- (an extract of a blog for expats in Singapore, acknowledgement and thanks to the author).
These two phrases apply, in my opinion, more suitably to "love at the first sight/coup de foudre". However, it was intended to describe cultural shock.
I found this description excessively exaggerated. With the exception of humanitarian work, most people move abroad to be in a better position than he or she was back home. (Otherwise what was the point of moving? Might as well stay at home if the move is not a positive one).
With that notion in mind, we tend to enjoy and look at the good side of things - at least when we first arrive, non?
What you see is not always what you get, what you hear is not necessarily what you understood.
The most shocking is when you open your mouth; the wrong things can come out. It is much worse than having the wrong things going in - at least that way nobody sees the result except yourself.
A very famous Franco-English communication hi-cup is:
"My grandmother's chocolate cake is the best. She never puts preservatives in it". ("Preservative" means "condom" in French).
Once in Taipei…
strolling along the famous Tunghuw pub/disco area in Taipei some years ago, my husband and I were stopped in front of a newly opened whiskey bar.
"... it's our opening day. We have free whiskey tasting. Want to come in?" the young boy at the door looked 13 to me, how could he be selling alcohol.....
"Come in," the 13-yr-old looking boy could see my husband was a bit tempted by the sound of the word "whiskey", which happened to be the same in all languages, the sweet melody of these two syllables juxtaposing was transmitted accurately to his ears regardless of the accent. "You like 15 year old, 18 year old or 21 year old?" the boy was almost yelling into my husband's ear as the music was blasting in the background.
"What!!! My wife is here". He had a brief look of horror before realizing quickly the age references were made to the drinks.
At home:
"Ma'am, you born Wednesday?" Sansan, who spoke no English at all when she joined our household, suddenly asked me sheepishly one day.
"What??"
"Ma'am name 'Ou', 'Ou' is Wednesday". So that makes me a Wednesday-born child....?
"Ma'am, my name Sansan, 'San" is Tuesday. I born Tuesday" She had the most innocent expecting tone and smile on her face. I really hated to break it to her that Ou was simply a family name shared by a group of people who were born on different days of the week.
We had an Indonesian helper from Java before Sansan. She was capable of every task including combating the most fierce of jungle beasts. Once a bat came into the bedroom, she swiftly took a broom and took hostage of the bat.
"Ma'am, soup or fry?" I thought she was asking me about the beef that was already taken out of the freezer.
"Fry"
"Ma'am, soup better" Since when she started challenging my culinary choices.....? I went into the room. There she was holding the bat alive squashed by the broom, waiting for the final verdict.
Actually there is not fixed rules. A good sense of humor is all you need/all you have to get through cultural shocks).
I was once prescribed some heavy-duty medicine by a doctor. At the pharmacy, the pharmacist said to me "Tell Madame to take ONLY one in the morning after food". I looked behind me thinking that he wanted me to pass on the message to the person behind me - as if I were someone who he presumed had superior French proficiency. Then I realised that he was speaking to me thinking that I was the maid of this "Madame X" on the prescription form. Wow! I was not only a "sarong party girl" in Asia, but also a "helper" in Paris. (Yes, there are many Filipino maids working in Paris). What could I do besides keeping a sense of humor.... (As for my husband: ".....to mistake you a "helper" is a compliment, you are anything but helpful".....
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