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kevcom1
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« on: August 26, 2011, 03:54:38 PM » |
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Over the years I have noticed more and more foreigners that are obviously new that make no attemptat even the slightest bit o friendliness. what's up with that? Back when I first got here I was saying hello to everyone I ran into,  now they can't even make eye contact. |
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Stil
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« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2011, 03:56:42 PM » |
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Your existence ruins their China experience.
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Fozzwaldus
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« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2011, 03:57:35 PM » |
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ha ha, Stil, you just beat me to it.
exactly, their experience is only valid if they are the only laowai in town, experiencing things that no other laowai has ever dreamed possible.
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两只老外， 两只老外，跑得快，跑得快，
一个是老酒鬼，一个是老色鬼，真奇怪， 真奇怪
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xwarrior
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« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2011, 04:23:15 PM » |
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I agree!!! Wankers of the world treading a pathway in their minds. There is a chance though that they are very English.  |
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I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them.
- Bette Midler
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The Local Dialect
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« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2011, 04:46:00 PM » |
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Haha, yes, what they said.
This is especially true if you happen to be in someplace that the wankers consider to be "off the beaten path" or "undiscovered."
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Escaped Lunatic
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Finding new ways to conquer the world
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« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2011, 02:23:48 AM » |
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Does moving into my own little village and hanging a "Foreigners Stay The Hell Out!" sign on the village gates qualify me as a wanker?   I'll admit that I'm pretty damned surprised when I see any other foreigners even near where I live, but I'm always friendly to them. |
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I'm pro-cloning and we vote!
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kevcom1
Limboid
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« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2011, 03:09:45 AM » |
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I am thinking of getting a shirt made that says "I was here before you loser"
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jpd01
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« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2011, 03:16:38 AM » |
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Honestly I never really say hi to other foreigners when I pass them in the streets, most looked like smacked arses anyway. Plus sadly enough most look like fairly unpleasant bastards anyway, hung over or just giving out the grumpy vibe.
If I saw another foreigner in my neighborhood then I would be very surprised. There is one that lives in my apartment complex but we've known each other for ages and are decent mates so he doesn't count. I don't hang out with him very often because his wife is fairly off putting and my wife thinks the same.
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"I don't understand what I did wrong except live a life that everyone is jealous of." Charlie Sheen.
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ericthered
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« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2011, 03:19:53 AM » |
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Well, not to sound like a grumpy curmudgeon but I don't say "hello" to every laowai I see. Why would I? It is not because their presence destroys my China experience, it is simply because I see no need to do so. I don't engage every Chinese person I see in conversation either.
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"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." Oscar Wilde.
"It's all oojah cum spiffy". Bertie Wooster.
"The stars are God's daisy chain" Madeleine Bassett.
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china-matt
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« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2011, 03:35:15 AM » |
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I'm with ETR. I didn't say hi to every foreigner I saw--I do that with people I know. There were times I'd start up a conversation in certain situations though (standing on a really slow line to buy something). I'm not the most sociable person, so the other person usually would start the conversation with me.
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"I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway." -Calvin Terracotta Typewriter: a literary journal with Chinese characteristics http://www.tctype.com |
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El Macho
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东北人都是活雷锋!
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« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2011, 03:39:57 AM » |
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My impression has been that many of the ultra-standoffish types are afraid that other foreigners may reveal their great deception; other foreigners will know that they're actually not "so handsome!" or "so clever!".
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fox
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« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2011, 03:46:31 AM » |
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Well, not to sound like a grumpy curmudgeon but I don't say "hello" to every laowai I see. Why would I? It is not because their presence destroys my China experience, it is simply because I see no need to do so. I don't engage every Chinese person I see in conversation either.
yeah im with you on this one. For sure i will look and sometimes even wonder if they are british or american. on occasion i will look for eye contact and if its friendly i might initiate conversation but often im met with a stoney face. But then i attribute that to a new experience of being stared at by all and sundry which i found a bit weird when i first landed too. |
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regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.
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kevcom1
Limboid
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« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2011, 04:39:31 AM » |
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I just think it is funny they almost go ut of their way to avoid any contact. One time at a bakery a guy and girl did everything to avoid me then later at a party they were all apologetic. By that point I just walked away, they lived in the same building as I and couldnt even be bothered to be pleasant until they were forced to.
Last night I saw some new guy and he was looking everywhere but at me in an attempt to avoid me, I do not mind not being addressed but when they try to avoid me thats just sad.
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Cassnadra
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« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2011, 05:21:52 AM » |
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It's Daffyd Thomas syndrome. I (re)noticed the same thing when I was in Shenyang yesterday. After a while you give up trying to smile at other 'foreigners'. I was trying to explain the concept to the other girls yesterday. They were horrified. Oh well... |
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I'll tell you all my secrets but I'll lie about my past. (Tom Waits)
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Borkya
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« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2011, 06:26:28 AM » |
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When I see another foreigner, my mouth drops open, I point, stare and giggle and then yell HELOOOOOOOOOO!  Actually, when I see another foreigner at my school I almost always try to talk to them. I mean, I live in a small place and yeah, kinda feel like it's "mine" and I know all the foreigners so I always try to be friendly, see what their story is and if I can help them. I've met a few interesting people that way. But if I'm somewhere like Hangzhou or a bigger place, then I just do the smile and nod thing. i mean, that's what I do at home when I pass someone on the street, so why not here? |
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