Kris's 30th


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hai Phong » Cat Ba Island
July 29th 2009
Published: August 31st 2009
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Yes.

I'm 30.
Three whole decades since I appeared in a maternity hospital called Little Thorpe in County Durham on a hot July day in 1979. I had a double chin and weighed in at 9 pounds. My weight hasn't changed much since then, I just got longer.

I doubt that back in 1979 anyone guessed I'd spend my 30th birthday as an English teacher in north Vietnam. For a start, I doubt many people in the west imagined a future in Vietnam in those days. And then there were the career options. Firstly, by chance of geography I might have been a coal miner like my dad, his dad and his dad's dad...but I wanted to be a sailor. "A captain of a big ship" in fact. I even signed up (or I thought I had) in the Royal Navy recruitment office in Sunderland when I was about 6 and dressed in my sailor suit. Then I wanted to be a vet...then I wanted to be a scientist..and this seemed a very real prospect up until a few years ago.

Funny how things turn out.

Anyway, all this aside, I had a fantastic birthday in Vietnam!
work birthday partywork birthday partywork birthday party

cake number 1, complete with firework candles and a happy pregnant woman



3 decades, 3 cakes



My first birthday celebration happened at work. To be fair it wasn't just mine - we have monthly birthday parties for all the people whose birthdays fall on that month. So I was joined by fellow birthday people: Dave, Ha and Phuong, in the study centre at work one day to share a huge and impressive cake (cake 1), loads of fruit and conversation. It was cool.

Soon after, it was time for my house party. Sunday night, the day before my birthday our house filled up with friends from around Haiphong. All the people from work turned up, plus a load of my students, at least one ship-builder and several fashion people (Haiphong expats are English teachers, ship-builders and fashion exporters). Everyone brought me gifts and I was well touched. I got new shirts and ties and even a little box of hair ties! My students turned up on motorbikes and delivered a beautiful birthday cake (cake 2). Meanwhile Dave and June brought me a 4 litre plastic bottle of 35%!p(MISSING)roof rice wine. Nice one! It looks pretty industrial, or maybe something you'd light a bonfire with...but tastes surprisingly mild.

Almost forgot to mention the flowers. Everyone brought me flowers. Huge bunches of gorgeous flowers. I can honestly say that no one has ever given me flowers before, but it appears to be the done thing over here. Even a little lad in my Saturday class turned up with a bunch of roses for me. Made our house smell lovely for a whole week.

Oh yeah, and Moon (or Nguyet Anh), my teaching assistant, bought me some fantastic ornaments - 3 little statues of Vietnamese women in traditional dress from the north, centre and south of Vietnam.

The party was excellent, if a little hot. We found that our air con unit in the sitting room isn't very effective - particularly when the room is full of people. What resulted was the usual profuse sweating. Amazingly,my Vietnamese guests were the first to complain about the heat, despite the fact that they showed no signs of being hot at all compared to the dripping, red faced Europeans. It must be genetics. My metabolism and body hair is clearly more suited to frozen winters. Anyway, we spilled out onto our porch and continued the party well into the night. For everyone who came - if you're reading this - Thanks!

If you didn't make it....where were you????

If the answer's - England - fair point...


Birthday in paradise



The next day after the party me and Kate headed to our nearby tropical island of Cat Ba. Kate had booked us into a beautiful hotel called Sunrise resort in a little bay all on it's own. We'd been here before just to use the hotel sun loungers for the afternoon, but we'd never stayed at the actual hotel. It was gorgeous.

We checked into our fancy room and looked off our balcony over the pool and then the sea stretching off into the distance. The bathroom even had a fancy towelling gown with the name of the hotel embroidered on. Clearly the mark of class. I immediately lowered the tone by donning it and doing ninja poses around the room.

Kate didn't even laugh.

That afternoon we did nothing! It was brilliant. We went to the pool and read and then dunked and then sat in the sun in a big jacuzzi. Around teatime we popped over to the swish-looking beach bar and
Enjoying the birthday cake Enjoying the birthday cake Enjoying the birthday cake

at the Sunrise resort
grabbed a drink. Then it was back to the room for a shower and down to the restaurant for dinner. This is where another treat was waiting. The hotel heard it was my birthday (thanks Kate) and actually prepared us both a three course meal for FREE. Yes, free. I figured I might get a free drink, but no, the whole meal! I suppose this would be hard to exploit as they did have my passport with my date of birth in, but it was pretty nice of them. At the end of dinner, a cake turned up too (cake 3! You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you??). It was all pretty lovely. After dinner we headed in to Cat Ba town and had drinks and ended off an all-round amazing day. All that's left to say is THANKS KATE!!!!!!! She made it all possible and I love her for it.


Presents from students



Aside from the students who came to my party, I got a load of stuff from other classes who found out it was my birthday. One class of kids showered me with birthday cards and gifts - see pics! A teenage class even decorated a paper cup for me in breaktime to present to me when I came back to the room. Then, when I thought the festivities were all over, after we got back from Cat Ba and I got back to work, one of my adult classes revealed they had a present for me too. It was pretty amazing. They presented me with a huge pack of hand painted pictures showing traditional scenes from Vietnam. They're amazing and a fantastic gift. If any of you are reading this - thank you!


Birthdays and war heroes and absent friends



Not only is the 27th of July my birthday, it's a special day in Vietnam because it's war heroes day - something I'll probably think of every birthday from now on, no matter where I end up. I'll be sharing that fact with various bored drinking partners in bars every birthday from now.

All in all, I had a fantastic birthday, with one crucial thing missing - my family and friends back home. As I said in the beginning, I never thought I'd be in Vietnam when turned 30. I didn't know where I'd be, but Vietnam wouldn't have been top of my list of guesses. I'm sorry my family isn't nearer and I often wish I had some sort of teleport device like they have on Star Trek or the wardrobe in that story with a lion and a witch. I'd like to step through and see my family back home and drink a pint of English beer...then step back through and spend the weekend on a tropical island. But so far that isn't an option. So instead, I'm looking forward to going home for Christmas. Only a few months to go. I'm feeling Christmassy already.

God knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing when I'm 40...but there might be a travel blog entry about it.







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Kris and his new friend, ChoKris and his new friend, Cho
Kris and his new friend, Cho

it means 'dog' in Vietnamese


31st August 2009

I know it's too late!!
But Happy Birthday Chris...30...you are a teenager!

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