Anthony's Birthday

April the 10th was Anthony's 26th birthday. It was celebrated in style. He received a huge selection of gender-inappropriate gifts and weird ornaments from staff and students alike, and a new bike from me. I love that I live in a country where I can go out and buy a bike, just like that, and think nothing more of it. Maybe the first and last time I'll ever feel rich...

At lunchtime we had a mini party with all the students who eat with us every day. It's ironic, we eat in the teacher's canteen, but students outnumber the staff by about four to one. Any student who has a passing relationship to any member of staff can eat there, and it's typically students whose English is excellent, no doubt aided by the fact that they get to chat with us twice daily. Anyway, these kids are our good friends, so it was only right that they got to join in the occasion.

So, the cake was produced, lit, blown out, portioned up, shared out, partially eaten, then thrown and smeared over anyone and everything that dared get in the way. We had a proper cake fight and to this day there are still bits of cake to be seen here and there on the walls. I think they'll be there for some time yet...

It was fantastically good fun. No-one was safe.

We certainly didn't feel safe later that evening though when we were taken out by the school leaders to 'celebrate' with them. We went to a restaurant, and ate with everyone whose names we don't know and with whom we never
speak, and of course were required to drink with each and every one. I had made a special request that we be allowed to drink beer that night, which they did honour, at least. But that meant that it then became a matter of finishing off the beer as quickly as possible so they could get on with the rice wine. In the end it wasn't so bad, and we even had our own little cake fight once all the stuffier leaders had gone.

The fun didn't stop there though. Oh no. We were whisked off to sing karaoke and found ourselves and Seven (who I'd accidentally dragged along in the false belief that it was a get-together for friends) alone in a huge KTV room with the usual selection of crap songs being baby-sat by the Communist Party leader Mr Feng, who sat in the corner looking thoroughly bored until Principal Li and some other random smiley leader came back from a half-hour long absence, trailing two girls behind them. No idea who they were, and I don't think I spoke to them all night, but that was fine. We sang to Britney Spears, drank some beer and
compensated with fresh watermelon before undoing it all with more beer as other randoms joined us.

I'm not sure how long we stayed, but it was long enough to warrant another meal across the road as we left. It wasn't a bad night really, but for Anthony it was just the first in a long row of alcoholic nights out.

The following day we celebrated with our friends and colleagues at one of our favourite restaurants and later went on to see what was going on at the town square with Seven, Xian Feng and Susan.
We played pool together, which I am still crap at, and then somehow came to be taken away by some men who I think Xian Feng knew. We were all taken to a small bar/KTV place and sat down as a case of beer was dragged from behind the bar and a dozen glasses were filled. I have to say that at this point we were pretty bored and pissed off with the whole affair. Not only were we being made to drink again (which we really didn't want to), but it was with a group of random strangers who we were never introduced to, and who had no reason to drink with us whatsoever, other than that we were white. We certainly didn't want to be their beer-monkeys for the night, but there was little to be done to avoid the situation. If we refused to drink with them they'd throw a little tantrum. They are like babies. Stupid little babies. One guy cheered me with a half-full glass, so I only drank half my glass with him. When I put it down he kept gesturing towards it, showing me his empty glass and picking mine up and putting it into my hand again, and again and again. I was getting really f**ked off with him so finally without looking at him just took it, downed it in one gulp, put it back down on the table and carried on talking to someone else. He mentioned something about something, but I just ignored him.

Babies.

The highlight of the night came next. One of the men came over manhandling a girl, who he made me cheer with. She downed the glass and promptly puked it straight back out onto the floor.

Lovely. Just what I needed. Thanks for that.

Not long after we managed to make our escape. We weren't drunk at all, it was just pointless and frustrating. Worst part of Chinese culture.

Another example of the babyish attitude came the next night while out on a walk with Xian Feng and Seven. They'd made some bet together and it ended up with Xian Feng buying a round of beer. She was pushing for us to drink all night, for some strange reason, but when we were there with bottles in hand, she no longer wanted to drink. Well, neither did I. And neither did Anthony. Nor Seven. So why the hell we were
there with four bottles of beer I have NO idea!!

There were issues about drinking. The girls were barely drinking any, we were cajoling them a little, and they were insisting we drink ours and theirs too, which we certainly didn't need. No problem I thought, if none of us want the damn things then we can just leave them behind. I put mine down by the side of the road and walked on. Seven seemed to take great offence at this point and ran back to get the bottle, standing in front of me and downing hers so I would too.

Later on she was sick. So what was the point?
Really? Some ridiculous obligations about honour and saving face no doubt. I know it's culture. I know it should be respected. I know I have to adapt to it. But after almost 8 months I have to say that it sucks. Simple as.

A little off-topic for a post about birthday celebrations, but it's an observation that requires some comment. Makes me a little apprehensive about my own forthcoming event, but as we have learnt to say again and again, 'this IS China'...