Well, it has been an eventful afternoon. We had our Chinese lesson with Nan, and our trip to Thailand has been cancelled.
Our Chinese lesson went as well as can be expected. Chinese is a very different language than English..it is very hard to make the correct sounds. Nan was very patient, and we did manage to get close on a few words. We know the basics - hello, goodbye, please, thank you, etc. Nan also gave us some basic phrases written down, so that we can carry it with us and point to what we need. She said that is very common in China, which makes me feel a little bit better. More importantly, we got symbols for key items of food - chicken, fish, vegetables, duck, etc. When we look at a menu, we should be able to tell what the main course is - we certainly won't know what else is with it, but we should be able to identify a chicken and vegetable dish. The easy thing would be to go to a restaurant where there is an English menu...
On a disappointing note, our trip to Thailand has been cancelled. I am very sad about that - I have heard great things about Bangkok and the pictures look amazing. However, Cardinal security does not feel it is safe there right now, and we are going to go on the assumption they know what they are talking about. You may recall a military coup late in 2006 - there were also some bombings in downtown Bangkok at New Year and there is talk of another military uprising possibly taking place. Clearly, it is not a good idea to be going over there right now and I am actually relieved that this decision has been made. As I sit here and read what I just wrote, I can't believe I was actually trying to justify the trip in my mind.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! Zai-jian! (Goodbye!)
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2 comments:
I love your last comment, that you were disappointed to not be going somewhere with upheaval..I think Cardinal Security is on the ball!
Hello - Is this thing on - Damn technology anyway. Well, maybe I'm old fashioned but it sounds like Cardinal Security are a bunch of wamby - pamby babies. What ever happened to the rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air and all that crap. Seems like fun to me, adds mystery and excitement, bobbing and weaving in foreign territory. All those major explosions were probably just some pyrotechnics that got a little out of hand while trying to celebrate our American New Year. Who says their militia isn't patriotic. Some may say uprising or coup, I think it may be community involvement or an Ultra Block Watch program put together by concerned citizens. Well, however they spin it, your Safety is the most important thing to me as you prepare for your adventure with your com padres. Nuff said! - Dave
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