The birthday group: (left to right) Brittany, me, Kay, Elva, and Divendra

We had a big party to celebrate the large number of birthdays and also as a send-off for the foreign teachers.  It was a big success with almost all of the teachers coming out to celebrate.  We had plenty of delicious homemade food and some catered by local restaurants.  It was a total blast and I ate almost to the point of being sick.  It’s not every day we get Western food!  The ones who were celebrating invited some of their students and friends to join in the fun.  Brittany’s birthday was actually that day, so many of her students and friends from the museum came out.  A trio of my best students, Uighurs from the Xinjiang province, came out to party with me.  Very much unlike me, they don’t drink alcohol (it’s forbidden) so I was left to drink with my fellow expats.  I think they enjoyed themselves regardless; they told me a few times that the party reminded them of a Uighur wedding.  I’m not exactly sure if that is a good thing or not.

My Uighur students and I: (left to right) Ralph, Tommy, and Roy

The revelry continued until the older folks retired for the night.  After that the younger crowd settled on making an excursion to one of the many clubs throughout Xi’an.  I don’t remember the name of the place we went to but it was really nice.  And, of course, really expensive.  I didn’t bring my camera along, so no pictures unfortunately, but we did have a great time chatting, drinking, and enjoying the beautiful night.

The after-hours group: (top) Reto and friend, Mark, me, Andrew; (bottom) Vera, Brittany, Puii, Carolin, Divendra

We wrapped up the night with some dancing at Salsa, a popular nightclub here.  I am totally done with Salsa.  Never again.  Never!  Every time I go there, it’s about 80-90% guys.  This time was no different.  And the thing about nightclubs in China is that the drinks are ridiculously expensive.  And to actually get them you need to get a table, which requires you spend at least 400 RMB on a bottle of liquor.  Our usual modus operandi is to pregame at home with the cheap stuff, then go out to party and not spend a lot of money.  Maybe it’s just me, but getting drunk and then going to a huge club sparsely populated with women is not exactly my idea of a good time.  This has been my experience almost every time going to Salsa and other dance clubs in Xi’an.  So yeah, I’m done with that.

Despite another lame adventure in Salsa, the night was a huge success.  We had a great party with good friends and delicious food.  There was cake.  I made hamburgers like my Mom always makes them (which were a big hit, thanks Mom!).  Drinking at the club afterward was a lot of fun as well.  I’m glad we could have one last big party to end the semester and send off the people who won’t be coming back in the fall.

Expat communities seem so transient; it’s kind of a downer.  People are always coming and going.  You never know exactly how long people will be staying.  Some stay for years, others for a single semester.  It’s hard to form serious connections with these people in this environment.  True, we see each other almost every day, so bonds and friendships form quickly.  But whether or not they are strong enough to stand the test of time is yet to be seen (by me at least).

At some point I will leave China.  Maybe I will not return.  When will I leave here?  I have no idea.  One thing I do know is that after I spend one year teaching English here, I want to get a proper job as an engineer.  I wouldn’t mind staying in China doing this.  Staying in Xi’an with all of the friends I’ve made would be even better.  But the most likely scenario is that I will have to return home to the US and find a job there.  That’s certainly not a bad thing.  But the life I’ve carved out here is a good one.  The friends I’ve made are now important people in my life.  I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to give that all up and move on with my life.

I’m glad I could spend one last big night with my friends to celebrate not just birthdays and the end of another semester, but the time that we’ve all spent together.  I will be back next semester, but some of them will not.

To all of the great friends I’ve made this semester: I will miss you and hopefully someday I will see you again.

Related posts:

1. Reflections on a Semester Past
2. Party: On
3. The Party Monitor Strikes Again