Birthday Parties

Tuesday was my birthday (22 years old), and it was the first one I’ve ever spent abroad. On the 25^th, Wadleigh took me out to eat at the reasonably nice restaurant up the street. That’s where the drama unfolded.

Wadleigh was full already, so he ordered some fried rice, which is usually not enormous in size. At this place, things were different. His plate was almost overflowing with rice and chicken. After just a few huge spoonfuls he couldn’t take another bite, and the pile of rice remained. I ate through my pad Thai, and soon, the staff began to look at Wadleigh and whisper. Several of them began pointing and he began to feel very awkward.

A few minutes later, a lady came out and spoke in English.

“Is everything ok?” she asked.

“Yes, this is great, but I am too full,” said Wadleigh, gesturing to his stomach.

“Did we give wrong food?”

“No, no, this is great.” At this point, nearly everyone in the crowded restaurant was staring.

“If something wrong then tell us.”

“No, it’s great, I just ate too much. Too much food,” he said while expressing with his hands the “too much food.”

She was hesitant, but satisfied with this answer, and bagged up the food to go. We awkwardly left.

The thing that I like a lot about a birthday in Thailand is that everyone in the house wishes me a happy birthday and whatnot, and then when I’m going to bed, all my friends from the States are just starting to wish me a happy birthday. Two days for the price of one.

I also had a third birthday on Thursday, when I went out with a bunch of people from this and the other international house to celebrate properly. We went to this upscale mall with a bowling alley and karaoke. I got some free drinks, and then my German friend Stephan won an entire case of beer for getting the highest score of the alley for that hour- a meager 140. I guess some Thais aren’t that serious about bowling. As the night went on, we all got obscenely drunk and went to a club in Bangkok, and things get hazy from that point on. Still, I had a great time despite somehow spending nearly $30.