I've had to cope with several phone calls recently. This shouldn't be news but I do dread phone calls. I see an unknown number, my heart sinks, I answer it with a nervous "喂, 你好?" "Wei (what they say when answering the phone), hello?"and then hold the phone away from my ear as a cacophony of syllables blares out. After a while I interrupt with a "你好， 我听不懂""Hello, I don't understand". There's normally a pause. Then more Chinese. I listen in the vain hope of trying to pick out a clue. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I have to inquire as to who it is. I got a call on Wednesday that took me a while to figure out. He said he was "快递""kuaidi". I asked him to wait a moment while I looked this up. Turned out it meant "express", he was delivering an express letter, and wanted to know which student building I was in. I wasn't expecting a letter so it took me a while to get this but eventually I trooped downstairs to where a man on a motorbike was waiting. He gave me an envelope and pointed at my name with a quizzical expression. I opened it and realised it was my YHA membership card.
Another tricky call was from the internet man. I'd gone to buy the internet, and I was rather proud of myself for navigating the conversation, but that was face-to-face and with an educated Chinese lady, so she spoke Standard Mandarin, putonghua, 普通话. The internet installer man spoke with the Qingdao accent, which involves speaking like you have a hot potato in your mouth, and was over the phone. After a while I gathered he wanted to know when I could be in the flat. After a long while.
The problem is they are not used to dealing with foreigners so very rarely make concessions, like speaking slowly and clearly. When checking out of the student building the woman asked after my "chuardar", (bedsheet) or that's what it sounded like. A newsreader would have said "chuangdan", which is what I understand. Cue frustration...
I miss being a native speaker of the local language...
I had my second erhu lesson on Tuesday. I dislike the boss of the music school as a) she takes 30 of the 60kuai I pay for my lesson and b) is rather hard to understand and gets annoyed when I just stare back blankly. I don't do it on purpose!
At the other end of the spectrum, whenever we go somewhere posh they are amazed when we can say nihao. Last night we went to Q bar, which is a rather swanky cocktail bar in Shangri-La Hotel. To get free drinks (it was ladies' night) we, of course, had to fill out a bloody form. Becka and I filled it out in Chinese characters and the waiter was like "OMG WOW YOU SPEAK CHINESE????" "er, a little...". Fairy, a colleague from work, rang up and I answered with wei, nihao? and she spent the next few seconds spluttering "wow you said nihao! Haha!""Haha...".
My erhu teacher is lovely. We are now best friends. Next semester I am going to teach her English in return for erhu lessons. This means the boss won't get anything yaya. She is from Mao Zedong's hometown and is studying at Qingdao University (the poly to Ocean's redbrick). She helped me haggle for a bowl. I got it for 13kuai instead of 15. I saved 20p woohoo!
I have a man who is desperately trying to make me teach his kid English. I feel rather guilty as I just don't have the time but he is rather desperate. The Chinese are crazy about learning English they really are!
In other news I have a cold :( The weather here has got cold lately, -2 yesterday, plus I have been rather busy moving flat, sorting out internet (predictably in China not very straightforward), going to class, revising for an exam, planning travels, and teaching so it was inevitable I'd get something. I wimped out of class and teaching today and am now snuggled in Starbucks listening to music and planning lessons. I would find some paracetmol but they are quite rare here. They tend to use Chinese medicine for sniffles etc. But I have been told that Chinese medicine "doesn't work on foreigners" so I might have to Earl-Grey-Tea this one out.
That reminds me, my boss tried to get out of paying me for one hour as it was a "party hour" (playing games and things). I replied that if I was there I'd bloody well better be paid. I got the money :D The good news is that I am going to Yishui next week so I may be having Christmas day off after all! And now we have a kitchen, and soon an oven (you can buy microwave sized ovens quite cheaply), THERE WILL BE CHRISTMAS DINNER. Although maybe not turkey.
Those "vehicles" I mentioned a few weeks ago. Literally an engine with a light in front. And clouds of black smock behind. Not built for speed.
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