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One of the perks of being American in Taiwan is being able to cash in on the general appreciation of the Chinese here for most things American, the general dislike and bewilderment at the crazy policies and behavior of President Bush being an exception. This is not always appreciated by non-Americans here who are always being mistaken as Americans.
In a recent article of the Frenchman Benoit Bouquin on cultural diversity he recounts his mixed feelings when young Chinese students mistake him for being an American. As an American in Taiwan over fifty years ago, being called American naturally made me feel good. It was also certainly better than being pointed out as a “foreign devil” or “big nose” which in those days was just as common. My Spanish companions, of course, hated to be called American, but I just laughed at them until one day I visited Chutung where the only foreigners were Spanish and the students pointed at me and said “Spaniard.” Then I knew what they were feeling.
As an American I was always approached by bold students eager to practice their English. This, too, must have bothered my Spanish friends who were forced to learn English because the Chinese language course was only taught in English.
My Spanish companions quite understandably spoke among themselves in Spanish every chance they got. One day they were on a public bus chatting away in Spanish while a group of Chinese boys sitting behind them were listening very carefully. When the Spaniards got up to get off the bus, they overheard one of the Chinese boys say “Wasn’t that great? We just had a free English lesson.”
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