For the past several years, I have been celebrating my birthday with large groups of friends. Last year was my 30th, and we had a huge party in our Washington DC apartment. I love celebrating my birthday in a big way, but until a few days ago I wasn’t sure if I would have a party at all this year.

Enter my new girlfriends who teach at Bohai University and the Petrochemical School. I met Kristen, Tia and Erin at a group dinner for foreign teachers and we hit it off immediately. I mentioned I was looking for a tailor in town to have something made as a birthday present for myself. They took me to their favorite tailor and we all had fun ordering new jackets for spring. I was so excited about having new women friends! I immediately decided to throw a party for my birthday on April 1st.

We went to dinner at a dumpling restaurant downtown. Dumplings are called “jiao zi” in Chinese, and these jiao zi were the best I had ever had. They had so many different kinds of fillings, things you would never see in Chinese restaurants in America. In addition to my new friends from Bohai and Petrochemical, our colleagues from the medical school also came. There were twelve of us all together, so we could try all different kinds. The dill jiao zi were the best, but they were all very tasty.

After dinner some of us went out for Karaoke. Karaoke is huge here, but they call it K-TV, probably out of antipathy for the Japanese. Unlike Karaoke bars in America, at K-TV you get a private room, which makes it easier to let your hair down. I sang a lot, which you really have to do as the birthday girl. Josh got big applause for his renditions of “My Way” and “The House of the Rising Sun.” Everyone joined together to sing “Hey Jude.” It was really a great night. We got home at 1 a.m., several hours after curfew, but Mr. Wong gave us a break because he knew it was my birthday.

If I feel any ambivalence at all about turning 31, it is only because 30 was such a great year for me. 30 was the year of two great leaps: I got married and I moved to the People’s Republic of China. Who knows what 31 will hold. I can barely imagine.