Chinese Studying and Peoplewatching in Taipei 101

I am often in Taipei 101, until last month, the tallest building in the world. Since I am a poor student, perhaps being there makes me feel, well, a little richer. I study on the fourth floor where there are several cafes and Taipei's best bookstore for English books, and in between memorizing new vocabulary and writing sentences in Chinese that are a mixture of both proper Chinese and English grammar (I get points off for the latter, though), I peoplewatch.

There are the grandmothers who knit and gossip at the table next to me every time I am there. They know me well (well, because they see me all the time), and hopefully, they've gossiped about me.

Then there are the business people who are on a coffee break, business people in meetings with their laptops, salespeople making big deals. Students who are on summer break who are either chilling together after a little shopping, or organizing some big activity, like a play. At least that's what it looks to me.

The boys are usually skinny, mostly with tan complexions and funky haircuts, and a few are more plump. There's usually one guy who's really loud, and the girls all pay attention to him. I am sure they go home together afterwards and tell each other how they think he is so cute. They secretly want to marry him.

Usually, there are a few retired couples drinking tea and eating dessert. There is a large TV above our heads on the fourth floor, mostly advertising expensive watches and other luxury products, including mutual funds. Skinny Versace models (mostly blonde) cross their legs in front of each other while they walk on the catwalk (why do they walk like that?; it looks like they are going to pull their anterior lateral cruciate ligament or something), but they don't look that pretty to me. They look forced and mechanical, unnatural. They look like they can't wait for the show to end so they can go out for another night of dancing, drinking, and perhaps taking expensive drugs. And they're not even twenty yet. Poor girls.

So the old men just look blankly at the screen while the wives talk and sip their tea. But sometimes, they look like they are having a good conversation, like they actually like each other after fifty years of marriage.

I notice that the elderly woman at the table next to me with her husband looking over at my table a few times, curious about what I am studying, and then when I got up to refill my cup of tea with hot water, she looks at me, interested. So, when I have a Chinese question, I walk over to her and say politely, "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a Chinese question?"

"Sure," the woman responds. She seems very happy to help, and I ask my question. She gives me a confident and clear explanation and I smile and thank her. Her husband smiles at me and says that his wife is a retired elementary school teacher. "Perfect for my level," I say. We all chat for a while.

Actually, the truth is that after you've studied a year and a half of solid Chinese and lived in Taiwan for that long, I am sorry to say, but the large majority of elementary school students are much more advanced than you. I'm talking about writing and reading. If we're talking about speaking, then I would think it would be appropriate to compare us to nursery school kids in Taiwan, all of whom are far more advanced in their Chinese speaking and listening abilities. For instance, most of my classmates (and me), have a hard time understanding most animated movies in Chinese.

The other day, I got up to go for a bathroom break, and as I was washing my hands, I see a little kid, maybe four years old, with his mom, at the door. She is trying to send him in to pee, but the little boy wants her to go in there with him and help. But she tells him she can't.

I walk over and smile at him and say, "Okay, come in, I'll help you, okay?" When I see that his mother hasn't freaked out and called the police (she is actually smiling and looks a little relieved), I take his hand. His mother tells him to go with me and I lead him to the low urinal where young boys can urinate hygienically and accurately. I walk away and wait for him to finish. As he is getting ready to pee, he looks over at me. I smile and make a face at him. During the process of peeing, he looks over at me several times. This might be the first time a foreigner is supervising his peeing process.

He is all zipped up and walks out toward his mother, but I remind him that he needs to wash his hands. So, I take the toy motorcycle in his hand and put his hands in front of the automatic faucet. He's done washing and I can tell he misses him mom a lot--he forgets all about his motorcycle. So, I remind him, hey, your motorcycle, dude.

I walk out with him, and his mom looks at me, thankful.

I am thankful, too. I sit back down, and am ready for some more Chinese studying and peoplewatching in Taipei 101.