Literacy

My ayi (a respectful term, I think, for someone who cleans your house) caught me doing my Chinese homework today. She smiled and said a few things I didn't understand, and then one that I did—"I never learned to read characters". I felt embarrassed, as I has asked her last week to read something for me and try to explain the instructions. She acted as if she needed glasses and couldn't see the small print.

She pointed to some characters on the page: 谢谢。我也祝你和爸爸圣诞快乐 (Thank you. I also wish you and Dad a merry Christmas). She pronounced the first three characters, and then said 'I can't read that one'. It occurred to me that, even though I constantly come across five year olds who have better command of Chinese than I do, I am actually more literate than many middle aged people in China. Wow.