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"Birthday, College Style"

November 7, 2006

Shannon using her x-ray vision to see through the wrapping paper.

Leaving home changes a lot of things. Yes, this is probably one of the most obvious statements I could possibly make, but I’m not just talking about laundry and cooking and managing your own schedule. Aspects of your life that you don’t initially think about are very different when you’re on your own. Prime example: your birthday.

As far as I can remember, when I was growing up I never had a birthday away from home. Mom, Dad, Lauren, and Jason were always there, and often my maternal grandparents. There would be dinner, gifts, candles, cake, and a nice evening for family bonding. The family tradition was inextricably linked with my idea of a birthday. It was hard to give that up.

Shannon cutting Monica's fabulous cake.

That’s certainly not to say that my family neglected me. On Saturday, October 21—during Family Weekend—my parents and siblings drove over to spend the day with me and celebrate my birthday early. (My birthday is October 29.) We did presents in the afternoon. (Dad had fun taking pictures.) In the evening, we went out to dinner. It was a really nice day—different, yes, but in a good way. Yet as the Brown posse pulled out of the McKean parking lot that night to head for home, I thought, with some sadness, that major birthday festivities were over. To my surprise and delight, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The week preceding my birthday I started to get cards from other family members. Then, on Saturday (the day before my birthday), while I was at the Farmers’ Market (you’ll hear more about this, trust me), I got a call from someone wanting to arrange a time to deliver . . . something to me. Later, I met the delivery guy in front of McKean and was quite astounded to be handed a large basket—complete with attached “Happy Birthday” balloon—of “flowers” fashioned out of fruit. One look at the card told me that my parents had taken to heart my vociferous cravings for fresh fruit while they were here the previous weekend. I hauled the basket back to my room, feasted on grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, and (oh bliss!) chocolate-covered strawberries, then set about the unfortunate task of dismantling the arrangement so that I could enjoy the fruit for days to come.

The fruit bouquet

I had just finished stowing the last of the fruit in the fridge when Dani knocked on the door to tell me that there was a delivery waiting for me downstairs in Res Life. Bemused, I went to receive my delivery and found another floral arrangement, this one from my grandparents—only this time the flowers were made of candy. This one is still brightening my room, because candy flowers do not spoil nearly as quickly as fruit flowers.

That evening, Dani did a Halloween showing of Shaun of the Dead in the McKean classroom. It’s called a “classroom,” but with its comfy chairs and big-screen TV it’s more like a lounge or a family room. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a great place to watch movies, and about a dozen people—including me—watched Shaun of the Dead that night. The movie finished just after midnight, at which point I headed back upstairs with Dani, Jacob (a friend of Dani’s who shares my love of musicals and Latin), and Luke (one of the fourth-floor RAs). We inaugurated my 19th birthday with dirt cake (crushed up Oreos mixed with pudding and topped with gummy worms—this one had Milano-cookie gravestones). Only in college does the birthday girl eat dirt cake at midnight.

Shannon eating dirt cake at midnight.

The next day, I received half a dozen phone calls from various relatives: my parents and siblings, all four grandparents, and an aunt. In the afternoon, Rachel and I went shopping. As any girl can attest, this is a fun way to spend your birthday. I was in good spirits on the drive back to campus, having just purchased a great new sweater. But the day got even better: When we got upstairs in McKean, I was absolutely stunned to find a surprise party waiting for me, organized by my amazing roommates, Rachel and Aimee. There was music, pizza, iced tea, and (best of all) a delicious cake made by Monica, our “adopted roommate.” Most of the fifth floor was there, along with a few others—about twenty people in all. It was the best birthday present I could have received, not only because it was completely unexpected, but because it showed me that—even though I’m away from home—I’m surrounded by people who care.

And that, dear readers, is how birthdays are done college-style. You don’t have to be at home to have a fabulous birthday; all you need are sneaky roommates, a cell phone, and copious amounts of food.

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