Ryu2.mind

United's having a special mileage offer:45,000 miles for an Economy award ticket between the USA and Beijing orShanghai, compared to the usual 60,000.  The only catch is thattravel must be completed by 31 March.  Once the worst of winter isover in a few weeks, it'd be a great time to visit Shanghai before the summer heat and crowds... (hint,hint =) )

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Speaking of United, I bookedmy tickets to Hong Kong yesterday for CNY(actually to Shenzhen), an award ticket on Air China using Unitedmiles.  True, along with the rest of the US airline industry, United's experience in theair and on theground has sunk to new lows with 9/11, SARS, and the economy in generaltaking their toll.  Butthe two usual Shanghainese ladies manning the service desk at theUnited Shanghai office, Yuna and Rikku [names changed to protect their jobs] are a different story, and arequite the characters.  I'm sure some of my fellow Shanghai-based Unitedfrequent fliers like chieworldknow whom I'm talking about... =)

As many a China expat has blogged about, myself included, one ofthe main things that often initally proves frustrating is therelative lack of automation in many day-to-day tasks like shopping orbanking.  And yet despite any inefficency, compared to theanonymous faceless West, this human contact borne out of necessity inShanghai can and does make for opportunities for meaningful personalrelationshipswith folks from restaurant owners to security guards...

... as well as ummm, interesting conversations.  Take the twoaforementioned United ladies.  I'm apparently on a first-namebasis with them now.  In the US, I'd never even see a human,because I'd just book a e-ticket via United's website.  Whereas in Shanghai, you get this:

[I walk in,show them my ID, tell them what Iwant]

Rikku: "Ahh... Mr. Mark!  Your Chinese has improved a lot since thelast time I saw you.  The last time you were here in July, you couldn'teven say "air ticket" " [Last July when I redeemed miles for a ticket to PEK... and I'm pretty sure I could say air ticket even then. ;) ]
Me: "Wow... your memory is extremely good."
"Of course.  Who would forget you..."

[Waiting for Air China to confirm seat availability]

R: "So, you're an ABC, right?"
Me: "Yup."
R: "Where are you from?"
Me: "San Francisco Bay Area... in fact, I spent all my life there before coming out to Shanghai"
R: "And how long have you been here?"
Me: "About 10 months give or take/"
R: "Wow, and your Chinese is that good."
Me: "I spoke a bit growing up, took two years in college, and spent asummer as a student at a university in China.  But of course,coming here has been the biggest help."
R: "[in a maternal voice and attitude] Well, I'm no longer allowing you to speak English here."
Me: "Yeah, that's no problem... I want to speak Chinese as much as I can.  In any case, your English isso much better than my Chinese... you can practice with the laowai."

[...]

R: "But you don't really know much about China, do you?" [Whether justified or not, itreally annoys me when people say this when they'd never think of sayingthe same to a laowai.]
Me: "Yeah... of course, I'm not a native Chinese, but I have travelledextensively, taken courses, studied the language, and so forth."
R: "Your native American friends... what do they think of you as?"
Me: "Well, not Chinese and not American... Chinese-American.  We're our own unique category."
R: "So, which is better, China or the US?"
Me: "I like both,"
R: "No really, which is better."
Me: "I guess it depends on what criteria."
R: "You want to stay here, right?"
Me: "Yeah, I'd like to.

[More waiting...]

R: "Let me guess... you were born in 1980?"
Me: "77."
Y: "[Haughtily] Hmph!  Really?!  Well then, you'll have to call us da jie" [older sister]
Me: "I guess so... =)"
R"So... do you have a girlfriend yet?"
Me: "Not yet..."
Y: "How can someone as ke-ai as you not have one yet?  Well, do you want one?" [I guess fear of sexual harassment is one Western thing that hasn't caught on yet...]
Me: "We'll see... I'm taking things slowly."
R: "Why do you want to come to China?"
Me: "[blah, blah, the usual stuff about professional opportunity...] and to really have meaningful relationships and make a difference here with people."
Y: "Well, Shanghai's the place to meet people" [smiling]

[Finally the tickets are booked.]

Me: "Well, thanks for your help... I'm sure I'll see you guys again. =)"
R: "Yes, I'm sure we will >=)" [evil smile on her face]

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Well, that's Shanghainese women for you.  So ifyou're wondering just where the stereotypes come from... two datapoints for you. 

No, not everyone is like that.  And no I'mnot, so stop snickering already. ;P