1. Deteriorate my English.
When you become a part of a culture, you tend to take on small nuances of the people, language, and culture. One major and obvious point of acknowledgment is speaking English in a way that best suits the understanding of your audience. For example, in Kenya:
"Assist me with tissue"= give me toilet paper
When you become a part of a culture, you tend to take on small nuances of the people, language, and culture. One major and obvious point of acknowledgment is speaking English in a way that best suits the understanding of your audience. For example, in Kenya:
"Assist me with tissue"= give me toilet paper
However, without the knowledge of local language it transforms into something slightly more crude.
In Thailand, there is significantly less English. It becomes something like,
" toilet. Paper?" [frantic motioning of butt wiping]
" toilet. Paper?" [frantic motioning of butt wiping]
In Cambodia, less English.
[Find props, such as a toilet bowl to completely act out what I want]
[Find props, such as a toilet bowl to completely act out what I want]
This is why I love traveling.
2. Instill the urge to bargain for everything. In addition to acting completely and utterly baffled at anything that is over $5.
"TEN DOLLARS?? NO. TWO FOR $5. Because we're friends."
"Um, sorry ma'am, all prices at 7-eleven are fixed..."
"TEN DOLLARS?? NO. TWO FOR $5. Because we're friends."
"Um, sorry ma'am, all prices at 7-eleven are fixed..."
3. Eat ambiguous food. Cuz you're being polite. ..Or impatient.
"what is that?"
"Unclear."
"Is that meat? Tofu? Pork? Jello?"
"Dunno."
"I'm hungry. Lets just get it."
"OK. EXCUSE ME...TWO OF WHATEVER THAT IS. GIVE IT TO ME IN MY MOUTH."
"Unclear."
"Is that meat? Tofu? Pork? Jello?"
"Dunno."
"I'm hungry. Lets just get it."
"OK. EXCUSE ME...TWO OF WHATEVER THAT IS. GIVE IT TO ME IN MY MOUTH."
Yes, travel gives you a better perspective on the world.
ReplyDeleteBargaining in Indonesia is a bit of an embarrassment to Australians - In Bali we'd haggle between 10,000 IDR to 5,000 IDR back-n-forth for several minutes for some souvenir. To them it's can mean more than a day's meals but for us it's a sip of coffee (50 cents USD/AUD). I seen the same look on their faces as I seen on the native Hawaiians toward the mainland Americans when I lived there - ("Leeb yo money haole n go home"). Not good but it's funny when you step back.