My birthday

A Birthday in China: A Story of Miracles and Unforgettable Moments

Today is my birthday, and for the first time since I arrived in China in 2018, nobody here discovered or remembered it. To be honest, I’m not the type to announce my birthday in advance. I don't go out of my way to hide it either, so if someone asks, I’ll tell them. But here's the amazing part: for six out of the seven years I've been in China, someone always remembered—by some miracle. Every year, like clockwork, someone would surprise me, and I’ve even got some pictures from those memorable birthdays celebrations to prove it! (below)

Of course, my family and kids in Brazil and the USA always remember, but here in China, where I’ve been on my own, I expected the default: no one would know, and therefore no one would remember. Yet, year after year, something special happened. Today, though, after seven years, the miracle streak broke, and for the first time, no one remembered. But here's the thing—I’m actually happy about it! I mean, it took seven whole years for this to happen, and that in itself is kind of miraculous, don’t you think? Instead of feeling down about it, I’m choosing to embrace the bright side.

Something good also happened today: I received an unexpected gift—from the Chinese government, no less! I spent most of the day at the tax bureau working on my tax refund. I haven’t received the money yet, but it's coming, and that was a nice surprise! After that, I attended a welcome party for the new freshman students, and it was a great way to wrap up the day, filled with lively presentations and meeting new people. As always, I made a few more friends around the city, at the bank, in the subway—it’s just how the day went.

So even though no one remembered my birthday today, it turned out to be a pretty amazing day after all. A day full of unexpected gifts, new connections, and reminders that life, even on your "forgotten" birthday, can still surprise you in the best possible ways.

YouTube / YouKu