Where the Heck are You Taking Me!

Where in the World is D Today?

Thinking he was about to get whacked!

I discovered today that Taiwan just like the U.S. has different accents in how people talk.

First the plane trip. Fourteen plus hours! Oh my gosh, my knees hurt like you can not imagine. I sat next to a friendly enough fellow from Kaoshing in the Southern part of Taiwan. (And if one more person suggests that I find a Taiwanese woman, I'm going to scream. Geez people I came to teach not to get hooked up! Sorry about that rant but when the Taiwanese fellow suggested that after 14 some odd hours, I was ready to scream.)

Sorry, I digress. OK, back to the story.

My flight left LAX about an hour an a half late, which of course made us late getting here. Jack, my contact couldn't wait and left someone else to pick me up. I navigate baggage and customs fairly efficiently for a novice and see the sign with my name. Written out very poorly I might add. (I could give him some nice penmanship lessons.) This guy speaks about 12 words of English and doesn't speak them well at all. I say "Jack?!" He says "No, go around" Oops, there's a wall between us. Anyway, this guys rounds me and 8 other people up and put us on a van. Just before he hands me a phone with Jack on the line. We're outside so there's the sound of about a million cars, planes and people. The only thing I make out is these people will get me to the hotel and he'll meet me there.

(Oh I think I got cursed out in Chinese when I inadvertently caught a man's dangling shoe string in the cart with my luggage. But then again, he could have been saying "Welcome to Taiwan we love strangers and I hope you have the most exquisite visit." But going by the tone, I wouldn't bet large sums on that.)

We get in the van and are cruising along. The drive is chattering away to the man in the passenger seat when it dawns on me that he doesn't have the stereotypical "Chinese accent". He sounds like, hmmmmm a Jamaican speaking Chinese. Seriously, I have expected the dude to put on some Bob Marley and bust out a Rhasta hat!

So he's got my attention and I notice we past the exit for Taoyuan. That's where I'm going. So I figure he's got these other people maybe it's like he's got to drop them off somewhere and the go to Taoyuan. 20 minutes pass, then about an hour and I'm thinking what the heck is going on. The driver has even fewer words of English than the dude at the airport. So I'm resigned to trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to get to Taoyuan. After about an hour and 45 min he pulls over on a dark road and gestures for me to get out. What the Hell!? And NO I am not getting out! There's a guy who speaks English and he tells me it's ok. I'm sorry but I don't think SO!!! This is the kind of thing that happens to the Black guy in the first ten minutes of a horror movie. There's a Chinese Freddie Kruger out there waiting to get me! Then a cab pulls up. Again, what in the heck is going on?! I'm sure MoEx just doesn't put people out on the side of the road!

Eventually the guy who speaks English convinces me that it's ok. I'm sure I looked pretty ridculous to the people in the van. In about 20 minutes, I'm at the Hotel and a gentle walks up to the door and introduces himself, It's Jack!!

OK, here's what I learned. Today, my belief that people are basically good and I am going to have to trust that on this adventure was affirmed. Two I seriously, need to Learn Chinese. And three, I had a genuine sense of what it must feel like to all those folks hitting the U.S. shores everyday. The are lost, a little afraid but trying to do well and do right. The sense of isolation I felt was truly overwhelming. TRULY!

So when you come across somebody out there that is taking a little too long in line looking at the signs in front of them with utter confusion, cut them a little slack. Give them a nice "it's OK" kinda smile And think about how I could probably use that same smile as your giving it.

Peace!