I am 24 years old. Weird. I had the most fantastic birthday for which an expat could ask. Allow me to explain:
Friday at school was absolutely fantastic. I hadn't told many people, other than Dionne and a few students, that it was my birthday, so I was thrilled to even be wished a happy birthday. Dionne and I usually walk down from class together but after second period, she said she had some work to do so I came to my office without her. On my desk was a beautiful plant filled with vibrant pink flowers. The whole package was wrapped in cellophane that read, "I hope this special present makes you smile. Smile brings you happiness and that's just my joy." So Korean! The flowers were waiting for me on my desk after class but there was no card, so I wasn't sure who to thank for them. About 15 minutes later, Dionne came to my office with a cute homemade card with a sun on the front. I asked her if she knew who the flowers were from and she told me just to read the card. They were from my parents! Dionne told me that she and my mom had been communicating over the last week or so, and immediately, I started crying and hugging Dionne. This is the frist time I've cried (like, really emotionally let loose) since coming to Korea - I was so overwhelmingly touched, not only that my parents would go to the trouble to arrange for me to have such a special birthday surprise but also that Dionne and Scott would go to the trouble to make it happen. I am one lucky lady!
After lunch, I always meet with three third grade students to discuss current events. On Friday, they were running a little late, which is no different than any other day, except that I'm usually the one running late. When I unlocked the classroom, I heard some chattering on the steps leading to the next floor, but I thought nothing of it. I sat in my classroom for a few minutes and eventually heard people walking down the hall. Then, I heard giggling and a small commotion outside my classroom. Then, the students walked into the classroom wielding a birthday cake, cans of juice, and gifts, all singing me Happy Birthday! I (quite literally) squealed with surprise and delight. I later realized that one of the students, WonYoung, was taping the whole situation. (On Monday, she showed the video to all of us in our gathering - it's on my Facebook wall, but I couldn't figure out how to download it in order to post it on here... So, I'm sorry if we're not FB pals, and thus, you cannot view it - trust me when I tell you it's one of the most adorable things I have experienced here!) We took several self-timer pictures, talked about birthday traditions (it seems that American birthdays are a much bigger deal than birthdays in Korea) and, of course, enjoyed some cake.
I received several cute notes and little gifts from some of the students with whom I have developed a special bond. Their notes to me are always adorable and these were no exception. One of the students who wrote me a note (pictures above) shares her birthday with me. In her birthday card, I had mentioned that I always miss my family on my birthday. In the note she wrote to me, she told me not to worry because she and the rest of Kyunghwa EB are part of my family now, so I don't have to feel lonely. The little lady warmed my heart! Also, one class graffiti'ed Dionne's whiteboard with birthday greetings and whole classes sang to me upon realizing it was my birthday:
After fifth period, I was cleaning up my classroom when Dionne urged me to clean later because other teachers had to go to class and were waiting for us. I walked into the English office to a beautiful chocolate cake and all of the teachers singing to me. After Dionne and I cut the cake and divvied it out to everyone in the office, there was just enough left for us to savor. Soooo good! Koreans know cake. That's for sure.
As I carried home all of my birthday loot, I reflected on how lucky I was to have such a special birthday experience at school. From the extra work Dionne put in to make my birthday extra, extra special and the very special birthday party thrown by my current events pals, to the notes, songs and greetings from my students, it was a very special birthday, indeed.
The fun didn't end there though. Not even close. After I had been home for about half an hour, and heard Desiree and Diane come and go a couple of times, Diane knocked on my door, sat on my couch and recounted her day. After a few minutes, she suggested we go over to Desiree's apartment to take a look at her new wallpaper (she had some mold issues so the school re-papered her whole apartment!) which I had already seen and thought she had also seen. She urged me to come anyway and upon arrival to Desiree's apartment, I was greeted with a gorgeous cake and the vocal stylings of Chris Brown. What a delightful little impromptu birthday party we had! Those two really know how to make a girl feel special!
Before long, it was time to journey to my birthday dinner at my favorite all-you-can-eat meat house. Fifteen of us gathered for dinner, which really freaked out the proprietors, but whatever - they made serious bank from us! We sat around one large table, talking, eating, drinking, laughing and enjoying each other's company for a good couple of hours until it was obvious that the owners were waiting for us to leave their otherwise empty restaurant. What a grand time we had!
We continued on to a noraebong (Korean karaoke). I love, love, love noraebong and didn't waste any time warming up with a rousing rendition of Footloose. This has easily become my favorite noraebong song - probably because of the serious dance moves I have concocted to accompany it. SO FUN. I love noraebong! While noraebonging, we enjoyed cake number three, a delicious caramel-ly concoction. Two and a half hours passed at warp speed and rather than continue on the noraebong path, the remaining seven of us decided to move on to our new favorite cafe - Cafe Swalo.
Cafe Swalo, in and of itself, is quite delightful, but the company of my lady pals made it even more delightful than usual. We ordered drinks and were shooting the breeze when the (perhaps?) owner asked us if he could show us some magic. We obliged and the ensuing magic show was too adorable for words. He refused to let me take pictures, but his magic skills were pretty good... Thus ended my actual birthday. Awesome, awesome day, to say the very least!
The next day, several of us met in Myeongdong for some shopping and dinner. Desiree's friend Arisa was visiting from Japan, and it was so, so fun to meet and spend the day with her. We were in one of my favorite stores for body products and I was talking to a saleswoman who recognized me from the last time I was in the store - she sold me one of the best hair products I've ever used and I wanted to let her know how much I loved it. So, anyway, she recognized me from several weeks ago. Then, she was showing me some new products they just got in and she noticed that we were wearing similar bracelets. Then, for some reason, I mentioned that the day before was my birthday and her eyes lit up. The day before was also her birthday! How crazy! So, we took a picture together. We're pals. No big deal.
After a long afternoon of shopping, mostly fighting crowds, we were ready for dinner! A delightful meal of grilled meat, ice cold noodles and adult beverages ensued. That's all I have to say about that :)
What a fantastic birthday I had! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the correspondence! It is so comforting to hear from people at home on any occasion, so it was extra special to have so much communication from so many people! You all made me feel so, so loved!
And so starts my 24th year. If it's anything like 23, it is sure to be a doozy :)
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