Telephone

Speaking Chinese is a little nerve wracking face to face.  On the phone, it's terrifying.  If I can't see someone and fill in the multiple gaps in my Chinese with gestures, I am at a loss and freeze up.

The other night I was just hanging out in my apartment when I got a phone call.   I saw it was from the Chinese man Bethany and I played cards with in the Kunming airport.  I answered the phone with fear in my heart.  (He speaks absolutely zero English).  I was able to hold my own for a little bit.  We established that I am back in Harbin.  Then I heard him say "(chinese chinese) nu peng you (girlfriend)" and panicked for a moment until a girl started talking to me, and I realized it was his girlfriend.  We talked for a little until I had asked her to repeat something about 4 times and still had no idea what she was saying.  I eventually had to say "ting bu dong", and she hung up. 
I redeemed myself a little by sending him a text in Chinese. "对不起。 我在电话中说中文不好。 我很紧张。"  (I'm sorry.  I'm bad at speaking Chinese on the phone.  I feel very nervous.)
I was also worried that he would reply to my text message and I would have no way to know what it said, but he just sent me "说的很好" (You spoke very well), which I can read!  Yay for being a tiny bit literate!  I didn't respond to his message, because I felt that his statement was completely untrue.  I did very badly at speaking.

Then today I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize:
Me: Hello?
Other person: Hello.  shi (chinese chinese) lao shi (chinese chinese chinese) tai guo (chinese chinese). (translation: is........teacher.........Thailand..........)
Me: uh....?????
Other person: ming tian you shi ma? (are you busy tomorrow)
Me: mei you shi (no)
Other person: ni xihuan hua xue ma? (do you like (????))
Me: shen me yi si? (huh?)
Other person: ski.  ni xihuan ma? (do you like?)
Me: no! bu xihuan ski.
Other person: ni xihuan (chinese chinese) ma?
Me: huh?
Other person: climb mountain
Me: xihuan.  zhe shi shei??? (who is this???)
Other person: (repeat name I don't understand)
Me: deng yi hui'er. (wait a moment).

I ran down the hall to Cathy's apartment and passed her my phone.  (Hug your Chinese speaking friends, by the way.  They're the best!) She found out that this is one of the teachers I met in Thailand who is from Harbin.  She wanted to invite me to ski tomorrow, but I don't like to ski, so instead, next saturday we will climb mountains together.  I hope it's the hiking kind and not the rock climbing kind.

I may never pick up my phone again.