Happy birthday to me...

I'm 21, yay!!!! I gotta say, it feels an awful lot like 20, only divisible by 7.
So now I enter the phase of my stay which is sort of equivalent to finals, my finals being performances. I actually had one last night, Kathak, at a nice respectible venue with other nice respectible dance groups. I performed in a group piece with other students my my guru, and thankfully it went really well, despite me being sick and dressed in a costume that felt like a corset (pictures forthcoming, don't worry). There was also a video taken, so whoever wants to be subjected to it, let me know when I get back. So that was one performance down, two to go: I got asked to perform with Jogesh Dutta's mime troupe, so on Thursday I'll be whisked away to somewhere outside of Kolkata to spin around slowly while holding a sign... fun fun fun! And then the night before I leave Emma and I will perform an abhinaya (expression) piece at an event to honor our guru. Given how much of a performing addict I am, this schedule suits me very nicely!
As much as I've been wishing to come home, now that the end is nearing I find myself wanting to come back. The people I've met here have been so wonderful, and the arts scene so rich, that I could definitely see myself coming back, at least for a visit. Right now I'm holding in my lap a bunch of tuber-roses that Jogesh Dutta gave to me (after finding out that it was my birthday): he told me that I was like his daughter, and that whenever I come back I can stay at his house. And then he made me eat five roshogolla... ;P(sugar overload!)... but that's the kind of love I find here, it's really quite amazing. I am so grateful to be coming from this amazingness to all of you back home and all of your love: I don't think any 21-year-old could be more lucky. :)