Those of you dear friends who journeyed with me to Oxford, England may remember that I had one serious pet peeve there. A pet peeve that in fact turned into a mission of sorts for me. Those of you Texans who were not there may be able to relate. When you are walking down the side-walk in Texas and you pass someone, what happens? YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGED. There is eye contact, a smile, maybe a nod, a "hello, how are you" or even a "howdy!" In England (in my limited experience) this is not the case. No one notices that you exist. I could have fallen dead on the street and people would have just continued on their way not wanting to cause a scene (yes I'm completely exaggerating to make my point). So while in Oxford I vowed that I would change their ways. I would prove to them how nice it was to "connect" with all those nameless people you pass everyday, what countless possibilities exist when you simply say "hello!"?
Now I am in Bangladesh. When I walk down the street EVERYONE acknowledges my existence. I know I have mentioned this before, but the novelty of it has not worn off yet. Each minute I get a few greetings. If I give even the slightest indication that I am willing to engage with someone 9 times out of 10 a long conversation (sometimes in Bangla I don't understand, and sometimes in an always exciting Bangla-English mix) is commenced.
So here it is, today I realized not only do I miss people ignoring me in England, but I am actually like them here! Most of the time I am out I walk very fast not looking at anyone, and hoping I can keep from having to talk to anyone. Oh how the tables have turned. You can laugh at me now Amy.
Also, I keep having this urge to use a British accent when speaking to people in English here.
Since we have been here people have guessed that we were: English, German, Australian, American, and (the kicker which has happened more than once) Chinese. No joke.
You all just chew on that until my next post.
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I approve of you using a British accent when speaking English. Chinese, really? Wow. In Spain, I got mistaken for Swedish and British, and both times I was rather flattered. You know, Americans abroad just seem so crash and obnoxious, and the Swedes seem much more sophisticated and hip. My friend Neeta tells me that I have a European look and style to me, and that flatters me immensely.
ReplyDeleteEmily, are you still trying to convince us that you're not Chinese? Give up this farce - we know the truth! This is indeed an interesting insight; I remember your "mission of friendliness" in Oxford, and I'm glad to hear that you're experiencing the other side. Keep up the superlative posts!
ReplyDeleteTo my dear little Chinese friend,
ReplyDeleteI AM laughing. Laughing hard.
yo.