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With only 15 days to go until the Olympics opening ceremony theinflux of foreigners into China has begun. Now more than ever the time has come for localsto whip up some of that 'Li Yang Crazy English' confidence and take a risk to say hello to a laowai. I know, I know, I've heard it all before; • "My English is poor" • "I'm shy" • "I have nothing to talk about" Bla bla bla Get over it! The Olympics are here and this is a great reason to get into the festive spirit and find a flamboyant new you. Often I'm out and about in China and notice people are looking at me. Yes I'm ugly and quite a sight but I also think people are interested in who I am, where I am from, what I am doing here etc. I know they want to say something but they hesitate and often the moment is lost unless I break the ice and say a quick 'ni hao' or 'chi fan le ma'. So let's assume you are on the bus, subway or waiting at the shopping checkout and you notice a laowai next to you. What can you say? What can you do? Don't freeze whatever you do. Well, let's start at the basics. A big smile never hurt. A simple "Hi, how are you?" will really help. Then if the foreigner isn't rude they may start to open up. It's a risk but it is worth it. My life has been determined in so many ways by chance encounters with strangers who later became my friends. | 
