I can now go to a casino

I turned 21 this past Sunday, March 9th. I hadn't planned anything besides going to a formal dinner at St. Catherine College, which Poting had organized (for CME people, not for my birthday). Anyway, I had mentioned it was my birthday a few days back when Cindy was making a card for Jeremy (other CME people), whose birthday is March 8th. I commented that since I was born in China, our birthdays are actually on the same "day". Mahalia asked if I was planning on doing anything, and I was like, "uh, writing my FTR?"

So on Sunday, she showed up with some other CME people with a cake. A normal looking yellow cake but made from scratch (by her), coated with heavy cream, and topped with strawberries. It was amazing. And that morning, she send out an email to all the CMe people plus Sophia (my former neighbor). They had managed to get candles and "attacked some Chinese tourists to get them lite" but the wind blew them out before they could get to my room. I was really touched. I can't believe she did all of that for me.

I guess that's one of the best things that came out of going on this exchange: I got to know people that I otherwise would not have. I knew Mahalia and Stella before the exchange. Course 1 isn't that big. But after a year of struggling at Cambridge, cooking together, working late, we've gotten to know each other much more. Same goes to the other CME people. We have a lot of get formals and get togethers here and I just find it so nice to talk to other MIT people. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed living with Yalu and working with Xiumin and Zawadi just as much but we got along so well that I would've just stuck with them all the time. Doing this exchange forced me to get to know these other MIT people at a level that I would've never done if I had stayed at MIT. I think this is a side effect that none of us really thought about but that I know goes true for all the other CME students.