I am doing a research project in the cardiac mechanics labratories here at
UCSD and because of some government regulation I can't actually kill the
mice whose hearts are used in my experiments. As a result I have been
partnered with a bald Chinese graduate student who is about 40 years old who
cuts out the mice hearts for me and gives them to me. This man's name is
Li, and some say that he speaks English, but he most certainly doesn't speak
the form of English that I, nor most people I know speak. The professor
whom I work under has been working with Li for almost a year now, and when I
asked him to tell me what Li said to me one day my professor turned to me
and remarked, "in the past year I've understood about 6 words the man has
said, I have no clue what he just told you!" Regardless, today I was at one
of the computers going over some data and had the radio tuned to country.
Li was in the room at another computer writing a paper in Mandarin. There
is also a freshman named Eugene who has been working in the lab for several
years as a techie. Eugene, a young punk whose parents immigrated from
Russia the day after the USSR collapsed, entered the computer lab this
afternoon and nearly launched a nuke when he heard the country music. I
informed him that I liked country, and then jokingly pointed at Li and said,
"Li likes country too". To my surprise, Li turned around and said, in
English, "yes, yes, I love country....so soothing, so fun!". Both the
Ruskie and I were in shock, and he left realizing that there was no chance
that the radio station would be changed. Li then turned to me and proceeded
to motion for High 5, followed by the motion where you punch eachothers
fists. A few songs later I taught Li how to line dance to "Aint goin' down
till the sun comes up" by Garth Brooks. After all was said and done, I
still hardly understand a word the man says. But it certainly speaks
volumes when a Jew is teaching an incoherent Chinese man how to line dance.
Thus, this is the true power of country music.
I hope that this livens up the day of anyone who reads it.
Send me your comments