NORMAL LIFE: Hong Kong What?

I was patiently waiting for my doctor when I unreasonably suspected him of being on a coffee break; I had only been waiting five minutes, after all. As I thought of coffee breaks, an incent that was tucked away deeply in the recesses of my mind suddenly unscrambled, reminding me of an embarrassing chat some four years ago.

'Thing', my Chinese colleague, and I were studying Finnish at the same time and, in the office one day, she asked me a question to which I replied "Hong Kong what..?" She looked at a third colleague in the room somewhat stunned before erupting in laughter. Apparently, she had asked me if it was time for a break (Onko nyt tauko?) in Finnish.

Looking back, it is hilarious and this incident made me realise that, when it comes to languages, it pays to make mistakes. In fact, I must get on with studying my Monikko Genetiivi (Genitive plurals).