"It's amazing to witness how an environment influences a person. Never-ending shades of blue surround me on my most special day, my family made sure that it would be special. I sit and let my troubles wash and crash away with the waves. That day has really grounded me. It reminded me that I am here in this world and I have so much more to do, so much more to give back."
That was a message that I wrote the say my family and I celebrated my birthday.
As someone who hates attention from a lot of people, birthdays are a little uncomfortable for me. The celebration I mean. You know that feeling you get when people sing the birthday song to you and you just stand there awkwardly? Maybe I'm just an introvert, and there's nothing wrong with liking and disliking attention, we're all just people.
I have a big family and you might think that I'm used to the attention by now, but it still feels a little uncomfortable on my end. It's not that I dislike my family, it's just that I don't like having people stare into my soul. They're good people and they even brought some family friends with us. I don't know how to feel about that since I didn't bring my friends with me. Most of them are guys but they helped us lift our food and stuff so it's okay I guess. Although it was my birthday, my family still called the shots.
Anyway, my cousin made a program for me! She's literally the best cousin a person could have. She made sure that everything would go according to plan. It was a typical "debut" celebration with a few tweaks. It was perfect for me.
DEBUT
According to Wikipedia (forgive me for using Wikipedia), the debut (/dɛˈbuː/) is a traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration that celebrates a young woman's 18th birthday, the age of maturity in the Philippines.
A debut typically consists of the cotillion, a waltz dance. We did not have that during my birthday since it was a surprise for me that they even held this kind of celebration. However, I was able to experience the 18 roses and the 18 candles.
In the 18 Roses, 18 chosen gentlemen get to dance with the debutant. I got to dance with my cousins, uncles, and my brother. It was fun but also a bit awkward because most of them did not know that they were going to dance with me but 20 seconds of swaying didn't really bother them too much.
In the 18 candles, the women in my family got to say their messages and advice to me. It was bittersweet. Knowing that I'm an adult with more responsibilities makes me a little bit more nervous, but I get to have more freedom and choose for myself now.
The event ended with a video created by my cousin where the past 18 years of my life just flashed through the screen. From a little baby to a young adult. It certainly made me quite emotional to the point where I teared up a little. The background music that was played was Slipping Through My Fingers by Abba. My mom loves Abba and she was totally bawling along with my aunts. A reminder that I'm really getting old WHAHAHAHAHAHA.
With that, the whole family ate our delicious dinner.
POOL
One thing that I didn't expect and know about the venue was the pool it had beside it. It was an 8-foot pool and was quite happy about that, I totally love swimming in a deep pool. I got ready with my cousins who were also excited about the pool. The last time that I got to swim in a pool, felt like ages ago. But if I had to rate that pool, it would be a 7/10. I liked the fact that it was deep but I didn't like that it was warm. The Philippines is a warm country, so the pool can't control that lol. It's also a 7 because the chlorine in the water hurts a little. Maybe swimming on the beach is better.
BEACH
Boy was I right, swimming on the beach is so much better. The venue was literally a beach house, so I was getting geeked out about that. I swam on the beach on the second day, it was 7 in the morning, the sun wasn't too bright and the water was cool. One thing about the sea is that it is absolutely easier to swim on. The density that the salt brings to the water makes it so our bodies float much easier. So I swam for a minute or two, and the next thing I knew, I was already probably floating at 10 feet.
It was so peaceful, the water was calm and the birds were singing. I loved every second of it.
Hey there my dear Hivers, it has been a while since I posted here but I'm glad that I get to post about a special day in my life! I hope that you guys are doing well. Thank you for reading this blog. As a Gemini girlie, I hope that your June goes well and I wish you all the best!💙
