I guess turning thirty is one of those things that was bound to happen sooner or later. Well, it's better than the alternative! And I've had a good thirty years - I can't think of one I've had that I'd want to erase from my past, even the hard ones. So, I guess I don't really have much to complain about!
My students surprised me with a little party at the end of the school day. They had created a long "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. LIMA" banner, and an artistic card, which they had all signed. One girl (Morgan, at the left) brought in two trays of brownies she had made. A few kids even brought in gifts for me. The ringleaders proudly informed me that they had been planning this for months. It really helped make my day special!
Another special part of my day was when Floyd took me out to dinner at an interesting restaurant called Outer Mongolia. (He had asked someone to recommend the most unusual restaurant in Taichung, and this is what they suggested.) We enjoyed great Mongolian food (the lamb ribs were the best) which we ate in a large red yurt. One of the most fun parts was reading the menu. Here were some of the funniest-sounding items:
mutton tendon salad
fried pettitoes
roasts the pork
shrimp paste low-quality vegetable beef
banana and mutton roll
hundred fragrant fruits fry the lily
alcohol admix goaty milk
sheet iron anise apricot bao ku
the unwearied effort however mutton clamps the cake
