Kite-Flying, Chocolate, and Cake, Oh My!: Celebrating My Birthday In India.

My birthday cake! Fun fact: the man  who decorated it is
apparently "the best of the best"... he was very proud.
Photo: Rachel G.

For anyone who's interested, whether it be because you're family, a friend, or you may celebrate your birthday in India as well, here are a few pictures from my birthday. My birthday, although it was still early on in our travels, was the second one celebrated. Another ETA Rachel had celebrated hers around ten days earlier. It was challenging for either of us to plan or request anything since a. we didn't know the city well and b. we were very busy finding apartments or attending our intensive Bangla classes. Still, we managed to make it work. Hopefully this isn't because of how seriously I take chocolate/cake/chocolate cake. I am a fan of all of these things.

Walking into the park. The Victorian Memorial is above my
head. Photo: Rachel G.

On my birthday, we were in Bangla classes until four pm, leaving us little time to do anything. The others asked me what I wanted to do, and I honestly wasn't sure. Ryan suggested, because of my affinity for animals that we go to the zoo. On our way over to try and find it-which was unsuccessful-, we stumbled upon a huge park. There was a beautiful view of several points of interest, such as the Second Hoogly Bridge and the Victorian Memorial. Most important at the time were the kites in the air. Despite celebrating my twenty second birthday, I was determined to fly some kites. We strategically stood by some kite flyers and waited to be approached so we could bargain for a better deal. One did approach, but he ended up not requesting any money. This took us all by surprise and surely added to the excitement!

Kite Flying! Photo: Rachel G.

The group and the kite flyers. Photo: Rachel G.

Me and the cake!
Photo: Rachel G.

After that, we had dinner at a restaurant on Park Street, a fun area with a ton of restaurants and interesting places, like the Oxford Bookstore. In search for excessive amounts of chocolate cake, we stopped at Flurries, a popular and very westernized bakery. My friends had me sit down as they "surprised" me with a cake, which was cute. Thanks guys! Adizah read in the paper the next day that apparently some Bollywood star had the same cake decorated by the same man for his birthday, so solid decision making guys. Especially because of the chocolate. Have I mentioned I like chocolate?

We have two more birthdays to celebrate... on in September and two in October. These will certainly be memorable since we'll know the city and the October ones are during Durga Puja, a festival you will be hearing a lot about since it's the most important one in Kolkata.