Where am I from?
I just want to get something off my chest. Today I was sitting in a food court, eating sushi for lunch (you may see some irony in this as you read on). I was sitting at a small two-seater table, directly next to another two-seater table, so that the two tables were almost, but not quite touching. An older gentleman approached me and asked if he could sit in the chair diagonally opposite. To which I, of course, said ok.
Then we were minding our own business while we were eating, and then the older gentleman asks me where I'm from. And so it begins:
Older gentleman: So where are you from?
Me: As in where was I born?
Older gentleman: Yes.
Me: Brisbane.
Older gentleman: Oh what I mean is, where is your heritage from?
Me: My family's from Japan.
Older gentleman: Oh I see. Your English is very good.
Me: ... thanks.
Older gentleman: I have a son who lives in China who married a Chinese girl.
Me: Ok...
After which he bid me adieu and went on his merry way. Now this sort of encounter happens to be at least half a dozen times a year. At least. Of course my English is good: I was born in Brisbane!!! Dare I say it, my English is probably better than the majority of English-speaking people*.
And then the mind further boggles to think that I would hold some significance in the fact that his son lives in China and is married to a Chinese girl!! Why would I care‽ (Incidentally I love the interrobang. Extremely useful when trying to write a poignant question such as the previous).
*sigh*
On another topic, I'm starting to get over my cold, and hopefully this weekend I'll be able to start jogging again. But I'll have to go super easy. Public holiday tomorrow. Woot! But spending the day at uni studying. Boo.
Writer's notes:
* This argument is slightly based on me regularly correcting my peers' spelling mistakes (note the correct use of the possessive apostrophe after the 's' because it's a plural possessive), a habit which many of them have just come to accept. But it's also based on my observations of the general public.
Then we were minding our own business while we were eating, and then the older gentleman asks me where I'm from. And so it begins:
Older gentleman: So where are you from?
Me: As in where was I born?
Older gentleman: Yes.
Me: Brisbane.
Older gentleman: Oh what I mean is, where is your heritage from?
Me: My family's from Japan.
Older gentleman: Oh I see. Your English is very good.
Me: ... thanks.
Older gentleman: I have a son who lives in China who married a Chinese girl.
Me: Ok...
After which he bid me adieu and went on his merry way. Now this sort of encounter happens to be at least half a dozen times a year. At least. Of course my English is good: I was born in Brisbane!!! Dare I say it, my English is probably better than the majority of English-speaking people*.
And then the mind further boggles to think that I would hold some significance in the fact that his son lives in China and is married to a Chinese girl!! Why would I care‽ (Incidentally I love the interrobang. Extremely useful when trying to write a poignant question such as the previous).
*sigh*
On another topic, I'm starting to get over my cold, and hopefully this weekend I'll be able to start jogging again. But I'll have to go super easy. Public holiday tomorrow. Woot! But spending the day at uni studying. Boo.
Writer's notes:
* This argument is slightly based on me regularly correcting my peers' spelling mistakes (note the correct use of the possessive apostrophe after the 's' because it's a plural possessive), a habit which many of them have just come to accept. But it's also based on my observations of the general public.
posted by dee | 10:52 pm
2 Comments:
Perhaps he meant your English is very good for a Brisbanite/Queenslander?
Had a woman come up to me once (am in Perth) and say, "I'd just like to let you know that I find it very unusual to hear Asians speaking in an Australian accent."
She was harmless and I assumed she was from Greenbelt of England.
She wasn't.
Post a Comment
<< Home