Surprise Party!

My birthday was this week and I unexpectedly got to celebrate it in style with all of my friends at Anafora! After a long day in the desert working on top plans and other detailed drawings of our units, Dar and Arafa (our driver) mysteriously started trying to light a grill. I'm pretty sure the BBQ thing happens every year, so I merely enjoyed the fact that the good food happened to coincide with my birthday.


We decided to eat our meal outside and, much to the chagrin of the Anafora staff, dragged out tables and chairs to the front porch. We talked and let the chicken grill until it got dark, and then played with some sparklers.


After eating a delicious dinner of grilled chicken, coleslaw, and Coke (which tastes AMAZING after working all day), suddenly people appeared with... cake. Birthday cake, for me! We tried to light candles but alas, the wind was too strong. Here are the rockin' cakes they brought out:




Did I have nice time? YOU BET I DID! Things got even better. We ate that cake off of the greatest plates in all the land:


Apparently, it is impossible to escape Hannah Montana even if you travel halfway around the world. And THEN, to my even greater surprise, I got presents! In addition to an awesome book from Chrysi and a very nice handmade journal, I got some serious bling. Nothing makes you feel more like a birthday girl than fancy golden flip flops!


And, naturally, a Hannah Montana watch:


I have never had a bday party with friends before, nor have I had a surprise party. So this year's birthday totally rocked! Obviously I work with very nice, thoughtful people. Even if they make me wear a happy birthday Barbie head tie.


Today was a bittersweet day. On the one hand, I am done with all of my work and handed in all the forms I've been filling out for the past few weeks. But on the other, it was sad to pack up our entire workroom and put it into storage until next season. We all went to a farewell dinner at this amazing Lebanese restaurant called Taboula. And now we are all at the Mayfair, our usual Cairo haunt, waiting to go our separate ways. I ended up buying my own train ticket to Luxor last week without a hitch, so I will spend tomorrow night on a sleeper train. I'm nervous about traveling alone, but hopefully everything will work out all right.