qianyu

At work, I was helping a group of older people from New York and one of the men asked me where I learned my English. I told him, as I've so often had to defend myself so far - I am American.

I hate to berate him because he was, previous to this, a pleasant man. But this was infuriating. I wish the fact that I was wearing a full uniform, a name tag with my first and middle name and USA printed on it, spoke perfect English, and maybe the fact that we are an immigrant country, could have clued him in to the idea that I just might be American. I learned my English in the same place you did, sir.

The subject of the end of Expo came up again today - as it often does now - and a baoan quoted a poem to me about good friends never actually being separated, as they are under one moon, by one river. i said - what river. he said that there is a very long river that runs through china. i said - this does not work internationally.