Turning Forty

Last Saturday night was my fortieth birthday party and it was so much fun, I just have to write it down before the details fade.

The theme was Global Citizen and the invitation asked people to bring something from their own cultural origins, or favourite culture, including ethnic dress, food and/or music.

Here are some snap-shots from the night:

Two tables laden with an amazing assortment of food from around the world: Indonesian curry, falafels, tabouli, hommus, tahini and a potent garlic sauce, lamb curry and samosas, sushi, fried Japanese dumplings, spicy Mexican salsa, guacomole and corn chips, sambusic, dolmades and a spicy pork dish. Another table of baklava, Indian sweets, like burfi and halva and a gorgeous German Donnavella cake.

There was so much food, I went around to all the neighbours the next day and gave out little food packages, which made their day and made me feel good too.

Only a few people knew anyone other than Brian and I, so there were lots of introductions and explanations of how we knew each person, but the mood was so mellow and friendly, that it soon seemed like a roomful of old friends-amazing!

One very weird moment took my breath away. I invited my old Uni friend, Tony and his wife, Yukiko, after I discovered Tony through Facebook and worked out via email that he too had moved back to Brisbane after living overseas for years. We also worked out in emails, that our kids are going to the same school, so I was really keen to see him and catch up on the last 20 years. It wasn't until he arrived at the party, however, that I realised he actually lives around the corner from me.

That wasn't what blew me away, however.....

We were talking about how funny it was to be in the same neighbourhood after so many years of no contact, when my friend from the Gold Coast, Nicole and her husband and their kids arrived. She came straight over to Tony, exclaiming how she hadn't seen him in 20 years and asked what had happened to him.

I met Nicole on the Gold Coast 8 years ago and although I knew she and I shared in common a history of living in Japan, I never knew she knew my old friend, Tony, because he never came up in conversation. If she hadn't turned up at the party, I may never have learned this and she would have always wondered what had happened to him.

Cool, huh!

We set up a small stage in our car-port, under the house, for the musician, Danny Widdicomb to play on. With a 6ft high bamboo fence and totem pole behind him and glittery lights and our bedside tables with bedside lamps on either side of him, it was a quirky scene. It looked a little like the set of Disney's Tiki room, with all its kitsch paraphenalia, but it worked. A folk singer/songwriter, his playing was magical and he held everyone captive with funny banter about gig-mishaps.

The kids had their own space, complete with organised games, pinata, apple-bobbing, computer games (Peggle, Peggle-nights and Spore)and a movie (Beverly Hills Chihahua). I think they had a great time and they all joined in on the dancing in the street, even the teenage cousins, who normally wouldn't be caught dead doing a square dance with kids half their age.

For the dancing, I made a fire in the street, since we live in a culdesac and led everyone in the steps to a Japanese Obon dance to the song, Tanko Bushi, or Coalminers dance, a simple square dance, which we did to an Irish jig and then arranged everyone in concentric circles going in opposite directions, to Hava Nagila, to make them all dizzy. It was so much fun. The full moon rose over us as we circled around the fire and it had a surreal and light-hearted feel to it.

Margot said to me as we sat on the couch listening to the music, "I didn't realise people had parties like this". I know what she means. I have never been to a party like it, either and I'm really glad it happened to be mine.

Thank you, to all the beautiful souls who came and shared your cooking, your friendship, your dancing feet and your love.