Just finished with the last Chinese class for this week. It was fun. I have that class four hours a week, so I get a feeling of knowing the people in that class. I like to see them. There is a lot of laughter and play while we learn and it often puts a smile on my face. When I smile, people are so much more open to me and I feel so much more receptive to others. It's great and amazing how much my mood influences my perception of reality. Daily exposure to a language helps you learn it. Often I am reminded of the saying that much of success in life is just "showing up". My week is nearly over. Now I get to ride the bus. A funny thing about that is how a lot of the same people ride the bus with me but hardly any of us ever acknowledge one another. It's as though we are trying to maintain some semblance of anonymity while we ride the bus. Other people are more open to chatting, though. I am not usually very outgoing, but people are more receptive, I think, to others who are of a very different age or social standing when riding the bus.