Yes, I speak English.

My school often hires secretaries who don’t speak English. I understand that I’m in China and I understand that the vast majority of people I meet will not speak English. But it seems to me that speaking English would be a requirement to be a secretary in a language school. Especially if that secretary shares an office with the American teacher. Especially if that secretary’s job involves dealing with the foreign teacher everyday.

Sometimes Ji’s around, but sometimes she isn’t.

Meg: Do we have any crayons?

Secretary: Yes.

Meg: You know what I mean by “crayons”, right?

Secretary: Yes.

Meg: Do you know where they are?

Secretary: Yes.

Meg: Where are the crayons?

Secretary: Yes.

Meg: Are my superpowers way cooler than Spiderman’s?

Secretary: Yes.

Some days, I really love China.

This entry was posted in New York City and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

0 Responses to Yes, I speak English.

  1. shamu says:

    Hehe… This sounds more like Koreans or Japanese than Chinese. No offense but I’ve met many Koreans and Japanese *in the US* acting exactly like that.

  2. Peter says:

    I think it sounds more like me talking to my wife (where she asks the questions and I say yes).

  3. Wabres says:

    You know, one of these days you are going to encounter somone whos english skills are 2 sentances:
    “Are my super powers way cooler than Spidermans?”
    and “No! Superman is the ultimate super powered mutated freak!”
    and then you will be confused.
    😛

  4. Dmh says:

    lol! it’s funny b/c it’s true. The same thing happened when I was in China. And now that I’m teaching in the Ukraine all 3 secretaries here can’t speak English either.

  5. Anna Zhan says:

    OMG, I laughed so hard I nearly choked trying to stifle my laughter soas not to wake the person on the other side of the cardboard wall of my hostel room. That was great. If you threw in the occasional confused pause or glance at the ceiling (for consultation?) then it would sound like my students.

Leave a Reply to Dmh Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *