My First Birthday in Korea

Hi again!

Well, not my FIRST birthday, obviously! But you know what I mean.

I woke up to snow this morning. It caught me by total surprise, as I had no idea that it had snowed. I sat down in the lounge, ready to get a grip on world news from the BBC, with my bowl of Rice Krispies (smuggled into Korea in my suitcase on my return from the USA!) and just HAPPENED to glance out of the window, and hey presto! The sight took my breath away! What a wonderful birthday prezzie :)

And so it is, that I have finally reached the wonderful age of 37. This is the age that I always kept in the back of my mind, since I first heard my mother, aunts and older cousins talking about how a woman changes when she turns 37. What wonderful things did they say to each other? (Obviously these things were not meant for the ears of a certain little mouse!)

Things to do when you turn 37 .......

1. Lie about your age: from now, until at least, your 50-60s, you will always be 36 years old!

2. Crow's feet begin to show at 37. (I have to admit that I actually checked for crow's feet a month or two ago! Not that I could find any!)

How one is supposed to remain 36 with ever-increasing crow's feet is beyond me! Oh, now I remember!

3. Nivea. Nivea is the answer! You know the THICK Nivea cream? That one!

Thankfully, although I have always kept these pearls of feminine wisdom in the back of my mind for such a time as this, i.e. TODAY and forever.... I am happy to say that I have never had a problem divulging my age to anyone, and after reaching this milestone today, I still don't have a problem being honest about my age. Living in Korea, though, already has me accustomed to aging myself even further. Last year, I was already 37. So, here in Korea I have turned 38 today, based on the lunar calendar.

This weekend, some friends and I will be heading to Busan, on the south coast of Korea, to celebrate this momentous feminine coming-of-age. More news on that next week!

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! I am surrounded by wonderful people :)

To being 36 forever!

A