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June 16, 2004
zao
zao, zao, zao calls the director boss from the hallway. zao, crows back french father.
he turns to me, multiple grins lighting up his face. his happy to be alive face, his happy to be here face, his happy to be talking to me face, his happy to be explaining something face, his happy memory of the past face, his happy happy face.
when i first went to taiwan, he says, to learn chiiinese, the first lesson on the first day was the chinese word 'zAO' which means 'good morning'. the next day i was walking in the street and i met a fellow who said to me, zao! i knew it meant something, i knew i knew what it meant, but i couldn't remember. and then i did remember, it was the first thing i learned! zao! good morning! so i turned around to say zao to him, and he was already 20 feet down the street, but i yelled zao at him and he laughed and laughed. zao. zAO!
director boss pokes his head in the door drawn by the constant repetition of zao and my giggles and asks, learning your first chinese word?
zao, chortles french father as he turns back to his computer. zAO. he puts emphasis on the 'ow' ending. like za-ow, but said really fast.
Posted by michele at June 16, 2004 09:36 AM
Comments
Posted by: Dianna at June 16, 2004 10:32 AM
Posted by: didofoot at June 16, 2004 11:55 AM
my first chinese word was ni hao (regular hello), but I remember zao too, even though I don’t remember much more.
Posted by: marina at June 16, 2004 12:38 PM
Posted by: michele at June 16, 2004 12:47 PM
Posted by: didofoot at June 16, 2004 12:48 PM
Posted by: marina at June 16, 2004 01:17 PM
Posted by: Dianna at June 16, 2004 02:13 PM
snort.
in addition, french father has now taken up serenading me with latin opera along with the classical radio station playing in our section of the library. i’m touched.
Posted by: michele at June 16, 2004 03:31 PM
you should sing him my song about how french people are better than all other people. except the part where the singer decides to kill anyone who isn’t french. don’t give him ideas.
Posted by: didofoot at June 16, 2004 06:03 PM
Posted by: didofoot at June 16, 2004 06:04 PM