"I have a question for you," said my principal.
"Yes?" I reply.
"....are you willing...?"
"Sorry, I don't quite understand your question."
A few other teachers in the office chime in, but I don't know what they're saying either.
"Next Monday we will...are you willing...?" my principal tries again.
"I'm sorry I still don't understand."
Liang Laoshi comes over and explains to me slowly and in simple terms: "Next Monday they will come to take blood and bring it to the hospital. To help patients."
Ohhhh. The crucial word I didn't understand was xiàn, meaning offer or present. Or in this case donate, as in donating blood. Explained with more basic terminology, however, I finally got the message. Thank goodness for Liang Laoshi.
"The school has to have twenty teachers donate, and we're still short a few people" explained the principal. "Are you willing?"
"I'd rather not," I said hesitatingly. "I'm sorry."
Luckily they were pretty understanding and I didn't have to go into all the reasons why I think it would be a bad idea, ranging from the difficulty in taking blood from me to my distrust of Chinese needles.
I love the "are you willing" that really makes the story
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