A Very French Birthday
On October 12th it was my birthday! I’m 17 and I’m going to take this opportunity to call myself the dancing queen😏It was the most memorable birthday I’ve had to date and the best birthday I’ve had throughout my seventeen years of life. Here’s a recap of the special day:
My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year which was nice because Wednesdays are half days at school, but there was a catch to this Wednesday….it was PSAT day. If you don’t know what the PSAT is, it’s a standardized test similar to the SAT. Some schools make their students take it every year, and this year it fell on my birthday. But that’s okay, at least we still got out early😄.
I woke up, ate my usual baguette and butter breakfast, and went to catch the bus. Holy Moly was there a sunrise! The perfect orange-pink sunrise filled the sky as I listened to Dancing Queen on my bus ride, literally a dream. Then I took the four hour long PSAT at school. I honestly wasn’t mad about having the PSAT on my birthday because once it was done it was done, and the rest of my day was free!
My one wish for my birthday was to have a nice crepe for lunch so after school a few friends and I headed to a creperie to do exactly that. My friend and I split a vegetarian galette for lunch, and then I got my own dessert crepe because no rules on your birthday! This chocolate crepe had ice cream, whipped cream, and some popcorn on top; I think It’s been the best crepe I’ve had in Rennes so far, thanks OEuf Creperie! After the yummy lunch, we looked around two vintage stores on the same street, then I strolled around Rennes on my way to my bus stop. I went to my Wednesday night dance class per usual, then headed home.
I wasn’t expecting my host family to do anything for my birthday; maybe just a candle added to whatever dessert we were having for that day, but they went all out for me!🥺😭 As I walked to the dining room table, I saw a pink balloon that said “Joyeux Anniversaire Clover!” on my plate at my spot at the table. I told them that my favorite color was pink so everything was pink: the balloons, the grapefruit juice, the napkins, even pink glitter on the table! My birthday meal reminded me of my first meal in France, which was specially done for both occasions. We had an array of different bite sized foods from mozzarella sticks, scallop shells, little hummus toasts, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more! We also had escargot (which I love) and a pizza to go along with it. On a normal night we usually just share one entree with a salad so my host mom specially prepared this meal just for me, and it was so delicious and special. The night was a turning point in my relationship with my host family. I felt like I was a real member of the family, laughing, easily joining in the conversation, and I had so much love and support just for me. I explained birthday traditions in the US like golden birthdays, and the whole table was filled with smiles and pure joy.
After the meal we cleared the table, then my host dad turned the lights off. Next thing I knew my youngest host brother was carrying a cake lit with so many candles, and my whole family was singing Happy Birthday to me in French. This is a moment I’ll never forget because it’s the first time I’ve truly felt family. The past two years I’ve celebrated my birthday at boarding school, which were not bad experiences, but the day never felt any special. When I did live at home I would have birthday parties or go out to dinner with my mom, but I never had a birthday with a large group of family surrounding me, which was always one of my birthday wishes growing up as a kid. This year that wish came true, and my smile was through the roof with pure happiness. Previous birthdays, I awkwardly sat and didn’t know where to look when people sang Happy Birthday to me. This year I captured the moment of “Joyeux Anniversaire” and loved every second of the song. My cake was the cutest chocolate cake I’ve ever seen which my host mom baked and decorated for me❤️.
After we ate cake, I got gifts!😩so sweet and unexpected🥺. They were also the most wholesome and thoughtful gifts I could ever ask for. First, a heating device that looks like a water bottle. It looks like a water bottle for camping, but you put hot water in it and keep it in your bed to stay warm during winter. It took me at least ten minutes to understand what the gift was, but it added on to the laughs and funny birthday memories from the meal. My family gave me a journal because they know I love to write, and magnetic bookmarks because they know I love to read. I also got a mug with my name written on it which was so notable to me because my whole family has matching cups with their names handwritten in pen as well. Lastly, a popular French comic book which my host brother explained to me, another joyful moment of family bonding. The gifts were so thoughtful and so personal to me, my heart was melted with love by the end of the night. After dinner when I was about to head upstairs to go to bed, my host mom and I heard popping outside, there were fireworks!😮The day could not get any better. No one in my family was doing them, just people in the city, but we saw them right from our backyard. Throughout my whole time in France I haven’t heard or seen fireworks, so the fact that they appeared on my birthday was crazy exceptional!
From the glowing sunrise to the unexpected fireworks to end my night, everything about my day made it the best birthday I could have ever asked for. Crepes in the afternoon with friends was a fun piece of the day, and my host family’s generosity topped the cake🎂 I am so forever grateful for them and their above and beyond kindness. This was my French 17th Birthday🥳 A birthday I’ll never forget, and the best birthday in my 17 years!
