From Chinese to Love

I went to a bubble tea place the other day.  While I was talking with my two friends, another trio of Asian girls walked inside.  I didn't think anything of it, but I heard them talking and, of course, immediatly recognized 普通话 (Mandarin Chinese).  Mustering some courage (it's still hard, even after 4 years), I asked if they were Carlton students.  They kinda just looked at me, said yes, and turned away.  Awkward.  Not the conversation I was hoping for.

I think I've been spoiled by people being impressed with my Mandarin while I was in China.  Here, it is just another language.  I think they also assumed my level was too low to understand what they were talking about (which, when they were next to me, wasn't true at all - I understood almost everything).  I'm glad they didn't talk poorly about me, but with their attitude, they basically did.

I haven't studied Chinese since I came back.  I want to pick up my textbook again and also read Peter Hessler - but I'm having such a good time with my friends back on campus and enjoying late nights talking with friends, studying Freud, etc. And just like that, I switch to 5 months of Chinese to 4 weeks of Freud and love.

out sick

I tried so hard not to get sick in China (sucessful), and within the first two weeks I'm in America, I develop a fever/cough/congestion/headache thing.  Poo.