When a group of Windward ladies set out to learn mahjong, most of us didn’t quite realize the learning curve ahead. Thankfully, Wendy Mullins of Newport Bay opened her home and three wonderful teachers guided the way.

We quickly picked up some new lingo like build the wall, break the wall, and wash the tiles, starting with the mahjong-famous Charleston to get the game going. Between learning Pungs and Kongs and playing everything exposed for our very first lesson, we pretty much threw strategy out the window and focused on just staying afloat. Add in the three suits Dot, Crack, and Bam, plus Flowers, Winds, Dragons, and those oh so lucky Jokers, and we were officially hooked.

Here’s to a great first lesson and many more mahjong nights (and lessons) to come!