The Adventures of the Griffis Family in China: November 10-18, 2010

Day 2: Coda. The trip would surely not be complete without some misadventures with the language barrier, and we get our first one after returning to the room that night. While bathing Owen, Eric notices that we only have two towels and sends me down to ask the front desk for a third. Unfortunately, the girl at the desk clearly does not know the word “towel” (don’t ask me how you manage a hotel without that one; I’m still not sure). I try pantomiming along with the request – “washing,” “two towels, three people” – but leave with a feeling that this has not been successful. Sure enough, five minutes later she appears at our door with an American woman in tow to facilitate the conversation. I show her a towel. Aha! “I call housekeeping,” says the desk clerk, and departs. The other woman, another professor in residence at the guest house, clucks in amused sympathy, “and she’s the one with the good English.” Five minutes after that we get a phone call: Sorry, not possible now, housekeeping off duty, they will bring tomorrow. In the morning, I am unsurprised that no third towel appears.

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