Today we will finally go to the X-Union shop to see and hopefully buy. I meet up with colleague B in front of a bank, because we need to withdraw money. Colleague B arrives before me and tries to withdraw, but doesn’t succeed. Even though the ATM screen shows all the credit and bank cards signs, we are unsuccessful in our mission. Colleague B suggests to try the Bank of China ATM in the Walmart. That’s where all our colleagues withdraw their money. The problem is, B has come by bicycle, even though we arranged to take a taxi. Now he has to push his bike to the Walmart. Twenty minutes later we arrive at the Walmart and go downstairs to the ATMs. Colleague B tries his luck and succeeds. I try my German and my British bank cards and my credit card, but don’t manage to withdraw. There’s an error with my card says the screen. You’ve exceeded your limit says the screen in a second funny message. How can I exceed my limit if I haven’t used the cards for a long time? I give up. Colleague B leaves his bicycle at the Walmart and we hail a cab. Ten minutes later we arrive on the road we want to go and get off at the TP Mall. A massive building with cafes, restaurants, cinema and many, many shops. We go into a GIANT bicycle shop because B wants a lock for his bike. In there one of the shop assistants approaches us and addresses us in English.
May I help you? he asks.
Yes, I’m looking for a lock, says B, looking at the bicycles before him.
And we’re looking for a scooter shop called X-Union. Do you happen to know where it is? Oh I see the locks over there. I’ll have a look at them. But do you know where the X-Union shop is? This monologue is brought to you by colleague B, talking to a Chinese, not looking at him.
Excuse … Sir …. my English not good. I not understand…. says the poor assistant, looking lost at B and me.
Colleague B repeats his monologue, again looking at the bikes and not at the assistant. The assistant is still irritated and lost and repeats: I not understand…. my English not good…
Because this is ridiculous, I snap my fingers at B and tell him to look the poor guy in his face, speak slowly and not jump from topic to topic. B finally gets it and looks at the poor guy, but still jumps from topic to topic. I interfere and tell the assistant that B wants a lock and make the appropriate gesture. Now he finally understands and takes us to a wall with locks. There B asks again for the X-Union but the assistant has no clue. So we leave the shop.
I don’t want to criticise my colleague, but I noticed that most native speakers of English who don’t speak any other language, are quite arrogant when they speak to foreigners. They expect them to know English and understand every single word. Because you speak English, it doesn’t mean that the entire world speaks English. A lot more people speak Mandarin and Spanish and possibly Arabic. Don’t expect other people to read your mind and understand your accent too. Also use your hands and arms and underline everything with a gesture if you want people to understand you and not get frustrated.
Thank you!
Thank you!
We walk down the road in search of the X-Union and pass many other shops. Like in Saudi, here too, the shops come in categories. We pass some clothes shops, some barber’s, some electric appliances, mobile phone shops, mini-markets, various restaurants and eating places, a few pharmacies, carpet shops and banks. Because I have USD with me, we enter an Agricultural bank of China branch to ask if I could exchange my money. We see a machine that gives out numbers. We approach it, read the instructions that are surprisingly available in (not so correct) English and have to look at each other in surprise. Why? In order to get a number you have to either swipe your card or enter your bank account number or name. This means that the bank serves their customers only. We ask a guard for help. At first he doesn’t understand what we want. Then I show him my ICBC card and from his gestures, mimic and the sound of his voice we understand that we won’t get served here.
After walking roughly 2 miles, we reach some garages and soon after the scooter shops. Because we don’t want to waste our time, we pass all the shops until we finally find the X-Union. There we find the scooters we saw online on their website, plus many more. Among the many more is a light blue electric motorbike that looks very futuristic. Both of us stand in front of it with our mouths wide open. It looks like it came out a Sci-Fi film or a Japanese cartoon. We ask for price and specs and find out that it is quite expensive. Well, B really wants it and spends some time looking and touching it. Meanwhile I go inside the shop and find the scooter I saw on their website and would like to buy. With a bit over 600 pounds, it’s more than I’d like to spend. However, I got my students to translate their website for me and on their site is says that the original price is 600 pounds, but the discounted is 500.
I ask for a discount and they play the Chinese or the duck as they Greeks say. Meaning: They know nothing about it, deny that there are any discounts and basically try to fool you by selling you a story that they have no clue. I also ask about placing a downpayment and pay the remaining amount either in instalments or in two weeks when I get paid. They refuse, although they offer it on their website. Then, I take out my phone, fire up the browser and show them the prices online and show them the section with the instalments and downpayment. Again, they don’t want to know anything about it. This is China. Take it or leave it. They do business in their terms. You buy if you are desperate or really want and need it. They are not bothered if they don’t sell.
Colleague B is undecided and since we both have not enough money with us, we decide to leave and have a look at the other shops. We find similar scooters and bikes in the shop next door, more or less at the same price and quality, but different colours. We continue our search, but don’t find anything we like and decide to go home.
I see a taxi parked along the road and a man and a woman standing next to it. It looks like they change shifts. We approach them and I ask: Jinyang? The male driver waves us to come and the woman opens the doors for us. The driver luckily knows where we want to go and doesn’t drive us around or tries to rip us off. But he doesn’t put on the metre. When we arrive we give him two pounds, which according to B is the correct price. The driver doesn’t argue, says thank you and we’re off.
And the hunt continues.
Macklemore's Downtown (opens in a new window)
E-Bike from outta space, the one colleague B likes and will eventually buy.
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
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