It takes a long time to learn a new language, especially one so different from English as is Chinese, but we muddle through. This morning, the dining hall closest to our apartment was closed, and we had to locate another one. A group of students were standing nearby, but I could not think of the word for "dining hall," though I ought to have known the word 'shitang' from the "Communicate in Chinese" DVD's I've been studying. That's the problem: in conversation, one has to have instant recall. Fortunately, one of the students knew English and could direct us.
In the dining hall, we can point to the items we want and pay for them with our meal card. But this morning, we had to specify what we wanted to drink and were given two bowls of slimy rice and bean porridge when I thought we had asked for orange juice. Eventually, we obtained the desired beverage and paid for the porridge as well. I thought it not bad; Joe said that if I ordered it again, I should ask for only one bowl.
The dining halls are equipped with TV's, which students' rooms seldom are. Yesterday afternoon, a group of young men, crowded the dining hall to watch the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Yao Ming's team, the Houston Rockets. When Houston scored, they stood on the chairs and cheered.
Above: Scenes from a dining hall
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