sometime this week i went tanning at the school pool.

there are all sorts of ppl at the school pool - the serious swimmers, the families of the teaching staff, the sun-worshippers (like yours truly), the ah-tiongs and the exchange students who also kinda fall into the category of sun-worshippers.

that day, i discovered a new hybrid of exchange students at the pool.

the studious sun-worshippers.

while the usual tanners relax or stone by the pool plugged into their ipods listening to the latest tunes, they read the textbook or do their tutorials.

one bloke with a weird tattoo on his back (i think it's a leaf. no wait, two leaves. one above the other.) was leafing (hehe) through what looked like primary school mandarin language notes. obviously, he's learning mandarin as an elective.

my companion and i smiled at each other.

then he whipped out his phone and started conversing, albeit in a western accent, fluently in mandarin!

my companion and i gawked at each other.

he spoke better mandarin than my friend did french, and she's taking advanced classes!

some time later, bloke with weird tattoo pulled out another tutorial and started muttering under his breath.

he was practising japanese.

my companion and i gawked at him.

he must be someone truly interested in asian languages and culture to choose to study in singapore and learn, if not master, not one, but two asian languages.

i was impressed.

and then of course, in typical cliched fashion, he immediately bungled up and retracted every bit of the good impression i had of him.

he started ranting to another exchange student, who kept very quiet, i suppose in silent disapproval, about his japanese instructor in a debilitating manner. his tone of voice was so condescending i could have slapped him.



leaf man: i dont believe anyone can be so nice. it's bullshit

quiet man: yeah

leaf man: she's like (mimicks high-pitched, cartoony woman's voice), "gomenasaiiiii!!!! yamagamaguchiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!! " who talks like that??? she's trying to sound cute all the time! no one is polite all the time, i cant stand her!

quiet man: ...

leaf man: she's the devil!

quiet man:... (and leaves after a while)



i gave him a fierce glare, and luckily for him, he didnt speak again.

well dude, you're right, no one is so nice all the time. but perhaps she's being nice cos she's your fucking teacher yea. it's in the culture of the japanese to be polite, even to vermin like you. they bend over 90degrees when they bow, they take off their shoes when they enter your home, heck, they even have an entire complicated ritual just for serving you freaking tea. japanese women do talk in an 'act-cute' fashion sometimes, it could be partly due to the music and intonation of the language, and also to their hello-kitty obsessed culture.

i can understand that someone not used to the way the japanese speak might find it grating after a while. but not you. not someone who chose to fly halfway across the globe, presumably because you have an interest in the region, to immerse in the culture and learn, like, yknow, two asian languages.

still, maybe you came all the way here and realised just how much you didnt like it here. maybe you hate this country, the school, the students, the teachers, everything.

fair enough.

but did you have to demonstrate such uncouthness? what happened to cultural tolerance or respect for another individual's quirks and twists? give your japanese instructor a break.

i can surely think of worse things to slam.

for example, people like you.

ive met, and even worked with a few exchange students so far, and i have to say that sadly, not all were pleasant. sure, not everyone is a nice person, but i find it particularly disenchanting when the student in question comes all the way to singapore just to impart gems of wisdom dripping with sarcasm about this country. loudly. proudly. to an entire roomful of stunned singaporeans.

you sure charmed our socks off.

im no xenophobe, but i think that westerners like you shouldnt be allowed in asia. go back to wherever you came from, where being nice and cute is probably outlawed, and it's polite to insult people in their faces. or maybe impoliteness is simply the order of the day.

you wont be missed.