I
t started the second I got on the plane to Beijing. I look Chinese, therefore I must speak Mandarin. Sadly to say, I neither speak Mandarin nor read Chinese characters. As Lei would say, I am a *bad* Chinese....so sad :-(My response whenever someone tries to speak to me is to say "Sorry, English" to which I get a look back like "Whaaat? You don't speak Chinese?" Luckily, I have been to so many places where I don't speak or read the language, I've figured out how to get around. Hand signals are the way to go though I am always worried that I will make one that will get me scoldedd, slapped in the face or thrown out of an establishment. So far, so good in China.
I'm off in a bit to get some breakfast and I'm headed for the street market so we'll see how good my hand gesturing is. I'm hoping to get some dumplings....let's see what I end up with :-)
