Sunday, May 3, 2009

Jay the Starbucks Employee

Saturday morning I lugged my laptop and a couple books over to Starbucks to get some reading and work done. I ordered a latte, then settled in for the morning. After a few minutes of reading, the Starbucks employee that had just made my latte came up and asked if I wanted to try some coffee. Confused, I asked him to repeat his question. He asked if he could make me some coffee. Still confused. He repeated his question several times, in Chinese and English. I understood the words coming out of his mouth, but had no idea what he was saying! Finally, thinking that he was planning to make a sample of coffee but wanted to make sure that it would be worth it, that people would drink it, I said yes.

A few minutes later, Jay the Starbucks employee walks up holding a tray. On the tray was a French press and two little coffee cups, as well as a pastry...for the two of us to share. The next two hours were spent on a psuedo-date with Jay the Starbucks employee. Only once did he have to get up to actually work by answering the phone; the rest of the time, even though he was on his shift!

After two hours of talking, I told Jay the Starbucks employee that I had to leave. Walking out to the street, I tried to catch a taxi to go to a friend's house. There was another guy, around 40 years old, also waiting. I commented on how hard it was to get a taxi, and he agreed, then asked where I was going. I told him, and he said that it was near where he was going, and we could ride together. Thinking his idea made sense, I continued to try, unsuccessfully, to flag down a taxi...until the guy's friend pulled up in an Audi to pick him up! Then I realized that he was a completely different page than me, but everything I said made perfect sense with what he was thinking, and vice versa! But he held open the car door for me, insisting it wasn't a big deal, and we headed off to our destinations. I was glad to have a ride, at least, until the driver dropped off the guy who had offered me a ride, awkwardly leaving just me and the driver for the last half of the drive.

Every day in China I experience something I have never experienced before (and it's often something I couldn't have thought of myself), but Saturday was a bonus, with two big adventures in one morning!

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