The Lilacs Bloom Here in May Too

Technically I turned seventeen on Friday, May 21'st. But we had decided to celebrate it the Sunday afterwards because then the whole family could come, and I could have the Dutch birthday party that I've been waiting for all year.

Sunday was one of the first really warm days. As usual on Sunday, I had running practice in the dunes. It was already warm when we started training and the dunes were full of people running, mountain biking, and walking with the whole family. Our training was a fartlek run, and it was one of those perfect runs where you feel like you'll never need to stop. I was in such a good mood after running, and the weather was so nice, that I even put on a dress after I took a shower.

Milja's younger sister Connie and her family had spent the night before in a house across the street from us that's being rented out as a sort of bed and breakfast (very handy for when I come back here with all of the hundred people I want to show the Netherlands too). This meant that we already had a group of people sitting in the garden from about noon. We were spread out in the sun, completely relaxed, sometimes talking and sometimes not. Milja had decorated the garden with balloons and banners, and there were lilac bushes everywhere. I felt so much like it was my birthday. The weather was completely perfect that when it was time to walk Misha we went together to the lake where I usually run. Of course Misha got tired after about 20 minutes or so and then Milja had to carry her.
Around 3:00 everyone else from the family came and we ate cake in the garden. We ate the classical Dutch birthday cake, which is called a whipped cream cake, and had a picture of me printed on it. Milja's nephew, Matthijs, had made a sort of white sugar cake with marsipan frosting that we ate for dessert. Plus he'd made a smaller one that we'd eaten the night before. If birthday cakes were money I would be so rich.

Aren't they beautiful?

Everyone drank tea with the cake, and we sat outside for another couple of hours. Didn't I tell you? This is how it works at all of the Dutch birthday parties. We sit for hours and talk and drink. By drinking, I don't mean getting drunk. Mostly people drink tea, coffee, or juice, and once in a while a glass of wine. As soon as you've emptied a glass someone comes and fills another one. I spent the whole afternoon opening presents too. From Milja I got this fresh, springy perfume from Lancome. From Peter I got Bjorn Borg underwear (which I'd asked for, since I can't ever bring myself to buy underwear for that much), one that was "Dutch" and the other one that was "American." Very patriotic. From Adrienne- Milja's niece- I got a necklace. From Marja, Erik, and Inge I got an orange shirt (orange is Holland's official color) for the world soccer championships that are starting soon. From Connie and her family I got a little bright colored bag. From Anita I got a little wooden house from Swahili where her parents live. From Opa and Oma I got "De Hel van '63," the first movie I watched in Dutch without subtitles. And from lots of people I got money.

In the invitation I'd sent out to everyone I'd written that they had to bring walking shoes so we could go for a walk in the afternoon. After eating cake, we all got in the car and drove to a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of Akersloot. We didn't walk very far, but we looked at all of the birds, and then there turned out to be some cows too, so we climbed over the fence and tried to pet them and feed them grass, though they weren't brave enough to come very close.

When we got back to the house everyone sat down outside again and we brought another round of drinks and more food. By the time everyone was completely and totally full from all of the cheese, sausage, and chips that had been sitting on the table, we brought out soup and sandwiches on french bread with mozzarella and tomatoes. As if that wasn't enough, we had the cake from Matthijs for dessert and ice cream with it.

After dinner there was tea again, and more wine, and we sat outside until eleven o'clock around a campfire. Actually it wasn't really a campfire- we were sitting around three metal baskets with fire in them, that everyone uses here for parties. I'm not sure if there's a name for that in English? At some point when the sun started going down we'd moved around to the other side of the house. Then we could talk to all of the neighbors and wave to all of the people who walked by. There was a big group who walked by that turned out to be having a family reunion and they were so happy when they walked by and saw the whole "familie Clazing."

Maybe the Dutch birthday parties don't sound like much. I just realized that what I thought was so much to write about ended up being nothing once I'd typed it all out. Maybe because we didn't really "do" anything... But that's what's so nice. Sometimes it's nice not to have to do anything for a day, to be able to sit with the whole family, and eat, and talk, and laugh. I like listening to the story that I've already heard from Oma three times and that the rest of the family has heard a hundred times. I like watching Marja laugh hysterically and see Adrienne get embarrassed about it. I like sitting outside and being with so many people and feeling like I belong there. That's what makes the Dutch birthday parties- and my birthday party- so nice: that it's just about being together and not about "doing" anything.

Sunday wasn't the only birthday party I had. Since Monday was another school holiday (2nd Pinkster Day- I doubt that rings any bells), I gave a brunch at our house for my friends from school. Milja and I had done grocery shopping together and bought all sorts of bread, cheese, meat, chocolate spread, hagleslag, orange juice, and tea. Monday morning was a little bit colder than the day before, so we set the table inside instead of outside. There were five girls who came, all friends from my class at school. Once they were all here we sat for a long time and ate and they gave me the present from all of them which was that I get to pick out a purse. They all know how much I love the bag fashion here. The weather started getting nicer and we moved outside to the backyard where we could sit out of the wind. There was all sorts of pop and juice on the table, and after a while I brought out the cake (#4 from the weekend) which was another sort of whipped cream cake but with marsipan over the top. It was as close as anything to the Swedish princess cake that I love.

A little bit later in the afternoon Milja drove us to the movie theater in Alkmaar and we saw "Date Movie." I hadn't heard anything about it all, but one of the other girls had wanted to see it and it turned out to be good (after Evan Almighty I can't help but love how funny/cheesy that actor is). Everyone got picked up from the movie theater. Even though Monday was a laid back party, I was completely exhausted when I got home and so were Milja and Taiana. Watching America's next top model, eating Chinese take out for dinner, and going to bed early was the perfect end to the weekend.