Taxi!

There are rough edges that come from the border of your culture rubbing up against the culture you’re immersed in. I was recently reminded of this during a couple taxi rides from the airport recently.

When was the last time your taxi driver picked up his wife and kid then dropped them off somewhere, all while you were in the car? I know the answer for me: a few weeks ago. This taxi driver picked me up at the airport and then his family. He dropped them off downtown, then dropped me off. In the midst of this, he explained to his wife that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. While he was right, I understood the part where he said I couldn’t understand them. The whole situation angered me. I had returned from Korea, to be greeted by this. I acted like I was writing down his medallion number and he suddenly started playing house with me, asking me where I was from and what foods I like to eat. I told him my favorite sandwich is the one that takes you directly from the airport to home. He laughed.

Last week, after returning from Shanghai, there was a line of taxis waiting at the airport and I got in one. He weaved through the streets and ignored a couple red lights – nothing unusual. Then we came to a toll booth. He slowed down, pushed the bar up and out of the way and sped on, checking his rear view mirror for any repercussions....hmmmmmm. It usually costs around 60 kuai to get from the airport to my neighborhood. This time, it took 73. It could have been because of the route he took, but I didn’t mind. What I did mind was handing him a 100 bill and getting 17 back. He explained that there’s a 10 kuai surcharge on trips from the airport. I laughed while writing down his medallion number. He gave me back the 10 kuai.

On the whole, I’m going to miss China after I leave. Once you get passed the language barrier, you find more similarities between Eastern and Western Cultures. But moments like the ones above remind you of the differences.