Student Bloggers
Celebrating Your Birthday Abroad? This One’s for You
Date
December 4, 2019
Currently Studying at: University of Glasgow, Scotland
Homeschool: Elon University
I love my birthday, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. A day all about you? Amazing.
I celebrated my birthday on November 27. I had cupcakes, went out to breakfast and immersed myself in Glasgow nightlife, but there was an underlying bittersweet feeling that I couldn’t shake.
When you go abroad, no one prepares you for being away from your family and friends on your big day. Personally, the past two years I’ve been away from my family because I go to school in North Carolina and I am from Boston. I didn’t expect it to be hard to celebrate my favorite day of the year while in Glasgow, but it was.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a fun day. I am appreciative that I have friends here who wanted to celebrate with me and go out on a Wednesday night! There is just something about not being with your best friends that you can always count on to celebrate with you. It’s hard.
If you feel this way, it’s important to remember where you are. It is so cool to have your birthday in a different country! Especially in Glasgow, there are so many options for celebration, whether you want something casual or to dance the night away. The next thing you have to remember is, you have another birthday next year. Make the most of YOUR day! Buy yourself a present, treat yourself to some pampering, go get a drink. Once I realized nothing was going to transport me to all the places my friends are in, either abroad or in the U.S., I lived in the present and had a blast.
To my family in Boston: Sorry we aren’t celebrating my birthday on Thanksgiving. I guess Hanukkah will do this year!
To all my Elon friends: Get ready, because we are celebrating when we reunite in January.