May 28, 2012

You Don’t Know Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRgQns-TJGM

I am sure most Caucasians living here in Tokyo have this experience – the waitress is only talking to your Japanese friends because she thinks you don’t speak the language.  It’s always fun when I go out with a Caucasian friend whose Japanese is better than mine and watch his annoyed face because the waitress ignores him completely. Well I might look more Japanese than my friend, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I can speak better Japanese than him.

But this time when I was in the Kiwiland, I had this interesting conversation - a very kind man asked me very slowly, “How much English can you understand? Every other word? Every third word?” So I smiled up at him sweetly and replied, “Every word, unfortunately.”

Of course I understand he was just trying to be nice. I certainly don’t look like a native English speaker. And for them, all Asians are from China - just like for Japanese, all Caucasians are from America.

Some of my new Kiwi friends decided, after talking to me, that I am “normal” after all and that I am more European than Asian when they talk to me. I suppose I should be happy that they’ve accepted me – if only they knew how abnormal I am!

But I am still wondering if I should buy a T-shirt saying, “I am a mail-order bride. Please speak VERY slowly.”