Playing Frogger

Most of you should remember the Atari game from the early 1980s based on a frog trying to cut across many lanes of traffic without getting squashed. (If you know it, please hum the theme song now.) This is exactly what crossing the street is like here it China. My children have been taught to fear jay walking and given tools such as holding hands, looking both ways, using the crosswalk and making eye contact. None of that helps them here. Sometimes, we wade out into the street, only to turn around to save ourselves. Other times, we get stuck between traffic of opposing directions. If they aren't going to stop for the little old lady, I don't think they are going to stop for anyone! We also think we've cracked the car honker's Morris code. A short toot means, “I’m here, heads up”. A few short bursts can mean “Out of the way”. A long horn almost always means,
“IIIIIIIIIIII’mmmm nnnnnnnooooooottttt ssstttooooopppppiiinnngggg!”