Friday night we went out for my very belated birthday party. We made sure to include all the makings of a good Chinese night: beer, karaoke, … well, yeah beer and karaoke are pretty much all it takes. I’ve spoken before about how different the experience of “karaoke” is here; the way it opens people up in ways they wouldn’t otherwise, the obvious emotional release of it, the lack of embarrassment or shame, no matter how terrible or amazing your voice is. It’s become one of my favorite things about Chinese social culture. And because I find it hilarious and enjoyable, it’s a way for me to connect to Chinese social culture, which is sometimes hard to do. Before Friday, I’d only ever gone to KTV (karaoke) as a guest of Chinese friends, with Jeff and I being the token foreigners sipping on warm beers until we had the courage to put on American songs and start singing. This time, the group was truly mixed – a handful of my ex-pat friends plus our couple close Chinese friends. I worried going into it that the vibe would be off; when you go to KTV with Chinese people there is never a moment where someone is not singing, EVERYONE sings, and no one requires convincing to do so. But I was wrong to worry – true to KTV form, everyone sang and left their inhibitions at the door to the gaudy, private KTV room, with its leather couches, flat screen TV, and elaborate fruit plates.
the least awful / sweaty picture of the night
If anything, my Chinese friends were shocked by our musical exuberance, plus the fact that watching sexually-charged American music videos for 3 hours is quite a different experience than watching tame, family-friendly Chinese music videos over and over. Although the room temperature approximated a sauna and everyone was dripping with sweat within the first hour, KTV was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday and bring together my 2 until-now separated groups of friends, especially after being away the past month re-charging. It’s taken me 24 years to realize I love singing loudly into a microphone in front of people. Maybe I should thank (or blame) China for that.
