Anna’s birthday and Easter in Kathmandu
On 1st April was Annas 5th birthday.
It happened to be that her birthday is the same day as Easter. Already month earlier Katia had a wish to paint eggs, anyway, eggs were forgotten and gifts were more important. However, after the birthday celebration we painted eggs.
Gifts and cake
In accordance with the birthday mode, which we invented recently – we wanted to make a magic box covered with a shiny foil, full of small surprises. Katia gave us her gift box, which she got on a birthday a month earlier, so we didn’t have to make a new one, it required only a few corrections.
The day before we had to buy gifts. We did a round around the house in order to learn about the prices of the birthday cakes. In the end, the best offer was offered in bakery next to us – we came back to them several times comparing and counting, and they patiently presented their options. The buying of gifts took us a whole day.
Finally, we took a small classic chocolate cake. We paid the advance and agreed to pick up at 4pm the next day.
Birthday and Easter
As on Katias birthday, we (me and mom) made all the wrapping of gifts at night when girls were sleeping. In the morning we gave Ania her magic box and she unwrapped it taking a lot of time. In opposite to Katia, – which opened everything in few minutes – Anna took time to take out each sweet one by one.
After we had some fun, Katia and Nadia colored new coloring books and Anna didn’t get pursuaded to do the same telling us that playing on her new plastic phone is much better.
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At that time mom had boiled eggs and we were ready to paint some. We didn’t have special paints for that but only oil colors and markers. With Nadia we started to paint with colors, it was good but not great. Then dad took an egg a big black marker and showed us how it is done. Not long after that, most of us were concentrated on painting. When we finished, Katia made a paper basket and we presented few of our best eggs to Lama, a friend and the owner of our flat.
Soon, 4 o’clock became, and we had to go to pick up the cake. I went with mom and Katia. We gave the ticket and the remaining sume of money.
The cake was whole covered in chocolate and the decoration was not abundant – modest yet elegant – and the standard ‘Happy Birthday Anna’ included.
In consumption, we summarized that Polish confectionery production does not get to the local one. The Polish cake from the pastry shop has a dry biscopt cake with butter and confectionery powders. This one is made just like we used to do at home – a sponge cake soaked with something (I did not feel what they were pouring, but the punch was rather without alcohol) and overlaid with a delicate cream. Chocolate cover is ideal.
We sang Happy Birthday, ate cake and then me and sisters went to give a piece to a little Kushi (our 1 year old neighbour) and her mother Kumari. She gave Anna money in the amount of 110 rs.
It is very common in Nepal to give money to someone. The local people are characterized by the fact that wishing someone all the best, you really wish – from the depths of your heart. And children get as a gift what they really want to get … means money.
The next walk was, again, to Lama. At the day time he works in his shop so we went there, presented the cake and the birthday girl. Then he took out a small plastic bear with sweets inside and some chocolates and gave to Ania and us. After each of us took anything we wanted to spend the given 110 Rs. When we were coming home, each of us with full hands of sweets, I told sisters that I feel as we had just robed the shop.
Then mom continued to prepare a dinner based on eggs that we left from painting. I insisted that we should, on this ocasion, buy some momo (kind of dumplings with vegetables or meat) and sekuwa (like shashlik) but we ended up at shabaleb (it’s like a pie with buff inside). We ate dinner and the rest of the day was playing and eating sweets.
