Words cannot convey
Oct. 1st, 2010 05:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigo_rose99...the surreality of it all.
I type this from the backseat of a car. A Mercedes, no less. I am being driven to Taipei to pick up my passport from the Indian office. I have no active US-bound plane ticket. Well, I have one, but it involves a really long layover in Mumbai.
My driver speaks "a little English." When we get to the office in Taipei, a woman named Jackie will meet me, walk me to the Indian office, and help me pick up my passport. She is there, I think, if the sh** hits the fan and they won't give it back, or they demand more money, or they flat won't give me the visa. At worst, she can be my surrugate telephone to call my local guys and make decisions on what the heck I do next.
I have no idea what Jackie looks like.
The drive across Taiwan... Well, we are going into the city. In good traffic it should be about 70 minutes each way. In actuality, the drive in each direction could take 4 hours. I went to the bathroom before I left. I do not know if my driver speaks enough English for me to ask for a break along the way.
If the drive to Taipei takes too long, the Indian office will close. The next window to pick up my passport is Monday, long after my flight to Mumbai has left.
Ah, the strangely shaped puzzle pieces of life...
Out the window of the car, I could almost on an interstate in the US. Well, except for the non-English signs. My drive is talking on his phone. He has no headset. Happily, his voice is not obnoxious.
I noticed a mini-police van next to us when it turned on its sirens. My ride was in in the far left (fast?) lane and did not budge. No one slowed down. No one pulled over. The police van, with sirens, wove in and out of traffic just like any other vehicle. Ok, that is different.
Unlike China, I have no trouble counting Taiwan as a first world country. They tell me not to drink the water, but otherwise everything is safe. I felt safe walking around the city alone. The roads and cars are in good repair. The difference between the number of people and the city road infrastructure to handle them is roughly the same as in the US. Everyone I asked speaks at least three languages, some five or six.
I type this from the backseat of a car. A Mercedes, no less. I am being driven to Taipei to pick up my passport from the Indian office. I have no active US-bound plane ticket. Well, I have one, but it involves a really long layover in Mumbai.
My driver speaks "a little English." When we get to the office in Taipei, a woman named Jackie will meet me, walk me to the Indian office, and help me pick up my passport. She is there, I think, if the sh** hits the fan and they won't give it back, or they demand more money, or they flat won't give me the visa. At worst, she can be my surrugate telephone to call my local guys and make decisions on what the heck I do next.
I have no idea what Jackie looks like.
The drive across Taiwan... Well, we are going into the city. In good traffic it should be about 70 minutes each way. In actuality, the drive in each direction could take 4 hours. I went to the bathroom before I left. I do not know if my driver speaks enough English for me to ask for a break along the way.
If the drive to Taipei takes too long, the Indian office will close. The next window to pick up my passport is Monday, long after my flight to Mumbai has left.
Ah, the strangely shaped puzzle pieces of life...
Out the window of the car, I could almost on an interstate in the US. Well, except for the non-English signs. My drive is talking on his phone. He has no headset. Happily, his voice is not obnoxious.
I noticed a mini-police van next to us when it turned on its sirens. My ride was in in the far left (fast?) lane and did not budge. No one slowed down. No one pulled over. The police van, with sirens, wove in and out of traffic just like any other vehicle. Ok, that is different.
Unlike China, I have no trouble counting Taiwan as a first world country. They tell me not to drink the water, but otherwise everything is safe. I felt safe walking around the city alone. The roads and cars are in good repair. The difference between the number of people and the city road infrastructure to handle them is roughly the same as in the US. Everyone I asked speaks at least three languages, some five or six.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-01 01:44 pm (UTC)Which reminds me of the old joke.
"What do you call someone who speaks three languages?
Trilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks two languages?
Bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language?
American."
no subject
Date: 2010-10-03 06:17 am (UTC)And you know our money? The coins. Rudest money in the world. Every other country has numbers on their coins -- 1, 2, 5, 10, 100... Us? We have letters. So people using the coins MUST read English to use them. And it gets worse: Take a close look at your dime. Exactly how much is it worth?
I'm just desperately grateful that so many other countries have people who DO speak English, however badly they claim they do it. Compared to my Taiwanese/Chinese/Polish/Danish/Welsh/Japanese/various Indian languages...? They speak fantastic English.