Birthdays

This evening we’re going to a birthday party – in hospital. My 80-something year old grandmother has been in hospital for over two weeks now, and today is her birthday. She has heart failure and is very weak, and they’ve been monitoring her heart. She’s stable and has a healthy appetite, though. I think the plan is to get her into a nursing home when she’s well enough to be discharged.

I was just trying to work out how old she is, exactly, but I never remember because whenever the topic of her age comes up she confuses me by talking about her Chinese age and her Western age. “I’m 8X but really I’m 8X if you go by the Chinese way.” Yes, the Chinese reckon age differently – you are considered a year old when you’re born. (See Roger Darlington’s blog for a link to a site that calculates your age in Chinese terms. Although I don’t think you really need a reckoner for this – just add a year to your current age.)

I could just ask her what year she was born but then she will tell you she’s a Monkey “我属猴。” Which doesn’t necessarily help when you’re not completely clear on Chinese astrology. I think this means she’s 86 this year – 87 if you go by Chinese reckoning. I’ll ask her tonight.