No Creative title for this post just: 4 days of birthday fun. (PART 1)

It would be remiss of me to not dedicate this post to someone. Two people in fact. The 1st is a classly wise lady and the 2nd... well... I just (by some inexplicable conincidence) happen to share a mother, bloodline and birthday with this philistine.

I there-by dedicate this post to you Granny Essie and Adam - my twin (but equally believable, adopted) brother.

*Admirable mention goes out to Dale Morris (who's birthday is 26 March - a date on which some of the activities (or lack there of) occured)*

It began really with a phone call on the 22nd of March. I was sitting at my desk at Yeongan Middle School (my Monday and Tuesday School),whiling away the minutes to home time, having finished my classes for the day. The phone rings and as it generally is when I get a phone call in business hours, it was my Co-Teacher at Gogyeong Middle School (My Wednesday and Friday School). The conversation went like this:


Geoff: Hello?
Co-T: Hello.
Geoff: Hello.
Co-T: Hello.
Geoff: Yes Hello. (at this piont I knew who was on the other end of the line)
Co-T: Hello. It Gogyeong Co-Teacher
Geoff: Yes, hello, what can I do for you?
Co-T: It Gogyeong Co-Teacher, Understand?
Geoff: Yes I know. I understand.
Co-T: It Gogyeong Co-Teacher, Yes, understand?
Geoff: YES! I understand.
Co-T: Yes, ok... Tomorrow school Anniversary.
Geoff: Yes,so what does that mean?
Co-T: Tomorrow school anniversary, so no class.
Geoff: Ok, so do I still come in to school?
Co-T: No class, so you be at home, take a rest. Understand?
Geoff: Yes I understand, thank-you.
Co-T: Understand?
Geoff: Yes,Understand.
Co-T: Ok, see you.


*Hangs up*


Happily I had the day beforemy birthday off. A nice early birthday present. I took the day, not even to sleep in - I woke up at 7:10, so I did a load of washing, cleaned up my place a bit, refined the lesson I was to be teaching later in the week. The biggest part of my day though - after beginning the walk to the location in question about 8 times before stopping and thinking not to do it only to get annoyed and start heading to said loccation again (7 more times) and eventually deciding - "screw it, it will warm up soon" - was going for a haircut, in anticipation of summer. I now, for the 1st time in... 5 years I think, have a nice shaven head - hairs 1cm (or thereabouts) long each.

Thursday I woke up for school and the 1st thing I see was this:

Sandy had given it to me the night before and made me promise I would not open it until my actual birthday. Once opened and read I could not help but have a lump inmy throat because of this:

Massages from all my friends in a giant card that even had this:

on the back.

Reading the 1st few messages was very satisfying and then I noticed a name at the bottom of one of them:
Stu

And then:
Car&Cand

And then:
Joe and Sarah, Bern, Hamster (Dale), Tris, Jade

All the names barring Car&Cand (who were roughly 8800km SE of me - in Melbourn Aus) which were roughly about 13500km's SW of me.

BUT HOW!

I got such a lump in my throat reading all the messages sent from so many of my special people from back home and from Korea. That was Sandy's gift to me and what a gift! Turns out, at the start of March Sandy combed through one of my "blog update emails" for the names (and thereby email addresses) of people who I had talked about, to her, adnausium (both in Korea and Back home) and strived to get as many messages, from those I care about, as possible and put it together in the most awesome birthday card!

If that was not enough I walked out my door to go to school and caught a glint of unusual colour in my eye as the door closed behind me. I turned around and this is what was revealed to me:

This was a plan between Sandy and Ashli that unfolded while I was watching the cricket the previous night. Despite Ashli's coughing and splattering and Sandy's characteristic loud foot steps I didn't notice a thing so it was quite a surprise to find a giant birthday cake and a couple of wishes traped to my front door. On the handle was a chocolate care package of cake and choc milk that was meant for school but I failed to notice that fact and put inside to be enjoyed when I got home.

School on this day, was school. I conducted a lesson on traditions and facts about birthdays in Western Culture, and came back to my flat to go out for a lovely Sushi dinner, Mango Smoothie and Gelato ice-cream with Sandy and Chris.

We chatted away for a couple of hours and then Sandy and I spent a bit of time together before I went back to my place and finished the day watching Aus lose to India in the cricket. A good, relaxing, heartfelt day on the day of my birth back in 1986 :)

Part 2 of this adventure is to follow shortly - Stay tuned to Geoff's Asian Adventure.