Pam's Party

Yesterday my friend Pam, who I met at church back in Sept, turned 29 and had a big girls-only party at a really nice Thai restaurant in Shanghai called Coconut Paradise. There were about 14 girls there, mainly from the US and Canada, and it was SUCH a good night... so nice to be out with just a bunch of girls.

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to going that much b/c by the time the evening rolled around, I had a wicked headache and just didn't feel like being very social and putting my best foot forward while meeting a lot of new people. But I got on with it and it was great- I love meeting new people with interesting life stories as to why they're in Shanghai.

Pam is a true inspiration to many b/c she has a ton of energy and direction. She came to Shanghai to work as a teacher 6 months ago and had a ton of issues (won't get into it all here obviously), but in the past couple months she's made a lot of big decisions and changes that have resulted in her having a lot more joy and freedom, which really shows when you hang out with her. She is now applying to do her Master's degree in international relations in Australia, coaching volleyball, volunteering at a bunch of places, and getting super involved in our church. She's also working on getting certified to become a personal trainer which is something she's really passionate about - a workout nut! I wish her all the best in all these things.

3 Canadians: Pam (the b-day girl) from Winnipeg, me, and Nadia from Montreal.