My favorite person in Enshi

There are somethings in life that make you laugh. This is one of them. On Friday night I was walking up the stairs to my apartment, when a kid came bounding down the stairs in my direction. Upon seeing who I was, he opened up an English book and began asking me for the correct answer to a few questions. I obliged. Even though I didn't recognize who he was, he said he had something for me and told me to go wait in my apartment. He later showed up at the apartment with some form of Chinese food. And well, I guess a friendship was born. Apparently we had met at a supermarket at some point in the past; I don't really remember when that was, but I'll take his word for it.

I think this kid is a genius. Seriously. He displays a keen sense of empathy and understanding that I have seen in very few people to date. For example, today he took me to the movie theater. Before we left, he bounded up to Haley's door, knocked five or six times and when Haley didn't asnwer returned to where I was standing. He said "Her air-conditioning is on, but she did not answer the door. I think she is home but does not want to go." First, he was able to deduce that Haley might have been home because her air-conditioning was on. Second, he understands that she might be at home but refuses to answer the door because she does not want to go, and he respects that (this trait is not uniform across the culture, someone called my apartment on Thursday night five or six times in succession, the phone rang 49 times. Yes, I counted. About ring 30 they started knocking on my door. Would you want to spend time with someone who calls and lets the phone ring 49 times? Would you want to spend time with someone who thinks that if I don't pick up the phone, I just might answer the door? I mean really). Third, he knew the term "air-conditioning". And while we're on the subject of English, his spoken English is better than the majority of my students. He seldomly asks me to repeat myself, and he understands the majority of things that I say.

And he is eleven.

Yea, eleven. He picks up on social hints quicker than people five times his age. At the movies today (yes an eleven year old boy escorted me around town), he could tell I didn't want to stay for a second screening of "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D" and asked if I wanted to leave. And did I mention we missed the first part of the movie? So we had all the reason in the world to stay and catch the part we missed. On Friday night, after we finished watching the CBA (he hates basketball by the way), I said "Man I'm tired" and little-buddy was out the door in thirty seconds.

It's really scary how enjoyable it is to hang out with this kid. He doesn't really talk unless you ask him a question (or he is asking you a question, which doesn't happen that often), but when he does talk his pronunciation is impressive. In a life surrounded by people who talk as much English as possible in order to improve their speaking ability, it's refreshing to just hang out with someone who says absolutley nothing. But it's like he knows what it is like to be a foreigner. He does all the right things. Like I said, it's scary. And did I mention that he is eleven?

I guess it shows what kind of time I'm having when my favorite person I've met so far is an eleven year old boy. I promise not to crack any Michael Jackson jokes. But I can't imagine what people think when they see a twenty-two year old American talking to an eleven year old kid in the back of a bus.

"I'll see you in the morning if nothing happens."

p.s. 250 million watching Yao vs. Yi? Believe it.