Witness America

[mercator]

Intercultural Misunderstanding

 

On my last ICE Listening/Speaking class yesterday, we watched a video stuff. Rosa, originally from Mexico, has been living in the States for many years. One day, her boyfriend Miguel comes to see her on his way to New York for an international conference. Miguel is from Rosa¡¯s hometown, Puebla, Mexico. Miguel wants to marry Rosa and take her back to Mexico. Rosa agrees and stays up late to write plans for their future, happily and excitedly. But unfortunately finally they break up because of some disagreement, which is caused by intercultural difference.

 

However, it¡¯s just a fictional story. But from this episode, I learned a new sentence that Miguel asked Rosa, ¡°Don¡¯t you get home sick?¡± At first I did not understand it. I said to myself, ¡°What? Rosa gets sick for having been staying home?¡± But soon I figured out it means ¡°Don¡¯t you miss your home country or family¡±. It was the first time I heard this sentence in my life. I thought it was a good expression about missing something. Today I asked my husband if I could say ¡°I really get Chinese homemade foods¡±, I mean, ¡°I really miss Chinese homemade foods sick¡±. My husband laughed at me awfully.

 

So, that is the difficulty about learning a foreign language. You express something grammaticaly same way of an example but using different words. Which you think it is correct. But it expresses totally inversely. Sometimes maybe cause laughs, or, troubles.

 

I remember one day, around 1 month later after I entered into the States, I felt sort of headache, so I went downstairs to air my brain. There I saw two small boys on the sidewalk. They were throwing small pieces of rock onto the street. It was dangerous as it would hit passing cars. So I stopped them. I tried to talk to them in English. They were six years old and nine years old. They had a basketball. Then I must said something stupid about that ¡°big ball¡± as the two kids started laughing wildly and one of them patting in between of his legs with one hand. I was so embarrassed that I slunk away home quickly. That night my husband told me why the kids laughed at me.

 

I gotta be careful of my spoken English!!!

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I hope your class teaches slang, both the proper and naughty slang. It may seem strange to recommend it, but I think it is important because it is used so much in our culture.

 

Some groups have their own complete language and it isnt even understandable by native speakers! Teenagers, computer gamers, rappers, then there is ebonics, cajun, deep south, new york...

 

I know I have the same trouble in China with tones and languages, but yes, people are more polite there than here. Kids are especially immature here in the US compared to China. My wife wants to have a child, and I hope we can raise it by Chinese cultural rules. My children are somewhat filial, but I see it slipping away as they get toward being teenaged. Chinese teens I met were still very filial, even those who shun work and studies.

Edited January 26, 2006 by mercator (see edit history)

[Bessie]

Bus Courtesy

 

I don¡¯t think every American has the experience of bussing, as there are too many cars in the States. Maybe only the ones who can not drive or can not afford cars take busses. I am one of them. I do not have a car. Due to my ICE Listening/Speaking class, I¡¯ve got the chance to take American busses. But my bussing experience here sounds not very pleasant.

 

In China, buses are the most common transportation. The bussing service is also very thoughtful. You can find route boards at each bus stop, indicating the names of all the stops. So it is very convenient and easy for passengers to find out right route number to reach their destinations. But I could not find any direction information at bus stops. There is nothing but only a post with words of ¡°TheBus¡± and its service telephone number on it. My husband and I had to access ¡°thebus¡± website and call the service phone number to find out the right bus route number from our residential area to the school.

 

It was the second time for me to take a bus today. At a stop, boarded three persons on my return bus ride. One out of the three is an very old man. But there was not any available seat. The priority seats in front of the bus were all occupied. I noticed two younger persons sitting there coldly or chatting to others happily. On the window right behind their heads, pasted a note saying ¡°Yield these PRIORITY SEATS to elderly and disabled passengers¡±. The old man had to move towards to the bottom of the bus slowly. The bus was about to drive into a freeway. So I standed up and motioned him and helped him into my seat.

 

Now there were only two passengers standing in the bus, a young man in a red color T-shirt and me. The young man moved back a little bit to give me some room to stand. Just awhile, I found a seat just under my eyes, but a man was sitting on the outside seat with a bag besides him. Then I understood why the young man did not take that seat. I did not take it either.

Edited January 27, 2006 by Bessie (see edit history)

[Joanne]

I lost our return airplane tickets on a bus in Honolulu, from airport to downtown. I was very disappointed with the situation. The tickets were contained in a ziplock bag along with the phone number of the house we stayed for the following week and less than one hundred USD in it. The tickets would be no use to anybody else but us. The person who found it could easily make a call to us and arrange for the return of the tickets. It didn't happen. We could not find it through the bus company.

[Bessie]

I lost our return airplane tickets on a bus in Honolulu, from airport to downtown. I was very disappointed with the situation.  The tickets were contained in a ziplock bag along with the phone number of the house we stayed for the following week and less than one hundred USD in it.  The tickets would be no use to anybody else but us.  The person who found it could easily make a call to us and arrange for the return of the tickets.  It didn't happen.  We could not find it through the bus company.

186196[/snapback]

Joanne,

 

I feel so sorry for you. I guess that time you must be feeling very down. I can tell. Some people just do not care other people's feeling. Just not willing to do a little bit favour to others.

 

What I saw today really made me feel no good.

[Dennis143]

Bessie, have you noticed that your posts are identical to Gypsy's in format and writing style? Many of us find this very odd.

[Bessie]

Dennis,

 

Oh... My!!!! I found it this morning. I was sort of shocked at the first glance on it this morning after I came back home from my ICE class, as I could tell that some guys here might conclude something according to the writting form and style.

 

If you did not mention it here, I was supposed to pretend that I did not see it. But now, I do not know what I should do.

 

I just read her new post. It's an excellent writting. Far cry better than mine. It's also a touching story. She is just telling about her story. I hope we both give her some slack.

Edited January 27, 2006 by Bessie (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

They are not the same person Dennis.

[Gipsy]

I am sorry, Bessie, for causing this doubt from other members.

 

The reason I registered and shared my story is because reading yours and Dannie's story inspired me to do the same. I adapted your style because this one-topic-at-a-time style can help me better organize my thoughts.

 

Please let me know if I bore you with such a long thing.

 

And other members, please quit guessing who I am. You will know me inside out after you finish reading Gipsy's Story.

[warpedbored]

Please continue Gipsy. I am enjoying your story.

[Bessie]

Hi, Gipsy. You needn't say sorry to me. I am glad you like my writting style. Go ahead! You are doing good!

[Stone]

I lost our return airplane tickets on a bus in Honolulu, from airport to downtown. I was very disappointed with the situation.  The tickets were contained in a ziplock bag along with the phone number of the house we stayed for the following week and less than one hundred USD in it.  The tickets would be no use to anybody else but us.  The person who found it could easily make a call to us and arrange for the return of the tickets.  It didn't happen.  We could not find it through the bus company.

186196[/snapback]

Many years ago when I attended Univ. of Maine, I lost my wallet in which there were my driver's license, student ID, library card and some petty cash (around $20). Somebody returned my wallet to my dorm attendant. Everything was there except the cash. I was still grateful thought.

 

Another interesting point about Maine is that people often do not lock their door when they go out. When I was a student at UMaine, I remember one time I was looking for a room to rent, the landlord had an errand to run and left the door unlocked for me so I could see the room, something almost imaginable in big cities in the U.S.

 

For airline tickets, I think it makes more sense to have the e-ticket now.

[jemmyell]

Bessie, have you noticed that your posts are identical to Gypsy's in format and writing style?  Many of us find this very odd.

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lol,

 

Dennis, I used to work for a Private Investigator, and not even I am this suspicious...

 

I also am enjoying both Bessies and Gipsy's stories. Please remember they are both getting lots of practice writing English and of course they will all learn from each other!

 

-James

[Bessie]

Chinese Lunar New Year in Chinatown

 

It is the first Chinese New year I have ever had in USA.

 

I had been getting more and more home sick in the recent days. I woke up before 6:00 a.m. this morning in order to call my mother, but unfortunately the line kept busy. What a pity! So I decided to go to Chinatown in hopes of seeing some traditional New Year stuff.

 

Chinatown looked like as usual. But there did have something different. Groceries looked more busy. The streets looked more crowded. I saw some small golden orange trees on sale in front of a small store. Some people walked down the sideways with flowers or vegetables on hands.

 

I was a little bit disappointed. Suddenly, I heard some noise of gongs and drums. I got excited immediately. Lions performance! There were altogether three lions dancing actively. They were in bright red, yellow, golden and black color fabric. They all have big eyes and big mouths opened. Interestingly, I saw some people were feeding them dollars! And the lions were eating the dollars hungrily!

 

The lions performance didn't last too long time. But I was quite satisfied already. And, I gotta go home, as I needed a restroom.

[Dennis143]

Bessie, have you noticed that your posts are identical to Gypsy's in format and writing style?  Many of us find this very odd.

186206[/snapback]

lol,

 

Dennis, I used to work for a Private Investigator, and not even I am this suspicious...

 

I also am enjoying both Bessies and Gipsy's stories. Please remember they are both getting lots of practice writing English and of course they will all learn from each other!

 

-James

186521[/snapback]

OK, everyone, I have been duly and rightfully reprimanded...sorry.

[mercator]

Chinese Lunar New Year in Chinatown

 

It is the first Chinese New year I have ever had in USA.

 

I had been getting more and more home sick in the recent days. I woke up before 6:00 a.m. this morning in order to call my mother, but unfortunately the line kept busy. What a pity! So I decided to go to Chinatown in hopes of seeing some traditional New Year stuff.

 

Chinatown looked like as usual. But there did have something different. Groceries looked more busy. The streets looked more crowded. I saw some small golden orange trees on sale in front of a small store. Some people walked down the sideways with flowers or vegetables on hands.

 

I was a little bit disappointed. Suddenly, I heard some noise of gongs and drums. I got excited immediately. Lions performance! There were altogether three lions dancing actively. They were in bright red, yellow, golden and black color fabric. They all have big eyes and big mouths opened. Interestingly, I saw some people were feeding them dollars! And the lions were eating the dollars hungrily!

 

The lions performance didn't last too long time. But I was quite satisfied already. And, I gotta go home, as I needed a restroom.

186582[/snapback]

Bessie -

 

I got up at 6am Pacific time myself, and basically redialed my wife's family home over and over and over until about 830am. I never was able to talk to her. I will try again tonight, I guess...