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By Vitra Boozer
最近，我外出搜尋價格合理的中式家具，正好路過一些出售飾品的小店。搜尋毫無結果，我開始有點失望。中式家具的價格都很高，我又不太會講價，他們給我的最低價還是超出了我的預算，而我對材質和工藝又一竅不通。即便是要買也是出於喜歡，而不是應為價格合理。我百無聊賴的來到附近那些買飾品的小店。整條街都被我逛遍了，正當我准備往回走的時候，被一些玉鐲吸引住了。我試戴了幾個綠色的，最後盯上了一個白色的、有褐色斑點的玉鐲。粗心大意的我正准備試戴的時候，玉鐲忽然碎了，碎片掉在了地上，摔成了八瓣兒。
店主開始指責我，要求我賠償。我雖然知道高檔的玉鐲掉在地上會摔碎，但這裡出售的玉鐲最貴的纔八十塊，根本稱不上是玉鐲。而且，那玉鐲也不是掉在地上摔碎的，而是我試戴的時候碎的。直覺告訴我這是一些奸商的慣用伎倆：把原本碎了的手鐲粘在一起，待有粗心的客人試戴時，手鐲肯定會碎掉，這樣他們就可以要求客人賠償了。我拒絕了他們的要求。這是我第一次用自己的母語確切地表達自己的想法。說出來以後心裡舒服多了！當時我真的是被氣壞了，說話的速度很快，估計周圍人根本不明白我在說什麼。如果真的是我不小心把手鐲摔壞了，我當然有義務賠償，但事實卻並非如此。我衝出了商店，店主緊隨其後。追了有15分鍾，他嚷著要我隨他過去。我加快了腳步，衝上了正在附近等客的出租車。店主覺得再追下去也沒什麼意思，只好離開。我終於松了口氣！
有時與他人溝通會讓我感到沮喪。來到中國後，我感覺到了語言的弱化。語言是我們用來表達自己想法的工具，沒有什麼比一個人的母語來的更自然、更讓人感到舒服的了。當你身處險境時所做出的反應就是最好的證明。
On a recent trip for reasonably priced Chinese furniture, I had to pass by some small stalls selling trinkets and small ornaments. After an unsuccessful furniture search, I began to feel hopeless. The prices were very high, and with my limited bartering skills, their 『best foreigner price』 was way above my budget; especially when considering I couldn」t be sure of the quality of the workmanship and material. It was a case of buy it because you like it and not because you think you are getting a great deal. To break up the boredom, I decided to browse those small trinket stalls. After walking the length of the market, just as I was about to double back, my eyes were drawn to some jade bracelets. I tried on a few green ones and then spied a white one with a few brownish patches. Mindlessly, I put it over my fingers, and as I tried to nudge it towards my wrist, with very little effort, it broke apart, fell to the ground, and splintered into a few more pieces.
The store owner turned to me accusingly and insisted I pay for it. Now, I know that high quality jade would break if it fell to the ground, but this was from a vender whose highest asking price was Ұ80. Even worse, the bracelet never fell to the ground; it broke while I was trying it on. My first instinct was that this was an old trick where it had been broken and loosely glued back together earlier, and they were waiting for an unsuspecting customer to try it on. I refuse to be had like that. It was the first time I have ever resorted to speaking my native language and saying exactly what was on my mind. It was liberating and comforting because no one around me knew what I was saying. My English was too fast and angry. If I had clumsily dropped the bracelet and broke it, I would feel responsible, but that was not the case. I quickly walked away, with the shop owner on my heels. After a long fifteen minutes, he shouted at me to follow him in another direction. I quickened my pace and hurried to a waiting car. The seller decided it was pointless to continue and left. I was extremely relieved.
Sometimes it can be frustrating trying to be understood here. Coming to China has made me understand what it must be like to be language impaired. Language is a tool we use to express ourselves and nothing feels more natural and comfortable than the language we first discovered the world with. In a crisis situation this is most evident.
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