Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Last Friday, March 19, I turned 24 and officially entered my mid-twenties.

When I was a little girl playing with Barbies, I always gave my dolls names like “Isabella” and ages like 24. They had blowout parties, catfights, and wild rides to Malibu in the Barbie Lambourgini. That is, quite frankly, what I believed 24 year olds did.

Barbie 24 year olds did NOT live in Vietnam. But then again, if full sized, Barbie 24 year olds’ necks would be as long as my torso.... So there you go.

All of this is to say that it’s amazing where your life takes you, far beyond your childhood expectations.

This birthday was honestly one of the best that I can remember. It started last Tuesday at English club. My boss decided that this months’ theme should be “International Cooperation.” I said, “Great. We will talk about international cooperation...and cultural understanding through BIRTHDAY PARTIES! “

I always have a group of students perform at English Club, so this month I also taught them the “Happy Birthday” song. I really wanted to buy cake and candy for everyone, too, so my friend Huyen took me to a local bakery and I bought this masterpiece.

English Club began, and my students sang a few new English songs, ending, of course, with “Happy Birthday.” They dimmed the lights, brought out the cake, and it was all incredibly adorable until the whole scene really hit me: The 50 young Vietnamese students singing Happy Birthday to me, as I had taught them...The tiger donned cake, which I had bought for myself....The blazing candles, coming towards me and awaiting my wish....

I couldn’t help but feel embarassed by how rigged the whole event was, skillfully conducted under the guise of cultural ambassadorship. I guess its just that usually my mom or Emily K. takes care of my birthday festivities; without a ring master I felt lost! Fortunately, I don’t think anyone really caught onto how ridiculous the whole thing was; they were just happy to get cake.

I had to work all morning on my birthday, but I was able to see a lot of students and teachers, all of whom had the sweetest birthday wishes, and many of whom had the most adorable small gifts. I even got a mug with pictures of myself all over it; I can’t wait to get a new roommate and be drinking out of my own face some morning when she wakes up.

I also went into Hanoi to see some of my Fulbright friends on Friday night. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so there are no pics of Jen, Patrick, and Mia, but here is what “Sunset Bar”-where we went for drinks-- looks like. Its a really cool bar built out on a man-made island in West Lake.

(Picture from NYtimes.com)

For dinner, we went to La Badiane, my favorite restaurant. It was delicious. Obviously.

(pic by Mia)

Then, the day after my birthday, I came back to Hai Duong to party with the lady teachers. I took them to the new Italian restaurant in town, and for many of them it was the first time trying pizza.

The teachers gave me this lovely piece of Chu Dau pottery, an ancient kind of pottery made in Hai Duong.

It’s called “A Pair of ducks,” and its this kind of a crafe to hold rice-wine.

It really was a great birthday. Unfortunately, all of the excitement must have taken a lot out of me because I’m currently pretty sick. Word got out that I'm not feeling well, and I’ve already been brought vitamins, herbal candies, condeine...hopefully it’ll be a speedy recovery so I can sing at the Community Youth Union party this Thursday. Get excited.