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Okay, I'm intending this as just a short entry to let you all know how I spent my 19th birthday! I didn't think I'd told anyone in Jiujiang my birthday was coming, so the extent of my birthday plans was eating out and treating myself to a McFlurry or something, but completely by chance my birthday happened to coincide with a big meal planned by the Education Bureau (who, alongside Project Trust and the CEAIE, are responsible for bringing Nicole and I to Jiujiang) so we got a big, fancy meal out. Yay! The meal was arranged to give all the foreign middle school teachers in the city a chance to meet each other; it was originally meant to take place over Spring Festival, in October, but Nicole and I scuppered those plans by running off to Lanzhou. Whoops.
Pre-meal, I spent the morning opening my cards and presents - so thankyou everyone who sent them! Nicole also earnt major partner points with her birthday present: a big, beribboned box full of all my favourite Chinese sweets and biscuits, plus loads of nail polishes and other bits and pieces, like a manicure set, chopstick set and cake-shaped candle. The pressure is now on to make sure I buy her something good for her birthday on the 24th! At about 12, I got a phone call from Winston telling me one of my classes was cancelled and inviting us to the meal (we're still never told anything until the last possible minute), so I got to slob around decorating the house with birthday things and watching TV for most of the afternoon, before finally wandering into school to harass my students with tongue twisters and the alphabet song for a few hours. After this we met Jane, who was joining us for the meal and walked with us to the restaurant.
Somehow the news of my birthday had got out, so I was presented with the seat of honour opposite the door and spent the best part of the meal being congratulated, toasted and sung to, which was lovely. The meal itself was amazing - as usual l have no idea what half of what I ate was, but it was delicious. Hun hao che! (literally, very good eat!) Then at the end, all the lights went out and an enormous chocolate and cherry cake was delivered to the table, candles and all, for me to make a birthday wish. There was so much cream in the cake that there was no hope of eating it with your hands as you might normally, so I followed the example of the Chinese teachers around the table by attacking it with my chopsticks. Zoe, who works for the Education Bureau, seemed to be the one responsible for the whole meal, and she kept asking gleefully if this was how I'd imagined spending my 19th birthday a year ago - I could quite honestly say that it wasn't! The Education Bureau even gave me a present too, an ornamental porcelain plate thingy, although the remainder of the cake and the tupperwares full of leftovers from the meal were more than enough by themselves!
Mine and Nicole's joint birthday celebrations will hopefully continue next week, when the other Jiangxi volunteers are coming up to visit us for a few days! Thanks again for all of the cards, letters and birthday messages!
xxx
- comments
GrannyAnnie So pleased you had such a great birthday. We missed you even if you didn't miss us!! It's good to see you so well and radiant.Nicole's birthday is the same day as A. Clare's so we'll raise our glasses to her on the 24th. xx
Jo Love all the people who made your 19th birthday special in such lovely ways. Loved reading this. XXX
Padre del Norte Sounds super. Glad you're getting fed anyway. The cake looks wonderful.
Dan Happy Birthday Els! Lost my phone so missed your actual birthday but I'll see you on Tues anyway for some real celebration :) x x