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There you'll be, ready to collapse into bed after an exhausting day doing whatever and just when you're

about to drift off you'll see the first one get brave enough to buzz down from that hole in the ceiling, or

out from behind the power sockets, and sooner than you know there's a group and holy $%#! if the one

taking the lead is not the most massive insect you've ever seen airborne and even the dog is unnerved

by it and you have a sinking feeling that maybe coming to China was a bad idea, and if the job paid a lot

more than staying in Denver now at least you know why.

Hate mosquitoes? As you can tell, our Chinese lesson today is all about the repellent bloodsuckers,

perhaps in part because August just happens to be the worst time of the year for them in Beijing thanks

to all this humidity. That said, in the spirit of keeping our prejudices educational we also talk a bit about

the past tense, and how to describe things that have already happened. If you're learning Chinese this

is really useful stuff, so be sure to check out our podcast and let us know what you think.