Today, the Chinese teachers at the Autistic school invited us over to one of their houses for lunch, which was a wonderful experience. The experience, however, reminded me of just how difficult it can be to be polite sometimes! I find that smiling and trying to be considerate as possible is the best way to go, but still it’s hard to understand all of the customs and other expectations that surround an event such as a meal. As one could easily imagine, I’ve also found that the language barrier has made expressing my gratitude very difficult, but again also makes asking for clarification on customs quite difficult. Sometimes, I just feel so ‘American’ because I am aware that I am probably doing something odd, yet don’t know how to correct it. However, despite these difficulties, I’ve found that it doesn’t detract from communication and mutual learning from each other.
