vocabulary

Backlogged entry from 07/20/10

When I hang out with my labmates, we converse in mostly Chinese now. Lest you get an inflated sense of my comprehension skills, understand our conversations are not exactly always rocket science. Take this example from today’s trip to the fruit market:

CiCi: Should I get my physical tomorrow or the day after?

Zang: The day after.

CiCi: Lei, should I get it tomorrow or the day after?

Lei Lei: Go tomorrow.

C: No! Tomorrow or the day after?

Lei: You should go tomorrow.

C: Tomorrow or the day after?

L: Tomorrow!

C: Tomorrow or the day after?

L: Go die!

A lot of my new vocabulary isn’t really suitable for polite company. Not that it’s rude or obscene, just very casual slang or language, of the sort you would use with friends. I can now call something cool four different ways. I told CiCi some of what we had learned in Chinese class: “Renshi nin hen gaoxing”—and she said, “Who says stuff like that anyways?”