Mariana's 15th Birthday Surprise!

We all love surprises, like seeing a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll sitting on my desk at work or getting an unexpected check in the mail (even the $5.00 rebate check I sent for months ago counts!) But I have to admit - orchestrating the surprise is almost better than being on the receiving end of one. Such is the story of Mariana's 15th birthday.



Before we left on this adventure, many people asked me (Heidi) if Mariana was excited to go since she is a teenager and would have to leave her friends and her Freshmen year behind. Everyone seemed to understand that Mariana would be giving up quite a lot during a very important time in her life as a teenager. But Mariana is an adventurer at heart and she has adapted amazingly well here. However, she had a particularly difficult week prior to her birthday on January 12th. She was missing her friends, missing sleepovers and hanging out with them and going to the bookstore and to Jamba Juice. She has met a lot of great kids here and she is well liked, but it's one thing to practice each other's language on the way home from school and another to sit on each other's bed and talk about all the things teenage girls talk about ad infinitum. I remember...though my girlfriends and I spent most of our time either in Becky's kitchen eating pizza and fish sticks at midnight or in her bathroom putting on or taking off our make-up and solving life's issues simultaneously! (Oh for one more of those moments!!! - huh Becky?) Anyway - Mariana was crying in her soup one night right before her birthday because she missed home and we (her horrible parents) hadn't mentioned one thing about her birthday, which was in 2 days. To say the least, Mariana had hit quite a low point. But alas - what 24 hours can do for one's perspective: a birthday celebration 1 day early with bus tickets to Prague for the following morning - witness her happiness:

It's difficult to keep anything from each other in this apartment, but Mark and I managed to plan our trip to Prague without the girls' knowledge - and it was great fun! While Mariana was moping around the apartment, sad and depressed, Mark and I were making dinner and hotel arrangements all right under her nose! We felt a bit cruel about it when she was feeling so sad, but then the surprise meant all that much more as a result of feeling so low - at least that's what we told her! We spent the rest of Friday night celebrating Mariana's b-day. Witness a few moments:


On that very day, we received Mari's birthday package from my parents - filled with all the junk food we haven't eaten for a few months. And no - neither Mark nor I have eaten any of it - that's all for Mariana - well - the maple syrup is for me...

The next morning, we caught the 6:00 a.m. bus to Prague and spent the morning browsing the shops on St. Wenceslas' Square. It was the first time we'd seen the sun in - oh I don't know..



For lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant - not quite the same, but it'll do until we get home.

Mariana has developed a pretty handy knack for photography - and Prague is an amazing city to photograph! Here are a few shots of the day.

The astronomical clock in Old Town Square

One of the many apartment buildings that are just so beautiful
Even the alleyways are worth remembering!
For dinner we went to a vegetarian restaurant recommended by two other Fulbrighters who joined us in the celebration. We ate in a private room with a glowing table and stars on the ceiling! And of course - we forgot to take a picture of that part of our trip - so we'll just have to stage it the next time we're in Prague and I'll insert it here after that. But just imagine a hidden alley - Jack the Ripper-esque style - with a gas light at the base of a door. Once you enter the door you're welcomed to warm, colorful rooms and the most amazing smells! We ate the most delicious restaurant food we've had since we've been here. After dinner, Mark took Mariana to the Roxy - a club that played great music that night , so both of them were in their glory!
Mariana is one of the most appreciative young ladies I know and giving her this weekend was just so much fun. The tears of the week had faded into joy and laughter.
Celebrating your 15th birthday in Prague, how cool is that?!
Happy Birthday, my dear Mariana!!!