Spent my Birthday in a Chinese Police Station..

Ok, so it's not as bad as it sounds.  Let me begin with the night before my birthday.  My friend Ryan called to see what I was up to.  We were supposed to go out on my birthday, but decided for some early celebrating.  We went to this lounge called 1612.  It's pretty cozy and has live music 6 nights a week.  The singer there always welcomes us by calling out her American friends.  See, she is from the Philippines, and like me...does not speak Chinese.  I guess this is why she likes us.  By the time the bar was closing there was a drunk woman in a sparkly dress trying to sing every song up at the microphone.  Very entertaining.  We then ventured to The Forrest bar, which for some reason was closed on a Tuesday night at 12, so we went around the corner to a dive bar called Jack's.  It was quiet with a pool table, and a cat (Pet, not food).  Ryan took a phone call, when this women came up to me to say, "Are you with handsome boy?"  Ummm, no, just a friend!!  As she drunkenly chatted me up in broken English, I realized she was the same woman from the other bar.  Her name was Maggie.  Crazy.  At 1am, this bar closed and Ryan and I still wanted to stay out.  We grabbed a taxi and just asked him to take us to any open bar.  Well, we ended up at a club.  And I am not a club person.  I did manage to dance on stage with other Chinese people to Pitbull's Everything, since technically it was my birthday and it was China.  Needed the memory.  Ryan filmed it, but I didn't need the memory that badly.  As we tried to leave, there she was.  Maggie.  The drunk lady from the last 2 places.  Man, she was everywhere.  She managed to get us back into the club to buy us some drinks and not so nonchalantly try to set me up with her older, not so good-looking Chinese friend.  Ugh.

So the next day, Wednesday, is my actual birthday.  I have to meet some girls at school because I have to get my Resident Permit at the police station.  I am now a resident until August 20, 2013.  On the way to the police station I noticed I had gum all down my pants, shirt, hoodie...One of the kids must have stuck it under a table at school and lucky me got it all over me.  One of the teachers said "maybe it's good luck...like when you make shit".  I looked at her funny and she said "S-H-I-T".  Ok, do you mean step in shit, not make it.  She giggled the way the Chinese do and said "yes, step in it.  All I was thinking that if the Chinese thought making shit was lucky, then they must be lucky at least once, maybe twice a day...(more after a big meal!!))

That night Ryan and I went to Forrest Bar.  About 6 of my coworkers came as well.  The band sang happy birthday to me and many other patrons came over to cheers me for my special day.

Grace, Me and Shirley with a Tower of Tiger!!Eric, Cecelia, and Rainbow (They love the Peace Sign)

  Shirley and her boyfriend David.

As the night went on...Guess who showed up??  Crazy Maggie, as I now like to call her.  And she brought me a cake.  It said I was 35, but close.  As the bar closed the night still wasn't over.  Maggie, Ryan, 2 Chinese police officers that were friends with Maggie, and I went to get Hot Pot.  We go a private room in a restaurant where they have 2 boiling bowls of broth in the center of the table and we cook our own food.  Letting the Chinese choose our cuisine, may not have been the best idea.  I ate some gross things including Duck Blood.  I tried to put a chicken foot in my mouth, but I think I must have turned green and decided this foot was not for me at 1am.  All in all, a memorable birthday in China!!