Its Christmas Eve in Shanghai. As a holiday gift to everyone, Im going to write a moderately lengthy post that has nothing to do with politics or economic policy. Youre welcome. So, a guy walks into an Apple Store carrying two apples...literally, I just did. Apparently giving apples as gifts is the thing you do in China. So I had two that my students gave me...its exam day, so they might have just been sucking up. I also got candy. One apple was in a festive christmas box with a string handle, and the other was just a loose apple. Its the first time Ive ever had someone hand me a piece of fruit and say merry christmas (sincerely). Anyway, after my class I went to handle a scheduling issue with the other teacher, leaving my iPad charger behind. The school is cancelling our evening class on New Years Eve...but making us come in on January 6th to make it up. They do that a lot. We have to come in on Sunday the 4th to make up for having Friday the 2nd off. So...when I returned to my classroom for my charger the ninja-like (Its not a racial thing, I know ninjas are Japanese not Chinese, I just mean that he or she was quick and silent) janitor had been by and rearranged and taken my charger. I highly doubt its been stolen. Its just in the SHUPSL lost and found which everyone is assumed to know about. Theres probably a very specific procedure I can follow, a form to fill out (in Chinese) and theyll have it delivered to my apartment tomorrow morning. So naturally, I just stopped by the apple store on my way home. They were playing the usual loud christmas music, some in English, some in Chinese, and the odd bit of Michael Jackson (Somehow Beat It seems to have made it onto a lot of Christmas playlists here). I began the usual dance of pointing at stuff and saying zhe ge (this one), and responding to questions with insightful elaborations like wo xiang zhe ge (I want this one) or unreasonable expressions like xiexie (thanks). Heres a pretty typical conversation: Me: This one Chinese person: Ah, excellent choice, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with today? Me: I want this one. Chinese person: Do you need the power adaptor too or just the dock connecter? Me: Thanks. Then, because Id stacked my loose apple atop the one in the festivel apple-box, and because the strings on said festive apple-box were obviously designed to hold the wieght of only one apple, one broke. Thus to the vast amusement of all present, I found myself scrambling after apples rolling around on the floor of the Apple store. Someone helped me collect them, and the clerk gave me a sack for them. Then, after quickly paying, and exchanging a quick Merry Christmas with all the clerks and several bystanders who wanted to come try it out, I got the hell out of there. Fortunately, the clerk came and yelled at me to come get the charger Id just bought and then left on the counter. So, yeah, Christmas Eve is a pretty typical day for me in China. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 13:20:18 +0000
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