Halloween in China

Today is October 31st and its Halloween in China! Oh wait.. they don't celebrate it. Well at least not in the "small" towns like 中山 (ZhongShan). When you think about it its kind of funny (ironic?) considering that >90% of the costumes used in the countries that do celebrate Halloween are made in China.

Instead of dressing up and celebrating Halloween this year I just got the trick part. This afternoon Diana and I went down to the bank (银行）to deposit some cash. I really wanted to try my hand at speaking Chinese so I asked Diana to stand away from view while I spoke with the teller. If Diana is anywhere near me people inevitably speak with her instead of engaging with me. Diana obliged and I was left alone with the teller. I first spoke softly asking "I want to make a deposit"(我要存款）or wǒ yao cúnkuǎn, it failed. He had no idea what I was saying. So I said it louder with a bit more confidence. Still nothing. Again I tried with just 存款. Nothing.

He then tried to counter with English "What do you want?". I then responded in English "I want to make a deposit". Unfortunately his English was weak, although probably 1,000 time stronger than my Chinese, and he didn't understand "Deposit". So we were back in the predicament. I tried again to say "deposit" in Chinese and this time I *think* we were getting somewhere. Unfortunately a well-intended but untimely Chinese woman butted in and asked me, in English, what I wanted to do to which I responded "make a deposit". She then began talking to the teller with words I didn't understand. Its possible it was Mandarin but I think it was Cantonese.

Now there were 3 languages involved and the teller still didn't understand what I wanted to do. Things quickly snowballed out of control. I was embarrassed because the teller didn't understand me and I didn't know anything else to say. The helpful English translator was spewing off tons of words that confused the teller, that I couldn't understand and then she just up and left. I was starting to feel a boiling point
coming on and I was about to either (a) lose 5 pounds from the amount I was sweating (b) lose my head as I was holding up the line. I called for back-up.

Diana.. help!

She quickly got things straightened out and I was able to deposit what I needed to.

This was strike two at my attempt to speak the language. At the Macau customs line yesterday I attempted to ask a group of Chinese men if I could borrow their pen. It was a marvelous disaster. They couldn't understand a single word I said and just stared at me like I was speaking crazy gibberish and that I should be locked up.

Eh. I need to study more, practice more, and keep trying. If only I could get over this lack of confidence thing. Hopefully things will change in Beijing, we leave in two days!