There is a certain way to get on and in elevators here. Mostly it involves pushing and putting yourself first. Very similar to bus culture! You push the button to get on, stand right in front of the door, no matter how few people are waiting to get on, and AS SOON as the door opens you push your way into the elevator. No waiting to let the people get off. You get yourself on that elevator or someone else will take your place. And then you push yourself through again to push your little button, and if the door takes even two seconds to close, you pound that close button and make that door close faster for goodness sake!
The Foreign Languages Department has two elevators that are designated for teachers only. There is a sign above that says---"For teachers only." But students always slip in. To help enforce the validity of these signs, there are elevator ladies who are assigned to monitor who gets on and holds the door open so as many people can get on the elevator as possible. Some of these ladies are quite large and scary.
Well, today something interesting happened. As Mike and I were getting on the elevator with some other Chinese teachers, a couple students shoved their way on. This never seems to bother the Chinese teachers, but I can honestly say--it bothers me. The elevator lady yelled at them--get off--there are too many teachers who need to get on and you are taking there places!! She really gave a sound verbal whipping. But the two girls just looked up at her and then looked down and smiled. Not a smile of defiance, but more a smile of shame in knowing that what they were doing was wrong, but it's just the way things are. She really yelled at them--I thought she was going to pull them out but she never touched them. If it was me I would have been seriously scared. Angry Chinese women are nothing to mess around with.
No comments:
Post a Comment