Surprise!!!

Odd as it may be... we missed our bus stop again this morning. It wasn't our fault, the bus driver just didn't stop. Wierd. An indication of how the transportation system is here :) So, we got a nice 2 mile speed walk in again this morning.

So... the Chinese make big deals of birthdays. The school especially is so sweet. They bring in cakes and sing to us, it's very nice. When we first arrived, Shaila celebrated her birthday the very next week and then there was another birthday, Jaimie's just a couple weeks later so ILP, because they didn't want anyone to be left out, which is way wierd in my opinion, wanted those of us who won't be celebrating our real birthdays while we're here to celebrate our half birthdays. But the Chinese people don't know that it is only my half birthday. So, in China... I am currently 20 years old :) Happy Birthday... to me. No cake or songs yet, which is okay because I would feel so horrible with it anyways because it's not actually my birthday :)

We continued with our decorating at the school today. I did a jungle themed wall. It's kinda fun. I'll post some pics of it. I'm already getting way nervous for the real school semester to start. :/ Winter Semester the last couple weeks has been much more laid back and relaxed... and that will not be the case with the semester. puh! so so scared. I get so nervous just thinking about it. Which is why I try not to.

Did you know? Fun fact... Fortune Cookies are not Chinese. Nobody here has ever heard of fortune cookies. I don't know where they came from, but they are certainly not Asian.

I met new friends today in our complex. Benny and his daughter Angela. They were working out on the random Chinese workout machines. He spoke great English! He picked it up with work, and Angela was about 3 and was beginning to speak also. She was so sweet. It took her the entire time I was down there with them to work up the courage to ask me my name :) The Chinese are such nice people. I love making friends within our complex because then we see them frequently. I saw Gobee and Butterfly Princess today... and loved it.

Ha. So I got through the majority of my day avoiding the traditional birthday celebrations (only because I feel bad celebrating my half birthday with them thinking it's my real birthday... :/.... ) Otherwise, I'd be all over it. Apparently, all day Tina, our Chinese coordiator and the girls were plotting something. When we were done decorating today, it was way later than normal. We finished at 3 and I was way ready to go home. I wanted to run, do some reading, work on some homework... I just had a lot to do so I went out to where the girls were leaving and said, "hey i'm leaving with Brianna and Shaila... they're going home." But instead of the usual, "okay sounds good see you at home..." for some reason they presented an alternative plan that required me to stay longer with Jilly as she cleaned up, and my immediate response was a very unwilling "okay" but secretly I was a little irritated because I really just wanted to go home. Ha. But I stuck around, Jilly and I finished the board she was working on and we walked to the bus stop. The reason was because evidently the girls all needed to go to go to the bank so their thinking was, if I stayed and went with Jilly I would end up getting home earlier anyways. So we did ... we went home and I did some reading and other things, then I went on my run and when I got back, I turned on Tony and started him when Jilly came out of her room and said, "Hey. Umm, what are you doing?" and I told her what I was about to do and she said, "so... I have to go pick up some things from Tina, do you think you could come with me and help me bring it back?" So of course, I agreed to as soon as I was through with Tony. [So keep in mind, at this point, I had just finished a run...and an ab workout. I smelt and looked horrible!] So I slip on my tennis shoes, and I'm still in my shorts and T-shirt. I'd never been to Tina's apartment but she lives just around the corner from us, she just moved into our complex. We get there, Jilly knocks, and Tina comes to the door and it's dark inside... the lights were all off, and I was so confused. She flipped them on and we walked in, and all the girls jumped out from behind the couch singing "Happy Birthday" in Chinese! I thought it was so wierd at first. Look at it this way, it isn't my birthday, it's my half birthday which isn't something I have ever celebrated but Tina thought it was my real birthday so at first I was so lost... thinking, "who are they singing to.. what is this for?" haha... but I figured it out. The girls weren't at the bank earlier today, they actually went to the store to meet Tina and shop for dinner. So they shopped then they all went back to Tina's house and made Hot Pot! It was soooo good. Oh my goodness. It made my favorites list. It's kind of like oil fondue in the states, where nothing is cooked and you just stick whatever you want into the "hot pot" and when it's done stick it in your bowl and go to town.

It was so sweet of all of them. Kelle bought me flowers, a beautiful bouquet of Pink Lillies. I wish somehow I could stream the smell, it is sooo rich. I felt bad because she bought the flowers, and said, "All girls deserve flowers on their birthday." But it's not even my birthday and all the girls knew it, they just wanted to play it up for the Chinese girls. The thing that got me the most though, Tina invited a friend over, her name is Rachel and she is only 17. She looks and acts much older but she is a Senior in High School. Anyways, so she came over...never met me before, and first thing she did was bring me a present. She bought me a beautiful little compact mirror with a really pretty crystal on the front with a special little note that was personalized. We ate, talked, cranked music, danced, ate cake... it was so much fun! I was really touched. I don't know why, birthdays are generally a big deal anywhere but I think just knowing it wasn't my birthday for real, and that half of the girls knew that, but they all still went through the effort they did to make it really special... and then Rachel, and her sweet gift. It was just very special.

If it was actually my birthday, I would say it was the best birthday I've ever had, but it wasn't so I will say... It was the BEST, hands down, half birthday I have ever had. And it was shared with excellent company. It was wierd though, celebrating a birthday all by my self.

Again, this is my journal, so a quick random thing that I don't want to forget about... I had a really great conversation with Jilly tonight. At one point, at my little party, I went out on the patio, it was just a beautiful night and I needed some air and she followed me out a few minutes later and we ended up having a good conversation that provoked a lot of thought afterward for me. And I love those kinds of conversations, where you feel like you take something from it.