what color your phone?
In my work as a real estate agent, I spend ample times talking with people over the phone, talking and describing properties to them. Some of them I get to meet eventually in person, and others. . .. simply never. Sometimes these conversations can be quite friendly and a few times the conversations have gone like this…
Me: blah ..blah . . .blah . ..
Caller : blah … blah.. blah … why so high the price?
Me : blah …. Blah .. haha.. you know lah.. seller’s market this area.. blah blah
Caller : OK so I will meet you at the house for viewing … What ‘s your name again?
Me : Andrew lim . .
Caller: haaah ? Andrew LIM ?!!….. I thought you were Indian… (pause..)
Me: er.. no… I am Chinese…
Caller: ( disbelieving) . . . really ah?....(silence)....... How come you sound like an Indian?
come on.. you're bluffing ahh….?
... laughs
Me : no lah… I am Chinese…(in my best Chinese accent..) wor ser chung quok ren. .
… more laughs….
In the beginning I am baffled why some people seem to think I sounded Indian over the phone. The more “proper” I try to speak , the more mistaken they become…duh ?
(Vart man you! Aii yam sure I nart talkin like an Indian!)
I soon realized it is not that I speak like an Indian, BUT more likely it is because I DON’ T speak like ‘very Chinese’.
(Ya lor, price so high hor.... can I helpch you .. orkay ..I double confirm alf-ter..)
How’s dat? Yeah, took me awhile to figure that one too.
Without the benefit of seeing the other person, one can only make certain assumptions from the impressions over the phone. Intonations, pronunciations, manner, choice of words etc, etc,…
Once, when I met my client at the site… this young pretty Indian woman ( client) comes up to my face breaking into a smile and says ." Oh you are Andrew ah? I was really expecting an Indian guy. . . . . .. ."
( how cute is that?)
shssssssehh....hahahahaha...
(btw I don’t want to hear any "Kaaarmens" about my wife not being chinese and henceforth the reason ….)
(Ps. Shee not like dat wan..)
until the next time....ta
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