Saturday, October 25, 2008

Why thank you yes, I do speak English very well

So in all the computer confusion, I forgot to post about a rather funny conversation I got into with a cab driver. When I was heading to London last Friday, I grabbed a cab to the train station to catch the 12:30 train after class got out at 12:00. Ya, cutting it close, but hey, it worked out in my favor that time. But anyway, we're chatting about how I'm going to London, and how I'm an exchanged student when suddenly the cab driver says 'Wow, I'm impressed, your English is really good!' Ummmm... ooookaaaay? thanks? Apparently he had mistaken me for an exchange student from an Asian university. We had a good laugh over that one.

Let me explain, growing up in California, it took convincing for people to believe that I was even PART Asian, and then in Utah the attitude was 'oh, okay, I can see that' and then here to 'really, you're only HALF?' It's just funny how different the attitudes are here compared to back home. Here everyone only sees my Asian aspects, and back home most people focused on my Caucasion ones. Silly huh? But yes, I imagine that my English is very good. Thanks for noticing Mr. Cab Driver.

5 comments:

Doug said...

Your junior high and high school English teachers will be glad to know their work wasn't in vain.
;)

Christine said...

Haha. Don't you just love our racial ambiguity? I love when some people I first meet talk to me in that REALLY LOUD slow, condescending voice that ignorant people use when talking to racial minorities. Then when I reply using big words they look really surprised. And yes, it is interesting how our 'asianness' is relative to the asianness of our surroundings. Here in Centreville where like 1/3 of the population is Korean, I seem comparatively white so I've nearly given a few people heart attacks when I ask for something in Korean.

Christine said...

Or it's especially funny when Laine tells her classmates that she's Korean. They're like, HUH?

Unknown said...

You are HALF asian!!! When did that happen???
I never knew that

Patricia said...

ya, thanks ernie, real vote of confidence there :)