It was the day I would meet my Chinese language partner, Ji Zhuoxiu, in Jilin, China. I'd planned out beforehand my introduction: "Nice to meet you! I'm Eileen. Let's be friends!" Forget the introverted me from America. This time, it would be perfect.
Finally, she arrived. A stout girl with short hair plonked into the seat next to me. Out of breath, she said, "I'm your partner."
"Ni hao!" I said excitedly. She nodded, pulled out "1984", and started reading. We sat in silence for ten long minutes. Noticing my lack of activity, Ji Zhuoxiu hastily handed me her phone and said, "I read, you read." I looked down in surprise at the title, "BBC News".
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. I could never have foreseen that my partner would be taciturn
Finally, she arrived. A stout girl with short hair plonked into the seat next to me. Out of breath, she said, "I'm your partner."
"Ni hao!" I said excitedly. She nodded, pulled out "1984", and started reading. We sat in silence for ten long minutes. Noticing my lack of activity, Ji Zhuoxiu hastily handed me her phone and said, "I read, you read." I looked down in surprise at the title, "BBC News".
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded. I could never have foreseen that my partner would be taciturn