Sunday, December 16, 2007
I guess I've been conditioned to operate with grace under pressure.
I was subjected to what seemed like an endless series of accusing questions- "Why you speak with accent now, speak Singaporean can?", "Wah your pay not say very high also, like that can survive here meh?", "You here 6 months liao, still cannot speak fluent Japanese ah?", "You very high class now hor, eat in restaurants...", "You only work in Bloomberg for over a year, can have friends in Tokyo meh?", "Live here like fashion parade hor?". And the gravest insult of all, "You also not native speaker (because, oh, native equals white), how come you can be hired leh?"
I answer every question calmly, the half-smile never leaving my face.
Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.
And I remembered why I had to leave them, now a year and a half and worlds apart, that I no longer had to meet their expectations or impress them anymore.
I'm here for myself and I'm happy and I wish you could all be happy for me too.
Labels: confession, friendship, life, tokyo
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