Soju-Infused Birthday

I've never really had a birthday at home since fourteen.  I was either at a dance camp, or on vacation, or in the city.  Still, I always came home eventually, and whether it was in June or August we always made cake, had a dinner, and my mom pulled out whatever crazy candles she could find and made me forty-three years old one year, fifteen the next. 

This year I wasn't turning any special age--it wasn't twenty-one and it wasn't a nice round number. I have just moved to a new country, I'm single, and was content to teach English all day and maybe grab a drink that night with whoever wanted to tag along.  It turned out to be so much better.

I walked into work and saw a package on my desk.  I look around because even though it was my birthday, my desk is on the end near the door, and it is often used as a table as people grab a drink or use the copy machine.  I looked tentatively at my friend Jamie, a Korean teacher, and I could tell by her face it was for me.  I opened it, and found two copies of "The Little Prince": one in Korean and one in English.  She explained that it was how she learned English so well and how her American boyfriend learned Korean.  Inside it was signed a dated, with a happy birthday wish.  It made me so happy to know that the teachers were noticing and apprecating my efforts to learn the language--it's really so easy not to.  I can't wait until I can say something besides, "Where is the library" and "I have a hat."

My parents and my little sister sent a video with the cake, which said proudly in wax numbers that I was turning thirty-five.  One of my best friends lives in a completely different time zone, but messaged me at exactly midnight on my birthday as it happened in Seoul.  My friend here in South Korea messaged me exactly at midnight as well, which was such a releif that yes, I am finding people who care about me among the drunken nights and wild antics.

Then four of the teachers went out with me to a Japanese restaurant, where we attempted what was still Korean sushi (not so great) and soju-infused pineapple (fantasic).  It was there that they suprised me with a blueberry ice cream cake with actual cheesecake in the middle.  It's like they've know me my entire life.  My birthday was on a Thursday, and that weekend was the Boryeong Mud Festival, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate it. 

One of the Korean teachers was suprised I still wanted to come to work early and study Korean. 

"Don't you want to do something special for your birthday?"

"Honestly," I said, "I feel like everyday is my birthday." 

It was the cheesiest, dorkiest, most honest thing I've ever said in my life.