this internet access with what I THOUGHT was a 5 RMB but they tried to explain
to me that it wasn't enough. I responded that they only NEED 2 RMB and this was
more than enough. Turns out the 5 bill was akin to 5 CENTS--they don't use
coins here, which I actually like--one less thing to keep up with.
"The guy next to me at this cafe looks Western, but to me it sounded like he was
speaking a Chinese dialect. I listened more closely and realized it was FRENCH.
The nasal intonations are similar to some of the Chinese sounds. My heart leaps
each time I see a Westerner. I want to stop and speak with each one of them.
Last night after wandering the streets for 2 hours, I saw the first Westerner
since hitting Beijing. Hardly any one here speaks ANY English, so I was
desperate just to talk. I asked him if he spoke English, he said yes. I asked
where he was from and he said California! But he was not very friendly. I
think he thought I was coming on to him.
The street signs have pinyin (Chinese in Western alphabet) so that's pretty
easy, but most of the stores have names, etc only in Chinese characters, which
of course I can't read at all. Always try to find food that I can see before I
buy and where the price is clearly marked, since some try to charge Westerners
excessive amounts. NOT all-several people have turned down more money."
"Guess what the greeting gift was from my employer? A toothbrush! Guess what
they have in the hotel along with soap, etc. A toothbrush! I was told that until recently, the government told everyone that brushing was bad for your teeth, I suppose because they didn't have toothbrushes and wanted to make the people feel ok about that. Well, now they love toothbrushes. Big displays in the stores. Also in my employer's gift bad: a comb which is the type that black people used to wear in their hair (see photo).
Lots of people have dogs as pets here and some of them are not even on a leash.
Went to the Western/European section today and found American-style shopping and
products but even there, no one spoke good English.
Sat on a yard-high wall in front of a building and noticed a guy in a
police-type uniform slowly walking toward me. Then he put on his white gloves
and approached me and said something in Chinese, with a smile. I responded,
'English?' Apparently not, he repeated the same thing, still with a smile. I
realized that sitting on anything not inteneded as a seat is considered
disrespectful, so I stood up. He smiled and nodded his head.
Hope you all are well. Orientation tomorrow at work."
No comments:
Post a Comment