Trip to Canada (2) - I Am Only Half Chinese

I was very excited to meet up with a couple of my primary school and middle school classmates living in Toronto whom I haven't seen for fifteen or twenty years. We set up a dim sum reunion in Chinatown during my visit there.

On the way from Niagara Falls to Toronto, after Olivia learned that we were going to have lunch with some of mommy's old friends, she immediately asked me: "Mom, are they Chinese?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Then do they speak English?" That is her most concern whenever we go to a reunion or a Chinese party.

"Yes, but don't worry, those 叔叔 (my male friends) and 阿姨 (my female friends) can speak English to you."

Then I encouraged her: "You know what Olivia? You can speak Chinese to them too. You still remember some Chinese from your Chinese class, right?"

"But I can't. I am only half Chinese and you need to be all Chinese in order to speak Chinese to Chinese people." She said.

What a "good" excuse!