Day 65: The big day!

My birthday started in the most unique and special way I could have ever asked for. It reached 11.30pm yesterday night. I wanted to be sleeping before midnight and not on staring at Facebook. Not long after I fell asleep, I started to hear the Happy Birthday song but I thought I was just dreaming it due to excitement. The singing started to get louder. My Chinese neighbour opened the outside door and, not realising it was my birthday, she thought that everyone had made a huge mistake. With the door now open wide, "Gabrielle, Gabrielle, Gabrielle" was being chanted so loud that even Latvian students living in the hostel woke up before I did! Nevertheless, I jumped out of bed very fast, opened my door and saw at least 40 people (the summer school participants) standing outside singing to me.

I was in total shock because 1) I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen, 2) everyone was so sincere even though I've only known them for a week and 3) I still felt like I was in a dream, so much so that my legs were shaking. When they finished singing, I burst out crying. One by one, everyone gave me a birthday hug and I spent the next 30 minutes giggling with my Chinese friend. A few people were recording the surprise with their phones. I dread to think what I looked like standing there in my night dress, face covered in tears.

I woke up this morning, wondering if the singing-at-my-door thing actually happened - it did. I opened my birthday cards and parcel from Japan, trying to hold back more tears of joy but to no avail. For some reason, this birthday had made me feel so emotional. Today was going to be a good day indeed. We set off for our field trip to the Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve. Our Latvian tour guide (biologist by profession) was very enthusiastic about nature, which always helps when you're talking to students about rivers and trees.

     Our first stop: Lake Burtnieks, the biggest lake 

in Latvia.

Walking through marshland and small puddles, my dolly shoes were beginning to take a battering already. But I didn't care - it was my birthday!

Centre of our attention: a stray cat.

The tour guide, alongside talking about several abandoned buildings in the area, informed us that Latvia contains over 10,000 storks, a very sacred bird to the country. Before getting back on the bus, we looked up and saw many stork nests high in the trees.

Not something you see everyday - unless you live in Latvia, of course!

I think the birds started to wonder why we were gawking at them. On the way to the sea coast, after seeing Stone Age settlements over of 3000 years old, we stopped for lunch in a park on the side of the road - that's what I love about Latvia! After eating a lovely salad, we drove to the beginning of a meadow. We had to walk across beams of wood places over small marshes, balancing like we've never balanced before!

The birdwatching tower.

View of the Gulf of Riga from the top of the tower.

My shoes were completely soaking wet by the point, but again I didn't care... until something crazy happened. Going back over the beams seemed to be going fine, a bit shaky from the hoards of people walking across.

I took one step forward and the beam I stood on snapped right in half! I, Gabrielle Westhead, fell through a wooden bridge on my birthday - that's something to tell the grandchildren one day. That's like something you would expect to happen in a cartoon. One leg ended up through the bridge, shoe drenched in the wet marsh below. I walked bare foot the whole way back to the bus. I suppose that's one way of cleaning your shoes... a bit drastic though.

We drove past a harbour that transports gypsies and many natural monuments until we stopped at the park reserve's main office for a small tour and a quick trip to the shop. Look what I found:

My birthday cake from me to me.

My favourite cake in Latvia - I told you I would! From this point onwards, nothing was going to ruin my day. We visited one beach before going to our final beach destination - the one I went to in my first week - for a barbecue and beach party.

My first birthday beach pose of the day.

We eventually made it to the last beach to begin a perfect evening of beach games, cooking sausages, roasting marshmallows and big birthday smiles.

All of a sudden, I was told to stand up. In the distance, I saw 3 tiers of individual cupcakes with two chocolate ones on top. No one had any idea that it was also the birthday of a lady I sang the national anthem with yesterday, the wife of a lecturer from the UK! We each blew out the candle and were handed a bag of goodies. There were photos taken so I'll have to hunt them down. As I was given mine, these exact words were said to me:

"Be prepared for a better surprise tomorrow. It's going to be extreme"

I have no idea what they mean, but my birthday can only get better from this point on! A night on the town ended the day in the best way. Like I've said already, my birthday may be "officially" over, but believe me when I say that the celebrations will continue for at least a few more months.

I love BISS.

Wow, I'm 19!