In my work as a reading specialist, I sometimes encounter an adult who is almost entirely unable to read. When it comes to Chinese, Joe and I are practically illiterate, ourselves. Each of us can discriminate perhaps a hundred characters. To be functional in Chinese, you need a couple of thousand-- even more if you want to read a newspaper.
This weekend, we're on our own. The university has provided a meal plan and a very comfortable apartment, and campus is abloom with roses and flowering trees I cannot identify. We see interesting things on our walks. But we're exhausted. The trip here took over thirty-six
hours, during which we got almost no sleep.
This afternoon we slept 'til well after 7:00 PM, and the dining hall was closed. We would have to fix instant noodles for supper or go to a restaurant. Tired as we were, we were in no mood to use our broken Chinese, and the kids who work in restaurants on campus don't speak that much English. I groaned inwardly as I thought about trying to order a meal.
There are actually several restaurants on campus. We brightened when we noticed that one of them had pictures as well as words on its menu. We just had to point at the items we wanted, a useful strategy when one is on campus.
Above: Scenes from on campus and nearby.
Below: A restaurant menu with words and pictures.
Second below: Joe having dinner
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