Turning 30
Turning 30

Today, March 21st, I am turning 30.

It doesn’t faze me much. I could pretend I’m freaking out over the big “3-0” because my twenties are over but really, I don’t care because I am looking forward to many more years of adventures, life experiences, ups and downs and surprises.

I remember turning twenty—Feng and I were backpacking and we had just arrived in Sydney that day. I thought it was pretty cool to celebrate my twentieth birthday Down Under, on the road. If I had been told that ten years later, I’d be a married Canadian citizen with a baby, I would have laughed.

And yet… it happened. Somehow.

I don’t think I changed much in the past ten years. Honestly, physically, I didn’t really… okay, I do have a couple of white hair, courtesy of Baby Mark. That’s about it. I have the same hairstyle, the same (lack of) fashion sense, the same piercings (I didn’t even take off my navel piercing when I was pregnant!), same Doc Martens shoes—gee, I’m realizing I’m actually pretty conservative I guess!

I did gain life experience by immigrating to Canada, working in different environments, living with Feng, having a kid and travelling. I cherish these experiences—each one of them taught me a lot.

I have never set major life goals for myself, such as “must be married by the time I am 25” or “must have a career before I turn 30”. Frankly, I am not even sure how to define success in life—one person’s definition of achievement is vastly different from another. I think I am pretty happy with how my life turned out, especially considering I didn’t plan a single thing.

What matters to me is experiencing the breadth of life experiences, good and bad. I don’t want a boring sheltered life. I want to laugh, I want to cry, and I want to feel happiness, empathy and anger.

So far so good. I’m embracing this new decade… and I’ll pick up some expensive anti-aging cream on the way back home, just in case.

Turning 30
Turning 30
Turning 30
Turning 30

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39 Comments

  1. Cynthia March 21, 2013 at 8:08 am

    Happy belated birthday !

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:40 pm

      Not belated, right on time!

      Reply
  2. Barb March 21, 2013 at 8:15 am

    Happy ( belated) birthday wishes, lady!!!
    Don’t woory; 30 is nothing… You are still bush being active and raising a son.
    No existential worries at this stage! Enjoy!!!

    Xox

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:40 pm

      Aw, I think existential worries are part of my French heritage!

      Reply
  3. Isa March 21, 2013 at 8:36 am

    Happy birthday Zhuliette! I must admit I’m a bit afraid of turning 30… But I’ll be fine! Let’s just keep going 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      You will be fine! Trust me. I have over 18 hours of experience being 30 now 😆

      Reply
  4. Cecille March 21, 2013 at 9:09 am

    Happy Belated Birthday!
    Don’t worry about turning 30 – didn’t you know 30s is the new 20s? 🙂
    Celebrate life!

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      Phew, makes me feel better! 😉

      Reply
  5. Harlow March 21, 2013 at 10:50 am

    Happy Birthday, Zhu!

    You look absolutely beautiful, and as a new mom you really are glowing.

    Wish you all the best!

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      Aaaww, thank you for the ego boost!

      Reply
  6. La Madame March 21, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    Oh cool, une de plus dans’gang! 🙂 Bonne Fête Zhu!! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      Eh ouais!

      Reply
  7. Canedolia March 21, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Happy Birthday Zhu! May your thirties be a great decade!

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:41 pm

      Thank you! I’m hoping too 🙂

      Reply
  8. Lily March 21, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    Bon anniversaire 🙂 And I can’t believe it, you too kept your Doc Martens ???!!! Mine are almost 15 years old and they are still ok too 😀

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:42 pm

      Same! I think mine were bought in 1995… first year of junior high!

      Reply
  9. Estefania March 21, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    Feliz cumpleaños 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 6:43 pm

      Muchas gracias!

      Reply
  10. Tulsa Gentleman March 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    I’m thinking about all the places you have been, and the things you have done. Now you have a loving husband and a beautiful little boy. You have accomplished a great deal in these 30 years and the best part of your life is still ahead of you. Happy birthday and best wishes to you, Feng and baby Mark.

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 9:37 pm

      I’m very thankful for all that I have 🙂

      Reply
  11. Dennation March 21, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    Happy Birthday Zhu! You share the same birthday as my husband only he is three years older than you. It was the first birthday in years that he celebrated with so much snow. It felt like it was the first day of winter where we are and not the first day of spring!

    Don’t worry about turning 30, it feels just turning 29 (or 28, or…). The important thing is that you are happy with how your life has turned out, with what you have accomplished, that you have a healthy self-image and healthy relationships with your friends and family. Good job!

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 21, 2013 at 9:38 pm

      Thank you! Funny that I am sharing a birthday with your husband. March babies! I always associate my birthday with “spring” and it was quite a shock to celebrate it under the snow my first year in Canada!

      Reply
  12. Gail at Large March 22, 2013 at 12:56 am

    I’ll be turning 41 in a few months and in my opinion life gets even better as you get older!

    You will enjoy your 30s, I believe it’s a time when you reap the rewards of experience while the 20s are more focused on getting experience.

    Happy Birthday!

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 22, 2013 at 9:47 am

      That’s the attitude! I always admire the way you embrace life 🙂

      Reply
  13. Raj March 22, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    Hi Zhu,

    Many happy returns of the day.. Happy Birthday to you. May all ur wishes come true and you get all the happiness in life. You share your birth year with my wife and just like you she is also standing at verge of being a mum soon. She has been reading all your articles since you wrote the first time about your pregnancy.

    Looking forward for many more articles from you in the coming years.

    🙂

    Take care. Be Good. God Bless

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 22, 2013 at 2:18 pm

      Thank you! I wish you two a great baby… I must admit I am not surprised to hear you are expecting, you are the perfect couple 😉 Tell her to email me if she has any baby-related questions, I’ll be happy to help!

      Reply
  14. Jeruen March 22, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    Oh I remember being 30 last year; I thought I’d get my PhD before turning 30, but I needed a little extension so I graduated a month and a half after. Plenty of things changed between when I was 20 and 30: I came out of multiple metaphorical closets, got a PhD, moved to Europe, but at the same time, I am still me, there are parts of my personality that still is the same, and yeah, as much as 30 is a huge number, I don’t even remember celebrating it last year.

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 22, 2013 at 9:17 pm

      I thought we were born the same year, but I guess you are a few months older! You did accomplish a lot in life so far 🙂

      Reply
  15. Lou March 23, 2013 at 9:07 pm

    Happy Birthday Zhu! Turning 30 didn’t phase me either I’m not sure how I’ll be when I turn 40 later this year, hopefully I’ll just take that in my stride too. We must be very like minded as I have a similar philosophy, enjoy what you have and embrace every experience and you wont go far wrong 😀

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 23, 2013 at 11:18 pm

      Thank you! Well, 40 is only 30 plus a few years, nothing to be scared of 😉

      Reply
  16. Milsters @ Little Pieces of Light March 24, 2013 at 7:14 am

    JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE !!! I’m so sorry for the late greeting; I’ve only seen this now! 30 is a great milestone (will be heading there in 2 years’ time) and you should be proud of all the amazing things you’ve done thus far. Sending you lots of love and positive energy from Paris!

    x Milsters

    (http://www.littlepiecesoflight.com/)

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 24, 2013 at 11:18 am

      Thank you, lil’ Parisian!

      Reply
  17. Katherina March 24, 2013 at 7:15 am

    Happy birthday, Zhu! I’m with you on that: some people seem to be obsessed with turning 30. Like there should be a number of things that you should have accomplished or otherwise you are a failure. I’m turning 29 in My, so I’m close to that 3-0 but simply don’t feel pressure. As long as you know you’re 20s were well spent (which they definitely were!!) you can only welcome the 30s with open arms 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 24, 2013 at 11:19 am

      Don’t feel pressure–I can attest 30 isn’t bad! Well, so far, for the past three days, it hasn’t been bad 😉

      Reply
  18. Inese March 24, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    Oh, with a terrible delay (I can conveniently blame it on my baby :))- Happy Birthday, Zhu!!! Your life journey has been fantastic so far and with the new little man in your life it will just keep getting better! Hip-hip-hooray for 30! It’s also the right occasion to tell you how great it is to know you and thank you for all your help and support! xxxx

    Reply
    1. Zhu March 25, 2013 at 9:46 am

      Thank you! Don’t apologize, I completely understand how busy you must be… trust me, I do! 😆 Is it spring yet over there? This winter is endless in Ontario.

      Reply
      1. Inese March 26, 2013 at 12:12 am

        It was a rainy & gloomy winter here in West coast until yesterday. And then suddenly a spring weather today… But you never know. Last week after a sunny day it started to snow the next morning. Hope sunshine is coming your way soon! xx

        Reply
        1. Zhu March 26, 2013 at 9:42 am

          Weird, same here! Suddenly sunny, although it’s only hovering around zero degrees right now.

          Reply

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