我们的小朋友

Naturally someone this adorable attracts all kinds of people without even trying.

This is the most recent addition to the Opheim family and one of his most valuable attributes is his ability to find friends for us.  Of course after 8 months here I have many friends, but they lack one thing:  the desire to speak Chinese.  They all want to practice their English with me.  Which means I rarely get to practice my Chinese.

I've discovered that little kids are the best people to practice your Chinese with because they speak slowly, they use simple words, they speak pretty standard pǔtōnguà and are not afraid to repeat something no matter how many times you don't understand.

So when the sun fleetingly made an appearance, me and a few other local laowai ran outside to bask in it, to the horror of the umbrella-carrying ladies who want their skin as white as snow.  Soon we were surrounded by the neighborhood's most adorable children who wanted to play with the little rabbit and talk to the strange-looking foreigners.

So we spent all afternoon being entertained by our little neighbors, and I'm not sure how much my Chinese improved but it was definitely an enjoyable practice session.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."