I never imagined I'd spend my 25th birthday eating cake with nuns.

But then, you never know what life's gonna throw at you, right? I had a great birthday, I received plenty of love, and for that I am grateful. The first quarter of a century of life has been great so far, I look forward to hopefully at least half a century more of joyful life.

Some birthday highlights besides sharing cake with nuns:

- The cake I shared with my family was seriously one of the most delicious cakes I've ever eaten in my life. We finished it off at lunch today, and I felt a bit of sadness accompany that last bite.

- Many of my students remembered it was my birthday (we told them the week before), a few gave me chocolates and cards, and everywhere I went it seemed I was greeted with hugs (as is the tradition here on birthdays) and shouts of "Happy Birthday Tia".

- The entire staff and all the nuns had a little surprise get together for me at the end of the day. They often bought me presents. Never have I felt so welcomed at a place of employment.

- My host mom made a special dinner for me, and besides the cake, the best part was definitely this sesame sauce she made with noodles. Yummy!

- My host dad gave me a Chilean flag. I didn't have one, so now I look forward to hanging it up at my future homes.

I can't believe on Friday it will already be three weeks of me being here, plus Friday is April 1st, making it 7 months since I've been in South America. Time is flying by! I have to remember to make the most of every moment.