I could say “Ni hao” <br />for “Good morning, ” <br />and it was only polite to say “Xie xie” <br />for “Thank you.” <br /> <br />That was my limit <br />until, in a babble of unfamiliar sounds, <br />I heard the word, “Ho-murr, ” <br />and then again, “Ho-murr.” <br />Ho-murr? I thought. <br />Do they have The Simpsons in China? <br />But it was only “back door.” <br /> <br />Later, struggling to board a bus by the middle door, <br />I heard the conductor say, “Ho-murr” <br />– and I could hear the exclamation mark – <br />“Ho-murr! ”, <br />I knew this time he wasn’t talking about The Simpsons, <br />and I had a pretty good idea <br />he wasn’t a fan of classical Greek poetry either. <br /> <br />But I didn’t want to be left on the pavement <br />when he closed all the doors and drove off. <br />So I just squeezed in by the middle door, <br />as if it was all Chinese to me.<br /><br />Paul Hansford<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/all-chinese-to-me/
