Swearing

On Friday, we gave our introductions, in Chinese, to the 300 or so students present at our welcome ceremony. Thus, 300 or so students also heard me cuss in Chinese. Supposedly hearing foreigners swear is funny, because I had to take a long pause for the laughter to cease.

I said "gou tui", which supposedly is a derogatory synonym for "follower". This is also the name of one of my dogs.

When my Chinese family introduced their dogs, they told me that they had named Gou Tui after the literal meaning, "dog leg". My other dog, Coffee, had lost her leg due to an accident at the hospital. To repay my family, the hospital purchased them a new dog. Supposedly, a lost leg equals a new dog; thus, "gou tui" came to be. 

The next time I call out my dog's name, I'll take a peek at my family's expressions. My dogs sleep in my bathroom and have claimed it as their home; in the mornings, I struggle to usher them out, so I can shower in privacy. It must be pretty hilarious to see a frazzled American sixteen year-old unknowingly call out cuss words at 6:30 am.