1. Speak Chinese with the right tones.
2. Be understood over the phone, even when speaking in plain English.
3. Taste.
4. Smell.
5. Breathe.
6. Sing. Not that I could do that before I got sick.
However, my intention wasn’t for this post to be a downer, so I’ll count my blessings and be glad I don’t have a flesh-eating bacteria invading my body. And that I can still drink out of my favorite giraffe mug.
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At least it’s not Ebola…:)
Have you read Bruchko? While living among the Motilone Indians Bruce Olson thought he was making progress learning the language. Then one morning he woke up with a bad cold and suddenly everything he said was misunderstood. That’s how he discovered Motilone is a tonal language.
Hope you feel better soon.