Today I was riding my bike, avoiding the usual life threatening obstacles: other bicycles, scooters, cars, buses, people. I had my eyes on a lady on a scooter, waiting on my side of the road, presumably wanting to cross. After a while on the roads in Taiwan, I have learned to anticipate the illogical. Sure enough, just as I was about to pass her, the lady began to accelerate into the road, directly in front of me.
This was not so remarkable. I glanced over my shoulder, swerved, and avoided her.
What surprised me were the words that slipped from my mouth. "拜托." It was the first time I had said them, and I was not sure what they meant. Just getting home, I have looked them up. "Give me a break!" was the definition I found (specific to Taiwan). I do not know how accurate this translation is, or how those words lodged themselves in my head, but it seems I used the phrase in a semi-appropriate situation, without any conscious effort.
Kind of incredible what our brains do.
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