Wednesday marked my 33rd birthday and my first birthday in China. (It was also the first day of school.) Honestly, with the chaos of the first week and the transitions that have come with being in a new place, it would have been very easy to have forgotten. My birthday usually falls on the first day of school. It's sweet, in a weird way, as I was always the kid who never got to spend birthdays at school because my district started so late in the year. I was always jealous of other kids who got to go to school on their birthdays (maybe this made me a nerd at heart- even from a young age ;). It seems suiting then, that I would have the opportunity to spend the last few years of my adult birthdays celebrating in such a big way with a season of newness: a new class, new people, new schedules, new school supplies (what lower school teacher doesn't love them?) and this year, a new country and a new school. :) In past years, previous students always visit on the first day of school with small gifts, balloons, coffee mugs (they know me well), songs, and hugs. It is always a fun (even more chaotic) beginning to the first day of school. This year, surprisingly, it was much the same. However, it was my colleagues who really shined and made the day special. My friend and hallway neighbor, Heather brought a sweet first day of school gift and delivered iced coffee to me in the morning (day already made!). Both of my teammates popped in to regale me with birthday songs, one of our admins popped in with a birthday sign and posted it outside of my door, and random gifts from colleagues started piling on my desk (including tea from Prince Edward Island- it is embarrassing how happy it made me!). At the end of the day, two of our Mandarin teachers came by and brought me a cake shaped like a panda (we share a love of them!) which absolutely floored me. I have been continually amazed by how thoughtful and caring this community is, and was especially reminded of this on my birthday, which is such a trivial holiday and would be so very easy to forget with the busy-ness of the day. A group of us ended the day having dinner out together and discussing our first day back with students. All in all, it has been a great month in Hangzhou surrounded with fantastic people. I continue to be so grateful to be here.
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AuthorMichelle is an expat and globetrotter, currently residing in Augsburg, Germany. Originally from the US, she has called Guam, China, and Germany home. Her passions include collecting children's picture books, reading, writing, traveling, and trying to remove coffee stains from freshly cleaned shirts. Archives
February 2022
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