I have had two days in Xiamen visiting friends, which was nice. I also used the time to visit Xiamen University Press again, with another lady. They will publish my book and the lady, Lucy will translate it into Chinese too. We had a good meeting with them and got lots of things sorted out.
After I left Jenny’s place I went into town to meet an ex-student from Longyan, the one we call Peter 2. It was lovely to catch up with him and see him again. He was one of our favourite students there, and was a very good speaker and excellent writer. He brought with him one of his childhood mates, name of ‘wood’ and I said I wanted Macca’s, I hadn’t had any junk food for a month and wanted a big mac.
Well, this was on Monday, and the place was frantically busy. It was the beginning of a three day holiday and we met at the Walmart mall which is next to the train station, full of people. Macca’s likewise was chocka. We couldn’t find a table anywhere. After a while some people left and we got their table, big enough for the three of us. As I sat down I glanced at the people at the next table, and they were deaf, signing away furiously.
I signed, ‘are you deaf’ and he turned to me at once. They use Chinese sign, completely different from NZ or Auslan, but even so, he easily understood, ‘I am from Australia’, he knew the sign for kangaroo. Well, we all had a great old chat. Of course, being deaf was a problem and being Chinese compounded the whole process. But we got it down to a fine at. I would talk to Peter 2 in English. He would write this down in Chinese chararcters on the Macca’s place mat, (the back of it) and the deaf man would read the Chinese characters and then write his answer back to Peter 2 who would then give me the information in English. It was a very very successful three way conversation.
I learned many things about him. He was 30 years old and had a steady job in some trading company. He was profoundly deaf, and the guy he was sitting with was too. I don’t think he was married. He could read and write and lip read Chinese but not speak. When he was writing one reply, Peter 2 looked at me and said this is an interesting word, and he is paying you a compliment but it is very hard to translate, it is some sort of Christian greeting.
So in our three way conversation we worked out that he was very interested in the Bible, that he went to small gatherings where there were lectures about Jehovah God, but it was not a church. Someone had introduced him to this deaf group and he was a regular attender. I asked more questions but I couldn’t get anything more definitive. I have his QQ number and I will communicate with him and his mate. Although I can’t write Chinese QQ has a translation button and I can type English and it will turn it into Chinese.
Peter 2 also enjoyed the conversation. I pointed out to Peter that many people would ignore deaf people, a little afraid of them and unable to communicate but that there was lots we could learn from them and talking to them was a good thing to do.
The deaf men left delighted with our chat, and it was funny because another guy, maybe mid 20’s came along and sat in the same chair. I was talking to Peter 2 and Wood about lots of different stuff, and I knew the guy next door was listening, and that he could speak English, so I turned to him and started including him in the conversation too. It’s amazing how being a foreigner puts you in such a different place. They will chat, take notice etc, whereas at home, well, I’m no foreigner and don’t stand out at all. I must say though, that I am getting fed up with the constant staring at, I have not seen another foreigner in this city at all, although I am told they exist, but they certainly don’t exist in this part of the city.
Oh well, it will be tea time soon, and guess what, the live duck that was residing patiently in the washing tub is now dissected, de-feathered and adding flavour to our dinner. At least I saw the thing was bled, so I’m if for a feed.
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