You say it's your birthday
On a lighter note, Yau Neih had a birthday party this week. We hadn't planned on a party, mind you. She was all set to do the simple, traditional celebration of dinner out at the restaurant of her choice. She got that, but things got a bit complicated.
I love the idea of giving people a special surprise for special occasions, but I usually either a) think of something too late or b) am too lazy to pull of an idea that I get. Well this year I managed to think of an idea and actually pull it off. (Must have been since I didn't buy her a present.) Yau Neih had a ten o'clock class that morning--the class that she's bonded with the most. The plan was that the girls and I would let her go off to class as normal. Then, after the ten o'clock bell, we'd sneak over to her classroom, burst in, sing happy birthday to her, and then dash out. It was a nigh perfect plan: we'd have some fun, Yau Neih would get embarrassed, about 60 people would find out about her birthday and could wish her well, and we would have a minimal disruption of the students' education. And the nigh perfect plan came off, well, nigh perfectly. We burst in and started singing "Happy Birthday". The class caught on quickly and, roaring with laughter, started applauding. That was the one flaw in the execution of the plan. Three voices can't compete with 60 pairs of hands. But as we dashed away, we could hear the class pick up the tune. Our work was done.
Well, sort of. There was one thing that had made me hesitate to pull my little joke. I did not want the students to feel in any way obligated to buy Yau Neih a present or otherwise spend money on her. I thought I had dodged that bullet, since Yau Neih came home with class with a single "card"--a nice little note on a piece of paper folded origamily. (Is that a word? Probably not.) But then I found out that the family had been invited to a class party. That particular class has a required "study hall" on Thursday nights, and during their mid class break they got together and decided to turn it into a "birthday hall". The Chinese system of classes may be odd by our standards, but it certainly has its strengths. Anyway, the whole family was invited, the only catch being that we would be asked to perform. No problem. Ga Dai had been keeping up practice on a fiddle piece for such an eventuality, and we Hamburgers are always willing to sing a tune. Since it was her birthday, I didn't balk when Yau Neih pushed to sing Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken". I would have preferred a verse or two of "Get Up and Go" myself, but I suppose I can choose that when my class throws me a party.
Anyway, the day continued on. We went out for the birthday dinner and then had a very un-birthday Chinese lesson. We then hurried over to the designated classroom. I somehow think that there was not much studying done in the half hour that they had been waiting for us. There was tinsel hanging from the ceiling and colored acetate taped to the lighting fixtures. A beautiful "Happy Birthday" was written in colored chalk on the board. Anyway, the class broke out in applause as Yau Neih arrived. We were escorted to the "seats of honor" and Yau Neih was given a paper "birthday crown". (I would have got her one, but I've never been able to find a Burger King around here.) Once seated, a couple of students started doling out peaches and plums and a handful of soybeans to everyone. It was much like the Moon Festival party we had attended back in October. A number of students performed for us. There were two dances--one hip-hop, one traditional Tibetan--a couple of songs and a few jokes. We did our turns and Yau Neih also led the kids in a game. Yau Neih was given a number of cards and a couple of presents. I'm pretty sure that everything done was voluntary. Then came the cake. As if the fruit and beans weren't enough, they had to go out and get a good sized cake. The ringleaders of the party insisted that we put on 43 candles--tall, thin little ones that burned way too quick. By the time we lit them all, some of them had burnt down and started char-broiling the fruit slices on top. Actually, I had one and it tasted pretty good. But I digress. Yau Neih made the initial cuts and then the cake was divvied up amongst the crowd. We were given pieces that were way too big and frosting laden. I didn't know if I could finish my piece by the end of study hall.
I needn't have worried. As the pieces of cake were passed around, some rascals started taking fingerfuls of frosting and adorning their friends. When the bell rang to end study hall, the class turned into Animal House. Yau Neih and the girls became the target of many adornments, and since we were the ones being decorated, it seemed only fair that the kids used our pieces of cake. Anyway, it was all quite amusing. By that time, about two-thirds of the class had left and the other third started cleaning up. A number of students also wanted their pictures taken with the birthday girl. I started snapping away, only to discover that the college cuts the power to the classrooms at 9:45. It's a rather efficient way to clear the room. But rank hath its privilege, and Yau Neih retired to the still lit English office to finish the photo shoot. So we headed back to our flat, laden with cards and gifts and a nice warm feeling of being loved.
Of course, now we've got to meet with the class again to take picture orders. I suppose that will be good experience if I ever need to get a job at the Sears photo studio....
posted by John @ 4:43 AM
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