Turning Eighteen in Quarantine

The big day had finally come. I never anticipated my birthdays, but I did anticipate my eighteenth birthday, it was the only exception. Being seventeen was such an awkward age and I was excited to turn eighteen. 

However, my birthday plans were different this year. Our country is still battling a pandemic, and throwing a big party right now is selfish. Americans should be doing everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Instead, I had a very small gathering with the family in my household. 

I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and got ready for my 8:00 a.m. math class (sadly, math on my birthday). While I was in class, my mom went to Starbucks and got me my favorite drink, an iced oat milk honey latte. I love iced coffee and I hadn’t had this drink in such a long time, so getting it unexpectedly made my whole morning. 

After math class, my next class was not until 1:00 p.m. Usually, between my large breaks, I do a lot of studying. However, since it was my birthday and I did most of my work the day before, I let myself relax during my huge break. I caught up on all my Netflix shows.  It felt so good to have some time for myself because I am usually so busy I am never able to do things I love. 

My second class of the day was over. My mom and I had planned to pick-up Sprinkles Cupcakes as dessert for my small “party.” My mom is an elementary school teacher though and she needed to work, so I went with my brother to pick them up. We drove twenty minutes to Downtown Los Angeles and luckily found a good parking spot. We put on our masks and headed to the store. Sprinkles did no contact pick-up which was helpful and easy to do. 

Now, it was time for my “party.” We did not have any outside guests because, again, COVID-19 is still very much real even though everyone seems so relaxed about it. My mom had already bought party decorations and we pulled out our folding tables and chairs and decorated them with pink table covers and plates. We put up a “Happy Birthday” sign and used a vase of flowers for our centerpiece. We ate Hawaiian BBQ and played Loteria. In the end, we ate the delicious cupcakes and I received money, makeup, and clothes as gifts. 

After we cleaned up the “party,” I went inside my house and replied to the “Happy Birthday” messages I received. I thought about how fortunate I was to be able to have this small gathering with my family. Even if I wasn’t able to have a celebration, the most important thing was I was finally turning a new chapter in my life. New things were going to come my way and I am excited for all of it.  My eighteenth birthday was definitely one I will never forget. 

 

 

• birthday
• celebrate
• cupcakes
• eighteen
• family
• fun
• quarantine