So, even though WordPress is going to mark this post as published on the 16th, from where I sit, it’s still the 15th.
My birthday is tomorrow, my 21st birthday, and I am quietly reveling in that fact. For the record, I have not touched alcohol in the United States, because I wanted my 21st to be significant. (I also have healthy respect for the law. I drank in Taiwan. You’re legal for everything when you’re 18.)
I’m also very excited because this is a distinctly American custom. True, I spend most of my time hanging around exchange students, and since I do plan to live in Asia, my dad thought that it wouldn’t be a big deal to me, but I like to think that it is. Having your twenty-first birthday be an event is a custom for us, like having a big family gathering and a big turkey dinner at Christmas. Social norms create customs, customs create culture, and culture is what makes a society unique. “It’s definitely American”, is what Ulises would probably say. So, I felt the need to have some sort of ritual to mark the “21st birthday eve”. Hence, this blog post.
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And, every year you get older, you feel more and more thankful to be alive and reflect for longer and longer about how you’ve gotten to where you are, and more deeply savor each memory. And I’m totally all in for reliving great memories and reflecting on who I’ve become, but not late at night. So, to wrap up this post, I’ve shared my all-time favorite song from Sodagreen, which is designed to bring out those nostalgic feelings. Meanwhile, I will enjoy my last 30 minutes or so of “childhood” by watching Hutos Mini Mini.
And so the ritual concludes.
Castalian Accents II: Yana 