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hi, jess. i see you're finally getting a new neighbor. you mean the place next door ? a good thing. i don't like a vacant building. it makes the whole place look shabby. especially next to our glamorous establishment. could you tell what kind of business it's going to be ? no. the windows are all covered with paper. as long as it's not another restaurant i don't care who moves in there. you know what would be good ? a really nice dress shop. - that's a terrible idea. - why ? -we'd spend all our money there. -i don't think it's going to be a dress shop. they were loading in big, heavy boxes this morning, much too big for dresses. what kind of store sells big, heavy things ? - maybe it's a health club. - oh, that's not good. why not ? it might do you some good to join a health club. all day long there will be banging and clanging and loud music. our customers like to eat in peace and quiet. - hi, sara. - hi, mr. brashov. looks like you're getting a new neighbor. - yes, i know. - oh, sara ! you're early.

i had a free period, so i thought i'd come down and see what you were up to. hello, sara. ¿ como estas ? muy "bren," rosa. gracias. not bad. soon i will have you speaking spanish like a latina. did you tell them yet ? no, it's been busy. - tell us what ? - well, it's not busy now. it's nothing important. henry ! well, it's important to us just not to them. so, what is it ? sara and i are going together. - that's wonderful, but i think we already knew that. - you did ? - it's pretty obvious from the way you two behave. - it is ? it is ! but it's nice. i don't like to break up this momentous occasion, but we all have work to do. where's your romantic nature, victor ? i'm romantic. but i also have a business to run. that wasn't so bad was it ? no, but it's not like we had to tell them anything. it'll be good practice for when we tell our parents. you're going to tell your parents ? well, of course.

aren't you going to tell yours ? what for ? well, don't you want them to know ? sure, but it's not like i have to ask their permission. i mean, when it comes to things like this, i pretty much make my own decisions. well this is very special to me, and i want my parents to share in it. henry, i need you. be right there mr. brashov. i know what. come to dinner at my house on thursday. we'll tell them then. but can't we wait ? won't you do this for me ? please ? okay, i'll do it. set it up. all right. see you later. bye, everybody. bye, sara. edward, please use the spoon. you'll never guess who came by the university today.

- you're right. so tell me. - grace fong. jerry's being transferred back here, and she's looking for a place to live. -be nice to see them again. -you remember the fongs, don't you, and their daughter karen ? - is she good-looking ? - i think she might be a little old for you, edward. that's okay. i like older women. you two used to play together when you were young. here's a picture. - very pretty. - isn't she ? and very bright. she's going to m.i.t. next year. - whoa, she's a babe ! - that's enough, edward. sit down. remember how we used to joke about the two of them getting married someday ? if henry doesn't want to marry her, i will. - she's all yours. i already got a girlfriend. - outstanding ! -besides, i don't even know her. -you'll get your chance thursday night. - i've invited the fongs for dinner. - sorry, i won't be here. i'm having dinner at sara's on thursday. oh, i'm sure you can get out of it. just tell them that this is very important.

well, so is this. sara set this whole thing up so that we can tell her parents she and i are going together. oh ? this sounds serious. i assume that you've given this considerable thought ? - oh, sure. - and the fact that she's not chinese ? what's that got to do with it ? your mother and i always assumed you would marry a chinese girl. who said anything about marriage ? we're just going together. - have you met her parents ? - yes, and they seem like very nice people. i'm sure they are. and this dinner is to announce the fact that you're going together ? yes. - then i would be prepared if i were you. - for what ? - for disappointment. - i don't understand. - maybe this is not the time-- - this is exactly the time ! here's what i think will happen. they will both be very nice. they will talk to you about chinese food. then they will talk to you about china. then they will ask you not to go with their daughter.

- no, they won't. - they will probably say that you're both too young. but that's silly. we're both 17. that's what they will say, but what they will mean... is they don't want you involved with sara because you are chinese. i think you're wrong. the grayson's aren't like that. perhaps. i hope you're right. - so, did you find out ? - well, i started talking to the foreman of the crew-- - and you found out what it's going to be ? - yes, a laundromat. a laundromat ? good ! i can bring my clothes in the morning, and wash them while i'm working here. did you hear, mr. brashov ? it's going to be a laundromat next door. - a laundromat ? not good. - why not ? they'll be coming in here all the time asking for change for the machines... and never buying anything. a place like that is going to be nothing but a nuisance. you'll see. no water ! oh, now what ? jamal. see what is wrong back there.

- could you change this for me ? - certainly. you wouldn't happen to know the number of the department of water and power, would you ? it's in the book by the phone. why do you need to call water and power ? - we're trying to connect up the washers next door-- - the laundromat ? uh-huh. my foreman went out to turn off the main valve but it didn't work. - the water's still coming out. - oh, it worked all right. he turned off my water. oh, no ! what a mess. sorry. i haven't even introduced myself. - linda blasco. - victor brashov. - i guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other. - i wouldn't be a bit surprised. well, now that i know what happened, i don't need to make that call. - do you want your change back ? - no, you can keep it for the machines. what a nice neighbor ! i like this place. i'm really glad i'm next door. what did i tell you ? already asking for change !

- don't be so quick to judge. she looks nice. - she looks like a gypsy ! she does not ! she looks like what they used to call a hippie. same thing ! erma schaeffer spent the first 20 years of her life in the philippines. riard schaeffer grew up in a mexican-american neighborhood. they met each other at work, and he asked her for a date. so i went to pick her up and i was kind of shocked to see someone there other than you. i go, "who's that ?" "that's my niece." in the philippines that was tradition that you just don't go out with a man... without any chaperon with you, regardless of how old you are. in mexican culture, in mexico they do have chaperons but this was the united states and i was an american. so i told him the proper way of doing this courtship is you have to come over to my house

show yourself to my parents, and talk to them a little bit. so, one day we agreed on... going to meet her family. and i brought my mother and my father. and she brought her whole family... which was about 20 people sitting in the living room. at first, maybe, they didn't understand me and my culture, but eventually i won them over. and actually they dearly love him. and they always ask, "how are you treating your husband ? are you taking care of him ?" it worked out. david freeman was a peace corps volunteer, teaching english in ivory coast when he met and married kati. in the beginning my mother and my father were not in agreement to the marriage. and i think part of the reason was obviously the racial question.

adjustments are part of any new marriage. but in these two cases richard and erma and david and kati were blending different cultures as well as personalties. one of the cultural problems that we had to overcome... was the problem of interpreting body language. in ivory coast at least in her tribe, when you give something to somebody-- well, go ahead and give me something. okay, so you do it with this movement of the hand and then a "hmm." i interpreted that as her being angry at me. the most difficult cultural issues that i had to deal with as far as our marriage was probably getting used to the tight filipino family unit. the family goes everywhere together. i had to tell her, "is there any other way at we can deal with this problem ?" i felt like there wasn't enough room for us to grow together. another one of the cross-cultural problems that we had had to do wh silence.

africans are surround by noise, by sound by people talking constantly. and inhe earlier years o mriage, would me he... and i would just be silent because i was tired of teaching and talking. through the years, these and other issues have been replaced... with an appreciation for eir cultural differences... and the richness it has brought to their lives. sure, you can have your fights you can have your arguments, you can have your good times but it's the emphasis on family. for our children they have a richness that they can reach into. maybe the point in life that they're ready to get married i would have the same concern as my folks did. but regardless of who they are, i think the most important thing is...

they're being treated well just like my husband does to me. i see they're repainting the lines in the parking lot. they're doing what ? rearranging the spaces. making thediagonal rather than straight. who's doing that ? it looks like two of the workers from next door. the gypsy lady ! she's not a gypsy. no, she's a thief ! taking some of my parking spaces away from me. if i have fewer spaces i end up with fewer customers ! - can she do that ? - you'd have to check the lease to find out for sure. sara, pass some more potatoes to henry. you think the cowboys will win the super bowl this year ? - gosh, i hope not. i hate the cowboys. - henry !

oh. we're all cowboys fans in this family. oh, sorry. - do you play any sports ? - a little hockey. oh, isn't that an awfully violent game ? a lot of people make that mistake, but it's actually a game of finesse. you have to be a really good skater so you can move the puck around and score. - but there is some rough play isn't there ? - well, maybe a little. - have you had enough to eat, henry ? - yes. thanks. we thought about having chinese, but gail thought you might be tired of all that... chop suey and egg foo young, and would like some good old american steak and potatoes. actually, we never eat chop suey or egg foo young. they were invented for americans. but i thought-- well, whenever we go out for chinese, they're always on the menu. i know. they have to do it for the american business. well, you learn something new every day. well, you know, when we were in hong kong last year, we went to a real chinese restaurant. i think we were the only white people in the whole restaurant. well, they didn't have any egg foo young on that menu either. remember, gail ?

oh, don't remind me. we ordered fish and they served it with the head still on it. oh ! the head's the best part. we especially like the cheek. oh ! we have a saying when it comes to food: "if it's got four legs and isn't a table, we eat it." now ? now what ? henry, maybe we should-- it's okay. i don't mind. sara and i are going together. well, this is a surprise. sara thought you should know. didn't you, sara ? wouldn't it be wiser to wait a bit ? - for what ? - to perhaps give this a little more thought. you see, henry we have so many plans for our daughter.

well, just as i'm sure that your parents do for you. - are you saying you don't want us to be together ? - no. we're just asking you to put it off for a little while. you don't approve of me ? - i wouldn't put it like that. - well, i would. excuse me. i think i'd better leave. what am i going to do, jamal ? every time i call her, she hangs up. then you might have a problem. i know. i'm not sure you do know. i think maybe you are the problem. well, that doesn't make any sense. you're asking sara to choose between her family and you. all i'm asking her to do is see my side. she had to have seen how her mother and father treated me. did they come right out and say they do not approve of you ? not in so many words but they hinted

pretty strongly. - and you think it's because you're chinese ? - what else could it be ? it could be for any number of reasons. maybe it's because you are a goofball or your hair is too long or maybe they think you're an ill-mannered adolescent. you think i'm a goofball ? i do. how do your parents feel about it ? they'd be a lot happier if sara were chinese. - sounds like you're getting it from both sides. - i remember when i asked... jihan's parents for permission for us to marry, and they gave us all sorts of reasons to wait. what they were really trying to say was... they didn't want me to steal their daughter away from them. -but i don't want to steal sara. -then why don't you tell her parents that ? - you make it sound so simple. - it is ! just go over and knock on their door. - no, wait ! i have a better idea ! - uh-oh. you get your parents together with sara's mother and father, - and all of you talk about your problem. - you call that simple ? it will be very dramatic. just like the end of romeo and juliet. but romeo and juliet were already dead when their parents got together. not important. what is important

is how you get them to meet. it will have to be very clever. something that will catch their interest. - you mean like sending a telegram ? - i like that idea. - you can't ignore a telegram. - you're going to send a telegram to sara's house ? - and one to your parents, too. - and what will you say in it ? come to-- come to-- where ? here. yes ! "come to crossroads cafe." and what ? why ? for rosa rivera's famous chile verde. don't be silly. because you won the lottery ! and you called me silly. that would certainly get them here, but what would they do when they find out there is no lottery ? they'd kill me, that's what. well, i'll fix it so they meet by accident. sure, at a supermarket or a mall. no, too many people. we have to find a way to get henry's family over to sara's house and-- you're going to have my entire family hanging around outside sara's house ? - something like that. - oh, beautiful. and when sara and her parents finally come out henry's father says, "oh, what a coincidence. i just

happened to be in the neighborhood." - maybe use different words. - this is crazy. why not just ask them to come to the cafe because you would like to speak with them ? that might work. but when i get them here what will i say ? hey, we can't do everything for you. - now what ? - this is the last straw ! did you just lose power ? look around. see if you notice anything... different. right. they're out. turn that switch back on ! gotcha ! okay, now, try the switch next to it. sorry about that. we're still trying to figure out what goes where. do you believe that woman ?

i like language and the way we use it... to share thoughts and ideas. for example, in this episode... we're talking about likes and dislikes.

we use "like" and "don't like"... to talk about what we like to do as well as what we like. i "don't like" making you late for the rest of the story. so, shall we go ?

what do you think ? i think you better get out there before they decide to leave. hi. hello. - did everybody get coffee or tea or something ? - henry, why are we all here ? oh, right. well, the reason i asked you here is-- well, sara and i thought-- - is this about the dinner last week ? - yes. actually, i wanted to apologize for how i acted that night. - i was very rude. - all we asked you to do was put off this "going together." give us a chance to get used to the idea. i know, but that night i read something else into it. you thought we were prejudiced ?

- it seemed that way to me, yes. - well, you made a mistake. just a minute. are you sure he was all that wrong ? mom, please-- are you saying that henry being chinese had no bearing on you asking him to wait ? - none whatsoever. - let me ask you that question. wouldn't you rather henry marry a chinese girl than sara ? dad, we're not going to get married. naturally, it is important to us, but-- - of course that was before we met sara. - well, there you are. i never had a problem with henry being of a different culture. - that's not entirely true, dad. - sara, your father was just upset. this isn't working. all i wanted was... to tell everyone i was sorry so things could be like they were before. henry, i'm sorry. when i set up the dinner it never occurred to me that it might get this crazy. me neither. all i wanted was to be with you. that's all i want now. me, too. let me get this straight. you're asking henry and sara to wait a bit ?

- right ? - for what ? before you do something. you know. oh... right. you mean like something stupid ? look, we love you and we respect you, but we're both old enough to know what we're doing and we're both old enough to make some of our own decisions. every 17-year-old in the history of the world thought they knew more than their parents. i think you forgot that we were 17 once ourselves. - or maybe you forgot. - henry, that's no way to talk to mr. grayson ! i don't mean to insult you, any of you. you're too important to me. we know you see things differently than we do and we don't expect you to change a whole lot, though it sure would make our lives a lot easier. kids, they make everything sound so simple. maybe it is... for them. maybe we're the ones who make it so complicated.

i guess we'll just have to trust them. i think you're right. victor ? now what ? i came to tell you how really, really sorry i am about all the trouble i've caused you... getting my place started up. but i guess i don't have to tell you about what happens when you open a business. i bet you have got some real scary stories tucked away in there. you got something on your mind. i guess you noticed that i got tired of waiting for the owner of this complex... to do something about the lack of parking spaces. - i noticed. - so what i did was... ask a friend who's a motion-studies person... if she could come up with a better way to utilize the parking area. by having the cars parked on an angle, she was able to get six more parking spaces for each of us !

six more ? right ! also, i had this idea-- i hope you don't think i'm being pushy-- about what ? well, i thought that maybe i'd put up some advertisements in the laundromat... telling my customers that they should come over here for a snack... while they're waiting for their clothes to finish. sit. have a cup of coffee. let's talk. oh, not again. not to worry. it's just my neighbor. they'll have it fixed in no time.

closed-captioned by captions, inc. los angeles crossroads cafe is a series that teaches english... to speakers of other languages. for more information call toll-free...

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okay, gang, let's begin. we're gonna talk about reflection and refraction. but first of all let's play a little game and the little game be called fermat's principle of least time. it's kind of covered in the book so i wanna go over it kind of quickly. and if we play a little game where you want light to go from "a" to b in the