There’s a sign above the bus driver’s seat that asks passengers not to stand idly and talk to him. I usually do though for two reasons:
1) Bus drivers are quite funny, when they aren’t filled with road rage
2) The front of the bus is the most spacious part.
This week I was standing idly and joking around about how I often get on the 365 rather than the 355. The driver told me I should get glasses if I couldn’t distinguish the huge red numbers apart from each other. My bus stop was soon approaching and he asked me where I was from. I made him guess. His first guess what Russia. Wrong. Next, he guessed Europe. Wrong again. I told him I was from America and he didn’t believe me. He was confident I wasn’t American because they are “很讨厌” (very annoying). I finally convinced him of my nationality and we parted ways with smiles and waves to each other.
It’s times like these that I am really happy that I learned Chinese. All foreigners in China, although we are here for other reasons, serve as ambassadors for our respective country. Our actions are explicated to represent our homeland, and with that comes a big responsibility. We have the power to change perspectives and we also have the ability to reinforce stereotypes. Who knows why the bus driver thought that Americans were 很讨厌. Maybe an inebriated expat got sick on his bus last weekend, or maybe an American didn’t give his seat up to an old woman. Whatever the reason, I hope each time foreigners go out in public, we are aware that we are each wearing an invisible flag. You don’t need a diplomatic passport to improve US-Chinese relations. You can do that by simply getting on the bus.
1）公车司机在不是为路况生气的时候还是很幽默的。
2）公车前面离司机近的区域是车上最宽敞的地方。