A China-riffic Birthday

As our cab driver put down his phone, put out his cigarette, and handed over his beer so he could eject the Chinese techno CD he had just blared for us all the way back to the hotel and sell it for a few bucks to Anne, my tipsy but excited cast buddy, it hit me that I had had an awesome birthday.

The two-day event started off as I got back from my birthday breakfast (really no different than a normal breakfast, but everything from this point on will be a “birthday” ______) and saw my twelve missed birthday skype calls (see how the “birthday” thing works?) thanks to my cell phone having no more minutes on it, but an hour of internetting and I was able to get enough birthday voicemails and wishes to send me off on a good start to my birthday workout. One birthday lunch later and some window shopping led to party planning time for the big birthday Sangria party that night!!

As we walked back into the hotel with my eight bottles of wine, juices, fifteen pounds of fruit, and all sorts of other party accoutrement, a bellhop took notice and helped me bring the bags up to my room, catching air of the birthday celebrations about to ensue. No more than ten minutes later, as I was lining up the wine on the window seat, a knock on the door presented our hotel manager, Bobby, and two lovely assistants bringing me a birthday cake, a plate of fruit, and a delightful little birthday card, along with his personal well-wishes for a magnificent birthday. They’re quick here in China!

A nice point-and-eat dinner at the Chinese restaurant downstairs at the hotel (meaning we literally see a fish in a box of ice, point to it, they cook it and bring it to our table, we eat it…and so on) and it was PARTY TIME! The party was a blast and, luckily for our hotel deposit, the white bedspreads survived stain-free, in the face of the 15+ bottles of wine that got polished off in my room by our entire cast. My favorite gift of the night was from my roommate: a facial exfoliating ‘mask’ that reads “Apple: Face removes the horniness.” I’m curious, skeptical, and a little scared all at the same time.

And waking up today (yes, I did wake up…surprisingly), I realized that it was still my birthday in the U.S. for another few hours, so felt it only appropriate to continue the celebration, starting off with a nice birthday swim, amply quenching the unrealized urge (and group effort) to break into the swimming pool the night before for a midnight ‘dip.’ Anne then took me out to lunch in the Old Bund section of town which looked more like the cobblestone streets of some arbitrary European town, scattered with restaurants, cafes, and bars. We finished off the most perfect afternoon shopping around the main square in the city, buying myself a new birthday winter jacket, grabbed some coffee, and made our way to the Indian Kitchen where we met up with some other castmates for one of the best meals I’ve had in China.

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, to all of you at home who wrote me notes, called, or simply thought of me. And thanks to everyone here who made it a definite 24th birthday to remember. Wait a minute…I AM in China, does that mean I’m 25 now? Oy vey…I’m not ready for that one yet.