Hello hi,
I am writing to say thank you to all who called, texted and prayed for/with me yesterday! I am really grateful for your love and care. Also, special thanks to those who shared my latest YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGZLGqXMH5s ) on their platforms; I really appreciate your support.
For those of you that don't know, yesterday (April 24th) was my birthday. It was a Sunday and I was born on Sunday, so I usually get excited when my birthday coincides with my day of birth. Weeks before, I was not sure how the day would turn out because I am not currently in my home country and I don't have a lot of friends here. So I even considered travelling to somewhere else, but I was talking to a friend and we decided to go to the sauna. So she booked a a one and half hour sauna by the fjord and we planned to have dinner afterwards. And that was how I started planning my day, even though quite lazily, unlike previous years where I used to be super pro-active. I guess another reason why I did not try to do much was because my current age is not exactly a 'milestone' age e.g. 21, 30, 35 etc., although of course, every age is a huge blessing.(From the things I have written, you should be able to guess my age if you don't already know:) ).
My birthday started with WhatsApp messages and then family calls, and then, I went for mass. After I got home, I thought I would take a nap but I had more incoming calls and messages, such that I could not. The day before my birthday, I had checked to see if I could buy ice cream cake (my usual tradition) but could not find anywhere around - so you see, that this is not an European thing which explains why I did no know what icecream cake was in 2014, LOL. I eventually got a few cupcakes on my birthday because most of the cake shops were closed (many shops are closed here on Sunday and I completely forgot). Along the way, I asked a couple of strangers to help me take photos so most of the photos you see below were from nice people that don't know me.
At about 3.30pm, I left for the sauna with my friend. We got there and it was blazing hot! Don't ask me what I was expecting, I know that saunas are hot but clearly I had not been in one for ages and I had never had to stay in one for long. It took a while to get used to and I realised that sitting on the lower benches were much more tolerable. The breaks and dipping into the ocean also helped and with time, I got more comfortable and had a fun experience - all thanks to my friend :) Note that I did not say 'swimming in the ocean', because I have not finished learning how to swim plus that water was freezing cold, so I literally dipped my legs in and ran out each time, lol.
After that, we took a walk around, then went to at at a nice Turkish restaurant, which gave me free dessert for my birthday. I had a few more calls in between the meals and when I got home, I started responding to messages and some missed calls, while new calls came in. It was a lovely and delightful day.
As I grow older, I value true friendship more and more, but I also value my time and sleep, and so this brings me to the next part of this write-up which I have titled 'Birthday etiquette'. Basically these are some things that I think people should consider for other people's birthdays.
BIRTHDAY COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE
1. Always check the time zone before you call. Google is a useful resource for this; you don't even have to do the conversion yourself. Just search for something like 'Lagos time to Houston time' and it will tell show the times in both places. If you're not sure of where the birthday celebrant is, you could also ask e.g. Hey, are you still in Tokyo? Are you back from London etc. That way, you can know the time and avoid calling me at weird hours.
2. This is somewhat related to #1 but slightly different. If you think you might not be able to call the celebrant in good time on their birthday, it is okay to send a message or voice note wishing them a happy birthday and letting them know that you might call at another time - unless, you know that the celebrant is naturally a nocturnal person (which I am not). It is NOT okay to call them at 11.59pm or at a time they might be asleep, just because you are trying to meet the 'deadline'. The truth is that once midnight comes, their birthday is already past, so it is less annoying to wake them up to wish them a happy birthday on a day that is not even their birthday.
3. Don't hoard the celebrant's phone. I know you mean well and sometimes, you might want to really catch up, especially if you have not spoken to the celebrant in a while. However, remember that there might be other people that want to do the same. So personally, I would say one should keep each call to a maximum of 15 minutes on the actual birthday. You can call back another day to catch up properly. Of course, there are exceptions for this such as family members, life partners, and bestfriends, but otherwise, please try to be considerate of the celebrant's time.
4. If you decide to share the celebrant's photos or videos on Instagram, I think it's best to mention or tag them so that they can see. If you don't do so, they might not notice (unless the celebrant is randomly looking at Instagram stories) and won't be able to show appreciation for the nice gesture.
5. Finally, someone's birthday is not a good time to start asking them about favours. Again, you can schedule another time to talk with them and discuss whatever you wish to. On one's birthday, just call during normal hours, say/sing happy birthday to them, and wish them well. You could also ask them what they have planned for the day, and keep the conversation simple.
So there you have my 5 birthday etiquette. I hope these help someone make a birthday celebrant's day less stressful :P
Again, thank you all very much for the well wishes; much appreciated. Also, thank you very much for supporting me throughout the years. Please don’t forget to subscribe to my Blog and Youtube Channel (VivioGogo) and share with your friends. Also follow me on Instagram @ugochiukah and @lavivisblog, and on twitter @vivio_gogo . Until next time, stay safe. XOXO, God bless. 😊
