Adapting to a different culture can lead to some fun, awkward, and rewarding moments. It is hard to predict which one will happen next, but each one is a learning experience.
We have now been in China for three months. In those three months, countless moments of hilarity have passed us by. A favorite story of mine happened early on in our journey, when we still had problems ordering food in Chinese. By now, most of us can order food without too many problems, but when we first arrived, it was a different story.
The story starts off with Justin, Dillon, and I at one of our favorite restaurants here called Xiao Xiao Xiao. We went into the restaurant to sit down, and had a look at the menu. As usual, Justin wanted to order jiaozi, so he pointed to that on the menu and sat back.
His food arrived, and he was very satisfied. Chinese food is wonderful, by the way, and each dish is delightful and fresh. As soon as Justin was finished eating, the restaurant staff brought out another plate of jiaozi. As Justin was full, he tried to use his Chinese skills to say that he was full, and did not need another plate.
Justin began to say, “SWANJOHN. SWANJOHN. SWANJEEN.”
Each time he said it, the lady looked confused, so he began to try it in another tone. Finally, she smiled and grasped on to what Justin was conveying. She took the plate back and brought out the bill, and in that moment, Justin’s nickname was immortalized as “Swanjohn”.
From that experience, we learned many things. The Chinese people are very kindhearted, and are always helpful to us as we adapt to the culture. So many concepts and emotions can be conveyed to others without saying a word. Humanity strives on moments like that, and it is wonderful to see how humans can come together to learn from one another, regardless of differences in culture.