(no subject)

So, I've been taking intensive intro Mandarin, yeah? Three months now. I can even say stuff like your driving makes me nervous, you should drive more slowly. Very exciting!

And right now I'm home for the week. Today I went to the sushi place I frequent, which is staffed by people from Taiwan and mainland China. I'm sort of friends with the owner, and so I mentioned I'd been taking Chinese (he asked how my studies were going) and he seemed amused, but I left it like that because I didn't want to be lol awkward LET ME SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE BADLY at him.

But after the meal, he came back around and thanked me in Chinese so I complimented the meal, and he understood me and tried to teach my grandfather how to say it (awkward, as his hearing aids... don't work). So I wrote a little message in hanzi on my paper table mat thing, because I was too embarrassed to say anything else but I wanted to practice... or something, I don't know. And I was just going to leave it there without saying anything. But my grandfather pointed it out.

And it all made sense! \o/ (It was just thanking them all for lunch, which was delicious, and my name.) And the owner was so patient with me and everything and just...

I'm actually learning a living language.

I am.

WHAT IS THIS MADNESS.