Double Digits! Lindsay turns 20!!!

So, it's not everyday that you get to celebrate your birthday in a foreign country--a foreign country where you can legally drink, for that matter. Sorry Mom & Dad, I know you're probably reading this, but I promise you all celebratory birthday drinking was done responsibly and in moderation. I love you!

We started the celebration the Friday night before my birthday, since we'd be on a overnight train to Xi'an for the duration of my birthday. The four of us started out at Lush, our favorite local bar in Wudaokou. Earlier that week at trivia night, we befriended one of the co-owners of the bar, Rich, and he told us to come by and see him sing on Friday. So we did.

It was packed when we got there, but after Rich saw us waiting by the bar, he came and got us and made room for us at his table with the other owner and a few Lush regulars.

We hung out, played cards, listened to music, and enjoyed the spoils of it being my birthday (aka many rounds of free drinks--thank you, Rich). Lush was having some sort of open-mic night. A few legitimate musicians would get up and do sets with intermittent karaoke-esque numbers by groups of patrons enthused by a particular song.

The group at the table had their sights on getting me up on stage to sing, but wisely, I did not listen to their ill-willed encouragement. My friends did, however, manage to get the entire bar to sing Happy Birthday to me once the clock reached midnight. And then, because I was the birthday girl, I got to make a special request. The guy on stage had been sitting at our table for a while, and once he mentioned that he knew the songs from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I knew what I wanted to hear.

I chose the song from the Dracula musical in the movie. As FSM is one of my favorite movies of all-time, I thoroughly enjoyed what's-his-name's rendition of the song. After hours at Lush, we decided to migrate to a bar that had just opened right down the street. They advertised "free beer for two and half-price food" as a grand-opening special. They very willingly gave us our free beer, but, much to our dismay, the waiter told us that the kitchen was under-staffed and they weren't serving food.

We were starving and..well...just didn't want to take no for an answer. We march over to the counter that opens into the kitchen, looking around--desperate for any scrap of food. Our attempts to get the chef's attention were not working, so we start pounding our fists on the counter to the rhythm of "We Will Rock You," which was playing in the background.

FINALLY, the chef obliges us and scrounges up some biscuits and gravy. Delicious. AND FREE.

After that victory, we decide that it is time to call it a night. We hop in a cab and head back to campus around 3:00 AM, knowing full-well that we'd be getting up early the next morning to leave for our trip to Xi'an. It was hands-down a fantastic birthday and a memorable way to ring in a new decade of my life.

Though it was the first time I've ever been away from my family on my birthday, I am thankful that I had some truly wonderful friends to celebrate with.

Caitlin, Lindsey, Sarah--thanks for making it a spectacular birthday.