One year difference

Ducca’s birthday a year ago was, well, eventful. In a good way, of course. On that day something happened that was previously unrecorded in Ducca’s past birthdays. Not that Ducca’s past birthdays are dull, in fact, every birthday is special to Ducca, but, the memory of last year’s birthday is especially sharp.


If one year ago, during my birthday, if you’d told me I’ll be spending my next birthday with strangers in an alien place, I would have laughed in your face.



But it did happen. A year ago, my mates sang the birthday song during class which made my face extremely red. A year later, I’m in a totally new place which I visited for the first time, spending my time with around 60 people I had not known existed before. And no, they didn’t sing the birthday song. Thank god. Lol!


All I can say is, what a difference a year makes. The saying, though clichéd, rings so true: you never know what will happen tomorrow, let alone a year! Though this year I’m far away from my closed ones(I miss them badly!), events that happened made this year’s birthday another special occasion.


Because I had to be outstation for days leading up to my birthday, I really can’t celebrate it on the big day itself. Thus, my relatives over here celebrated with me a few days earlier(thanks!) and the next day I was off to work outstation for 3 days.


Around two hours left to the start of my birth-day I received a surprise from one of my colleagues who was also outstation with me. Ohh..i really didn’t expect him to treat me, so I was really surprised when it came. And then the clock struck midnight, and well, my birth-day began!


I spent the first hour of my birth-day playing ps2 with virtual strangers, which happened to be my hostel mates for the day. It’s been such a loooong time I last touched a ps2, and I deserve to play till late night ahh!! Ahahah!! I was already starting to like my hostel mates a lot. They are very kind and warm and funny and approachable.


I went to sleep around 2am after that, only to wake up 4 hrs later for work! The whole day I was trying hard not to fall asleep during work, with a slight headache too. But I told myself this is only for a day, how many times do u have the opportunity to work elsewhere and spend good time with people you just met? So what if I slept late? I don’t get to do this often!


When it was time to say goodbye, there was the tiny feeling of sadness there again. over the relatively short time we had, I had grown to like the place and its people a lot. I was sure I’m gonna miss them! One of them greeted my birthday as we parted, and I’m thanking him in my heart that he remembered, tho I suspect he still couldn’t remember my name!


For dinner I bought some Dunkin’ Donuts(we don’t that store where I’m staying) and off we’re back to our original town. I checked my phone and found there were a few messages from my friends greeting me. Aww..you guys!! Thanks a lot!! This marks the first year I’m not seeing my friends on my birthday, and also theirs. Sigh. Don’t worry, when we gather in the future, let’s party till we drop our pants!! XP


So. A year is all it takes for all the difference. A year later I’m in a new place, around new people, doing new things. I wonder then, how will my birthday next year take place? Another new place? Another new event? Another person to share it with? Who knows? I only know that, a year from now, I’ll look back at last year and this year with fond memories.


This is an account of how I spent my first birthday away from my loved ones, what I did, how I did it and who I did it with. I miss you guys. Thanks for all you’ve done.

*written 21st Sep*