Why learn Chinese?
Tags : property, business, travel, technology, nightlife, events, food, food, expat_services
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| Total Votes : 12 |
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buanryoh
Newbie
Joined: Feb 06, 2009
Posts: 3
Status: Offline
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 Posted:
Sep 11, 2009 - 11:00 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Why learn Chinese? |
Why should a native English speaker learn a foreign language?
I finished my last bottle of cheap beer and decided it was time to take one of the thousands of taxis circling the bar area of which I frequented in Shanghai. I left the bar and ventured out, looking to haul down a taxi that was certain to meander on by at any moment. Normally, I would be in a taxi and on my way home within a minute of the referee bringing an end to a Premier League football match aired out globally to whomever had access to satellite TV or a sports bar.
On this occasion it was different - there were no taxis in sight. So I decided that I’d walk to the main road just a couple of blocks away. As I slowly made my way over to where I was certain I would be greeted by an overly eager taxi driver, pleased because he could take the scenic route with a foreigner who was surely one of the many in Shanghai who couldn’t speak Chinese and therefore unable to offer any real complaint at the extra couple of digits flashing red on the little gadget stuck to the dashboard. To my surprise, the imaginary taxi driver was also no where to be seen! Three rather intoxicated “whities” – a name by which my British friend would label those in China of European descent – stumbled by, muttering something under their breaths as they passed, I didn’t really give it a second thought, I was on the hunt for a my imaginary taxi driver.
A couple of fruitless minutes later, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by the hard-muscled arm of a rather large looking Chinese man. Before I could insert any of my own set of slurred Chinese into the guy’s soliloquy, I discovered that he was full of indignation and deciphered that it was due to an expletive-laden rant aimed at him just a few moments earlier by some heavily intoxicated foreigners – most likely the one’s I had just passed. Now, in the firing line of the pent up anger from this ripped and increasingly aggressive Chinese man, I started to feel a bit apprehensive. That’s when it hit me – not a clenched fist thankfully – but the idea that perhaps if I put to use the Chinese that I had spent the last 5 years accumulating in and out of the classroom, coupled with the knowledge of the Chinese culture and how hospitable and magnanimous the Chinese truly are, then I might just be able to apply this man’s penetrating gaze to see through his mist of anger and spot the truth.
I hemmed and hawed at first, trying to avoid equivocalness that plagues my Chinese even up to this day; then spurred on by a complete sentence, a fluent(-ish) sounding Chinese began to flow with vigor. I explained that I could not possibly have been me as I was on my own and I would never throw such foul adjectives at anyone, let alone someone who was the same in stature but twice as wide and presumably weight. I gave my last speech and pleaded innocent, the irate man – judge, jury and perhaps soon to be executioner – slowly lowered his arsenals of muscle and, to my surprise, began to compliment me for my Chinese. His praise, which was interspersed with panting left over from his indignant rant, revolved around the reverence I had demonstrated for the 5000-year-old ancient Chinese culture and the painstaking effort it must have taken me to attain such a level of fluency. Three taxis - in imitation of a British bus – arrived at once. I bid a friendly adieu to my former verbal sparring partner, and squeezed into the taxi first in queue. “I won’t tell you where we’re are going but I will tell you how to get there!” I said impassioned with my new found poise. |
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Wulf
Talker
Joined: Sep 26, 2009
Posts: 99
Status: Offline
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Sep 29, 2009 - 10:10 AM |
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Interesting story. A lot of people simply say they want to learn Chinese to save money on all their expenses. That's the major reason I have read on this forum. |
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-Wulf |
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forexpat
Newbie
Joined: Nov 07, 2009
Posts: 3
Status: Offline
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Nov 07, 2009 - 10:32 PM |
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Interesting story. |
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forexpat.weebl.com / better serive, easy life |
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p1atl10
Shanghai Royalty
Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 8585
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Nov 08, 2009 - 01:41 AM |
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(yawn....) |
_________________
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.....Dave Barry |
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