Eric's Beijing Diary

There's a new school for autistic children opening in the village at the mountain. The staff invited Michael and I for dinner this evening. Really nice folks. I think they are still in the process of putting together some sort of non-profit organization or something, because this thing is brand new. The kids are coming in April, they said.

When we got there, we noticed that they were still preparing the meal. Michael didn't want them to feel bad that they weren't ready, so he started to apologize for being early. But instead of saying the word zao, which means "early," he said, "kuai, which means, "fast," or "hurry." Basically, what he was saying was, "Could you hurry it up a little?" Struck me funny. Naturally, they asked him if he was hungry. Michael realized his mistake right away, and corrected himself, but they reminded him of it later, all in good humor.

Michael got to China shortly after I did, but he tends to be a bit more conversational than me, because he is not afraid of making mistakes. You don't learn as quickly if you try too hard to be perfect. Another thing about Michael is that he has never taken a Chinese class in his life. But he has traveled all over China on his bicycle, and he spends a lot of time with local people.