Language Exchange

Every morning I see the same Chinese woman cleaning the lobby and elevator area in our building. From the first day I saw her, I have made sure to say “hello” or “good morning” each time I pass her. At first, she was very task-focused and the only response I received in return was a slight nod or a quiet “jousahn” (Cantonese for good morning). She rarely looked up.

As the months went on, I persisted with initiating the hello/good morning routine. At some point, she began to make eye contact with me and even smiled with her “jousahn.” For whatever reason, I enjoyed that we were communicating at a very basic level.

Since we’ve been back this year, she has initiated the morning greeting with a hearty “Jousahn!” And I have responded with an equally enthusiastic “Good morning!”

Today, I returned from running and saw her in the lobby. I decided to shake up the routine by offering my greeting in Cantonese.

We spoke at the exact same time:

“Good morning!” she exclaimed.
“Jousahn!” I announced.

We both looked at each other with surprise. She smiled widely.

I did, too.