Ayi

Interesting turn of events at lunchtime today. I went to Wudaokou to
get some Korean fare for lunch, and ate at a table near the big mall.
While I was eating, an older woman (about 50 years old) sat down
opposite me to eat, and we began talking. "Ayi" (aunty) works as an
engineer and lives near BeiYu. She has family in Canada, has studied
English for about as long as I've studied Chinese, and has also
studied ancient Chinese language. After we ate, she bought us each a
glass of beer, and we continued to talk for about an hour and a half,
covering topics from work and school to language and culture to my
plans to travel after HBA ends (like Baba, she says I should not go to
Shanghai, and instead suggested Sichuan and Yunnan, especially the
Giant Pandas. She also suggested I come to Beijing in the fall, when
the weather is nicer, though I like hot weather). We also talked with
a third woman sitting nearby for a bit near the end. I only had to
use my dictionary about twice, and we kept up a sustained and
interesting conversation for over an hour, so I think this marks a new
level in my Chinese ability.