teenagers or college students don’t work in Honduras, if they do it’s seen as a bad thing, like they are of a lower class. Even though 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, and therefore pretty much everyone should start working young.
So that made me thankful that I’ve had the chance to see and do as much as I have, and now I have to get cracking on my “Things to do before I’m 30” list, only 5 more years !! The list includes sky-diving, reading the 100 best-novels of all times, and traveling to 30 countries.
So here’s to the future!
t.p., over and out
quote of the day:
"Age ain't nothin' but a number" - Aaliyah
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