It was my birthday last week. I share my birthday with Valentines’ Day, which is one of my top 3 favourite holidays. I’d like to think when everyone is celebrating their love for each other on Valentines’, they are secretly celebrating my birthday too. Over the years, I’ve celebrated my year around the sun with family. Cake/ dessert is a must. A nice dinner out. Bonus points if we snag a reservation on Valentines’ Day itself.
But this year I didn’t wake up to my husband sleeping beside me or my mum, dad, or siblings being a short drive away. We were on different continents. We could not possibly be together in-person. Even still, I didn’t really feel worlds away.
That’s thanks to the life changing magic of a smartphone, a data plan, and the internet. I can call my parent’s house using Google Hangouts for the low, low price of free. I can facetime with my husband, Andrew, at any time, whether at home, at work, or out in the city. The connection is crystal clear (98% of the time). When I phoned Andrew’s folks the other night to say hi from Mongolia, they were astonished with the call quality. “It sounds like you are right here beside us”, said Andrew’s mum.
Having a smartphone as a lifeline to back home can also be a crutch. It is easy to stay glued to the screen and the notifications, and hide away on social media, emails, and the like. Never truly experiencing the city and culture, and missing the chance to meet new and amazing people.
There’s a fine line between a smartphone’s magical qualities and addictive, isolating qualities.
I’m doing my best to be present. At the same time, I am making time for my family in Canada and staying connected to friends, some old and some not so old. In fact, I feel that I have strengthened and deepened existing relationships while I’ve been here. It’s funny how being away has made me realize what matters and who matters in my life.
My birthday was a work day. I knew work would be busy so all I planned was to order Indian food for dinner (my favourite food). Despite the work deadline we were trying to meet, my colleagues still found the time to pick up a present for me, a cake, and surprise me with everything while crooning happy birthday. I’ve never had work colleagues do something like this before. Their kindness and recognition warmed my heart.
My friend, Laurel, was thrilled to celebrate my special occasion and joined me at my place for dinner. She thoughtfully brought 4 different slices of cake, unsure of their flavours and what we might enjoy.
At 6:30pm, I placed our food order using the Songo app (it’s the app everyone in UB uses for take-out). If you happened to guess that we waited 3 hours for food and none showed up, then you may have the ability to see the future or a good eye for storytelling. By 9:15pm, Laurel and I had reached the stage where the smallest, slightly funny thing is beyond hysterical. While we laughed uncontrollably over the inefficiency of Songo, we dug into the cake slices to fill our empty stomachs. It wasn’t long before Laurel figured that eating cake would not satisfy our hunger. We went off in search of a nearby Indian restaurant, leaving Songo in the dust.
At 10pm, my goal of ordering and eating Indian food on my birthday had been achieved. Thank you, Delhi Darbar. While we stuffed our bellies, Laurel and I talked about what brought us to Mongolia and reflected on the things we like and dislike about the country. It was easy to open up and have an honest conversation. I really appreciated her company. I also learned from Laurel that this year is my “Jesus” year (which made me smile).
So even though my plans for dinner went off course, we managed to get things back on track, and now I have an enjoyable and memorable evening to tell you about. I am glad I didn’t spend my birthday in Mongolia all by myself.