(Mis)Communication

So here we are...it's already NOVEMBER! 

Jill and I have started our tutoring lessons- hoping to finally grasp a bit of this foreign language. But- it hasn't stopped the communications errors along the way.

How many of you have heard of ood? Ood (rhymes with food) is a word we hear a lot over here. And yes- it is in English. Here- let me give you some examples. The forest is filled with Ood. Or how about this one: My dining room table is made of ood. Catching on maybe? Yes- ood = wood. Except everybody who is a native chinese speaker was taught to pronounce it 'ood.' What makes is harder is that it doesn't even rhyme with it's base word- so as you sit there mid conversation your brain has come to a SCREECHING halt. 

"It will be easy for us to find cheep ood bracelets."

"Oh.......really.........Ood is cheap here in China?"

"Oh yes, you can get many things cheap if they are made out of ood."

"Wow-......ood isn't really found in the US....so cheap....I think...."

Till finally two minutes later your brain somehow make the connection and you interrupt the conversation that has inevitably meandered on, shouting "Wood! Wood! You mean Wood!"

Now- I'm not criticzing. Not at all. I am the queen mother of mispronouncing chinese words- or actually I should say mis-toning chinese words. My pronunciation is good. But I can't melodically make the words fall out of my mouth in the correct tone. They get stuck up my mouth like honey and all of a sudden my falling tone just falls flat. Or my rising tone didn't start low enough. My chinese tutor politely looked at me the other day and said, 'You really need to listen to the audio CD." Point taken. 

SO that's it from here. 46 days. I love love love all of you. :)

And I hope you all voted. Twice.