This was a mildly amusing little story about communication barriers when traveling abroad. It brought a chuckle as opposed to the groans, gasps or guilty laughter that are the usual responses elicited from reading about travelers having difficulty communicating. The essayist discusses a baffling phone conversation he has with a mysterious caller who finds his Chinese language skills cause for giggling.

It was, in an odd, small way, not so different from the confusion I've often felt traveling in a country where the culture and language are not my own. I arrive eager to make sense of everything. But the more time passes, the more I'm reminded that this is not so easily accomplished and that the world is an impossibly complicated place. And then, as hard as it is, I try to make peace with my confusion and even, on rare occasions, embrace it.

Tags: China | Chinese | translation