This sign is for 7-Eleven, HK’s answer to Tesco Metro. I was
chuffed to find this one 30 seconds from our new flat’s front door in Sheung
Wan.
What you may notice is that the next two signs are solely in
Chinese. This is true in 95% of the Sheung Wan shops. It’s only 10 minutes from
the centre, but it is beyond the usual expat hubs and solidly HK Chinese.
I went to 7-11 to recharge my phone. The assistant looked
blank. Fair enough – mime time! I waved my phone, grinning and pointing at the
logo. She made understanding noises, and triumphantly produced a Sim card. I
shook my head and tried to act out “recharging” (if you have watched me play
Articulate, you will guess this went poorly).
She looked baffled, and enlisted two passing customers to help;
they didn’t speak English either, but they crowded around the counter and
looked concerned. I pointed to a mobile advertisement, shaking my head and
waggling my finger negatively at the Sim, while beaming at the recharge-card with
thumbs up. This totally flummoxed my now-alarmed audience.
Finally, an immaculately suited Cantonese lady entered, and
we all sighed with relief, thinking suit=English. The assistant waved her over,
and she immediately established what I wanted. When I finally handed over
payment, our party of five all cheered – hooray!
How sweet. But pragmatically, Claire and I cannot live like
that long-term; and on principle, why should we? I will not be one of those expats
with zero Cantonese. The self-teaching CD sessions begin tomorrow…
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