0703082100 Taxi !

The family had the missionaries over for dinner tonight, one of which has worked in Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese. I can only say a few sentences in Cantonese, and there are limited subjects in everyday conversation in which I can practice. I can almost ask someone what country they are from, and can understand their answer if they are from China, Hong Kong or America. The subject came up regarding what job I will have in Hong Kong – “…you can be a Chinese taxi driver” meaning I could drive a Chinese taxi. This gave me the opportunity to use a sentence that I thought I would never use. While listening to the Cantonese language course, I have endured the torment of having to listen to endless repetition of “Say you are an American” or “Say ‘I can speak English.” Well this time I had the chance to answer in Cantonese and I said, “I am not Chinese”. My dear wife, who is as world-class teacher, and that is a matter of fact, not just my opinion thinks that I am way ahead of her in learning to speak Cantonese.

After dinner I made a spreadsheet that counts down the days to departure. We were surprised to see that we have 134 days to get ready. Preparing the house for sale has now become "less than relaxing". We accelerated the divestment of all worldly goods by giving the missionaries a slightly used scented candle.