Birthday Wishes

I received a couple of birthday surprises today. When my parents called us on Skype this morning (Kolkata time), they sang me "Happy Birthday" along with Jack and Jess Layman (two members of our church), who had come over to my parents' house for that specific purpose. It was a great way to start the 28th year of my life.

At the end of the day, my roommate here in Kolkata Matt and his girlfriend Shardah threw me a surprise mini-bash. They picked up some bottles of Kingfisher beer (a local Indian brew) and Matt also brought out some of his native New Zealand vodka. Along with Jenna, we toasted and had a few rounds. Then, we went out to a "fancy" Indian restaurant. For most people around here, this restaurant--called Tero Parbon--would be way out of reach. We were able to walk in with shorts and flip-flops. Still, they ripped us. We got charged 120 rupees for an item we did not even get served. The waiter acknowledged the mistake and still insisted there was nothing we could do about it. It didn't dampen our spirits though. I mean, 120 rupees is still only about $3.

More about what Jenna and I did today to follow tomorrow.