Happy birthday to Theresa!

Two days ago I wrote a note to Bella saying, "Theresa's birthday is next week. Can we have a party for her on Sunday?" Bella told our boss and she informed us that we could have a party for Theresa but it had to happen after work on Sunday instead of during our lunch break. I was a little irritated with this idea at first... because I thought, "Why can't we just do cake and stuff during lunch so we can still go home on time?" Well... I found out yesterday exactly why we were unable to have our birthday bash during working hours. It involved a lot food, a whole lot of beer, and a decent amount of dancing. I cannot even believe how much I enjoyed the people that I work with last night. They are the absolute best. Seriously, all of my qualms with some of them were forgotten during our fun times last night. I am completely loving these people. My bosses definitely know how to throw down and it was a great time had by all. I will refrain from placing some of my favorite pictures/videos on the internet mainly because we are still decked out in our work gear and at the office. But I will tell you that it was an awesome time and Theresa and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Present time in the castle.

This is one excited birthday girl

There was a serious amount of food

More food...

Just when we thought the eating was over... Peter ordered MORE food. A delivery man showed up with crap tons more at like 10 pm. These people really enjoy eating.

Really? Someone thought chicken feet would be a good dish?

Oh wait... we are actually going to try those?

I said I thought my palette was expanding in China.

My boss said last night that maybe we need to drink a few before class sometimes because we are so much fun and who wouldn't enjoy themselves?!?! Hahahaha We sang Justin Bieber on chair tops and danced in bubbles and loved every moment of last night.

I can't believe I am already headed into my fifth month in China and before I know it this experience will be over and I will be back home in America living across the country from my wonderful roomie and across the world from my wonderful friends. I don't want to take this experience for granted and I hope I can have more great days like yesterday. Theresa has been such a great friend and is making my experience here so much more enjoyable. The girls at work are maybe the nicest people in the world and they are a lot of fun to be around. I really love everyone here and I think I lose sight of that sometimes because of the stress at work and the fact that some days I am horribly homesick. There have been times when I have thought that going home would be the best option for me because how easy would it be to be around others who speak my language and see the same familiar faces and be able to find everything I need at the supermarket without having to ask someone while using funky hand gestures and a Chinese dictionary? There are days I wake up and I don't want to go outside because I know outside means I am back in China and inside means I can pretend to be home while I eat my ridiculously expensive foreign cereal and watch countless episodes of Friends. There have been those days when taking the bus makes me want to jump off a cliff, seeing kids peeing on the street makes me want to scream, and hearing the sounds of loogie hawking makes me want to vomit. There have been those horrible days. But you know what? In between all of that crap and my pompous American outlook, there are moments of just complete and total beauty. I am so lucky to be living in a country where the people love you upon first meeting and they do not judge you because of your clothes, hair, accessories, make up, past, job, or money. They meet you and they literally love you. This is a country of people who genuinely care about their neighbors. It is a country of people who love their lives. It is a country of people who dance in the park, laugh with their children, hold hands with their friends. I am so lucky. I want to remember how lucky I am to be here right now. Even on the bad days I want to remember that I am part of very few people who get to have this experience. I get to live in a world and be a part of all of these beautiful things while seeing a culture so different from my own.

Here's to not taking things for granted and for remembering that I have great friends and more unforgettable moments than I could have ever dreamed of having in my previous life.

Happy 23rd, Theresa!

Mandarin lesson:
Jiāyóu! 加油! (Come on!) Gānbēi! 干杯！ (Cheers!)