It started with the monthly birthday party at school where the birthdays of march were celebrated together with cake and a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Embarrassing photos were projected onto the big screen as 'Happy Birthday' was sung out in two different languages. I certainly won't forget my class laughing at the photos and shouting 'Happy Birthday teacher Jema' repeatedly.
Not usually being one to celebrate birthdays, this year I decided I wanted to have a day doing some things I haven't yet gotten around to doing here in Beijing. So the morning of he big day, I met with Allie and Alex, my friends and colleagues, who proceeded to sing happy birthday to me in a variety of different languages. I was given a new mini camera as a birthday gift, and of course those of you that know me and my love for photography, you will know how happy this thoughtful gift made me. So off we all went to the leo leo chi (bus 667), camera in hand, ready for a day of fun and laughter.
Although not as big as the Beijing Aquarium, the Blue Zoo didn't disappoint. Full of creatures I had only previously seen in books and on TV we excitedly wondered round admiring the beautiful (and not so beautiful) sea life. There was fish, Jelly-fish, turtles (which made me realise just how big mine will become!) Mermaids (no really!) and even sharks! It was all so fascinating, but I have to admit that not all the life living there seemed that happy. The sharks were kept in rather small tanks, had 'unhappy fins' and showed signs of either fighting or mistreatment. But given my anxiety reagarding the Chinese's view on animal care things weren't as bad as I had anticipated.
After the Blue Zoo, we headed to Jashong, a big clothing market in Sanlitun, the famous foreigner area of Beijing. It was here we came for a foot scrub, pedicure and massage, a must try when in China! Having not really ever taken that great care of my feet, I was a little embarrassed to take off my shoes and let some random Chinese lady scrub off all the nasty. My poor foot lady was also ill was some form of cold and was sniffing away whilst scrubbing for a good hour... (I can assure you that the last thing you will want to do when you have a cold is scrub away at my feet, especially in the state they were in!) A massage from a deaf Chinese man followed the foot scrub and I have to admit it wasn't so much relaxing but more of a rather painful experience. I left initially thinking I wouldn't be trying such a thing again but after a few steps on my newly transformed feet, I felt like I could walk on clouds! I highly recommend trying one should you ever have the opportunity!
Dinner and wine proceeded the foot treatment in Jashong, during which I took a moment to reflect upon how lucky I am to be here and have all that I do in my life. The 28th year is a funny one, (did I say 28th? I meant to say 20th...), your mortality because more apparent and you begin to see that life has a time limit. Creeping ever closer to the big 3 - 0 you also start to realise that you need to start achieving all those things you have talked about achieving and think about your future. It seems like only yesterday you were turning 21 with your whole life ahead of you... However, at 28, I can happily say that although I have lots I still want to do, I am achieving goals I have set, learning valuable lessons and making less mistakes than I used to. Life generally, is good.
Of course when in China, at some point you have to make time see some form of Kung Fu show and we weren't disappointed with the performance at the Red Theatre.. The show itself was full of all the flips, turns, kicks, punches, swords, glits and glamour you expect from a Kung Fu show. I left beaming, enjoying not just the Kung Fu but the show itself (I miss London Theatre!). Of course I also decided after leaving that I should become a Kung Fu master whilst here in China and have added it to my 'China to do list' (I will keep you updated on my progress with that one...)
After relaxing glass of wine after the show it was time to make our way home. The weather had been incredibly cold all day (unusual for March) and not long after heading home we found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm! However, I barely noticed the cold (after all the wine) and could only smile as the city around us turned white. It has never snowed on my birthday before, it certainly has been one to remember... By the time a got home and into bed, I was full of smiles and very happy indeed.
I may be getting older and closer to the dreaded 3-0 but as each year passes I become happier and wiser than the years before. I will look forward to many more years to come!
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