The Test

“Writing and reading”, she said, and whether we were OK with that. It’s hard to tell whether a Chinese women’s question is meant to be rhetorical, let alone sarcastic.

Writing and reading it will be.
A long weekend presented itself conveniently with ample study opportunities. Priorities were, however, overruled by chores and gardening necessities as seasons will not have themselves discarded.

Sunday morning, I found the time to invite friends for a birthday party, to introduce myself to a professor of fine arts, purchase a car, some thee, butter and two boxes of milk; paid for and change received.
Tonight, I may go to the Beijing Opera, look for fellow-students in the cantina and do more shopping in a mall. Music perhaps, or banana-apples ( or was it apple-bananas ? ).
All in writing, as requested.

Reading will be more awkward.
I’m going to try reading to my computer and play it back to me.
Confrontational, no doubt.
Embarrassing? Perhaps. My wife will understand. The occasional teenager frown – not always related to studying Chinese – I can handle.
But that’s an entirely different matter.