So, seems like everyone forgot to tell me about the school wide talent show taking place outside today. Should I go join them now so they can all go, “Oh, no! We’ve all forgotten to tell Ms. Housecat again!”, or should I just keep messing around on the computer? Hmmm.
A couple weeks ago, they forgot to tell me about the faculty photos everyone had to take with the new principal. I’m the only idiot who didn’t dress as if she were going to a ball.
That happens in my job too. Things go around in memos and they forget that there are illiterate people here.
Yeah. Mostly, it’s a good thing. They think, “She’ll be bored in our all chinese meeting, she doesn’t need to come.” Which is nice. But they forget to tell me later, which is also nice sometimes . . . .
Yeah. Mostly, it’s a good thing. They think, “She’ll be bored in our all chinese meeting, she doesn’t need to come.” Which is nice. But they forget to tell me later, which is also nice sometimes . . . .[/quote]
Sounds like a bonus to me! If they don’t tell you, you don’t have to go. Since most schools don’t pay people to go to those things, I would be grateful. Of course, if they are paying you to sit and watch kids sing, I would speak up. 
Same here, but I finally realized 5 years into the job that when they send me memos in Chinese that appear to be important (ie., it says NT$10,0000 in the midst of all the gibberish) I can copy relevant portions and plug them into Google Translate, which I now have bookmarked on my toolbar for easy access, so I can get a fairly clear picture of the general subject.
translate.google.com/#zh-CN|en|
Then, if it looks like it MAY be important, I’ll forward to my wife or my assistant for a better translation.
Even (especially) if you don’t have a wife and/or assistant, I highly recommend using a translation program to decipher inexplicable memos.
Happens to me, too. It’s a blessing, for the most part. 
Same here, but I finally realized 5 years into the job that when they send me memos in Chinese that appear to be important (ie., it says NT$10,0000 in the midst of all the gibberish) I can copy relevant portions and plug them into Google Translate, which I now have bookmarked on my toolbar for easy access, so I can get a fairly clear picture of the general subject.
translate.google.com/#zh-CN|en|
Then, if it looks like it MAY be important, I’ll forward to my wife or my assistant for a better translation.
Even (especially) if you don’t have a wife and/or assistant, I highly recommend using a translation program to deciper inexplicable memos.
I suggest you just bust in there and dazzle them with an impromptu a capella version of I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts whilst juggling 5 watermelon knives.
Big finish, you do the splits and expose your heaving chest to the judges.
Showstopper, baby!
They probably thought that you didn’t have any talents … 
Yeah, and I could have proven it to them if I’d gone for The Cheif’s suggestion above! Haha.
[quote=“the chief”]I suggest you just bust in there and dazzle them with an impromptu a capella version of I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts whilst juggling 5 watermelon knives.
Big finish, you do the splits and expose your heaving chest to the judges.
Showstopper, baby![/quote]
It always has to be YOU, YOU, YOU, doesn’t it? Maybe she hasn’t GOT any watermelon knives.
My favorite is when they tell you about it and then ask you if you want to come…Well, no I don’t…Perhaps instead of asking, you should just say it’s mandatory like for everyone else.
Yeah, and I could have proven it to them if I’d gone for The Cheif’s suggestion above! Haha.[/quote]
True, but you might have received the consolation prize for Best Sense of Humor.
Yeah, and I could have proven it to them if I’d gone for The Cheif’s suggestion above! Haha.[/quote]
True, but you might have received the consolation prize for Best Sense of Humor.[/quote]
And Worst Speller.
OH!
Yeah, and I could have proven it to them if I’d gone for The Cheif’s suggestion above! Haha.[/quote]
True, but you might have received the consolation prize for Best Sense of Humor.[/quote]
And Worst Speller.
OH![/quote]
Ah, Chief, STFU. I had to say, “How many dinosaurs are in the museum?” Six hundred times today. Then I had to say the answer six hundred times. It’s been a long day. And it’s a good thing that, in fact, I DON’T happen to have any watermelon knives.
Yeah, and I could have proven it to them if I’d gone for The Cheif’s suggestion above! Haha.[/quote]
True, but you might have received the consolation prize for Best Sense of Humor.[/quote]
And Worst Speller.
OH![/quote]
Ah, Chief, STFU. I had to say, “How many dinosaurs are in the museum?” Six hundred times today. Then I had to say the answer six hundred times. It’s been a long day. And it’s a good thing that, in fact, I don’t happen to have any watermelon knives.[/quote]
You coulda juggled some of them dinosaurs.
Anyways, the exposition of the heaving chesticular premises was the real highlight, after that they wouldn’t have remembered if you was juggling Chen Fucking Shuei Bian and his whole fucking family.
Just saying is all.
Awesome! Do you know how many bullshit promotions I did during my time at Hess? I have to use both hands to count the number of times I (at age 27!) had to dance to children’s songs in front of hundreds of people (crowds composed mainly of adults, and I was dancing alone I might add, the few kids present weren’t going to humiliate themselves publicly that way and neither were my wise Taiwanese co-teachers).
My current company doesn’t even bother inviting the foreign teachers to the year end event (although I do have to say Hess provided free alcohol at theirs and believe you me I took advantage of that), and I thanked my lucky stars when I saw my co-workers practicing a line dance for this year’s year end party. What’s with all the dancing and chanting for work that goes on here?
Anyways HouseCat, I say have yourself a talent show within the comfort of your own home. Your talent can be ‘not donating hours of my free time to my company, unpaid’. Now that’s a rare and worthy gift in Taiwan.
It’s okay. I’m not that heartbroken. I was really pissed about the photos, though. They came in and told me about three minutes before I was supposed to be grinning for the camera!
It was just wierd to figure it out when it was so quitet inside, but there was all kinds of new stuff happening outside. Not that I really CARED.
Have you ever hung around a bunch of Chinese speakers? I was doing that, even in the US. And we would be going somewhere and I would always be the last one to know or the one that has to ask where are we going now? I imagine the same would apply if the shoe were on the other foot.
I would feel a little hurt and excluded if that happened to me.
My experiences falls on the opposite spectrum than some of you. I am always invited to outings, photo-ops and even held events like my famous “American BBQ’s” or my “hot dog bonanza” upon request. I don’t get paid for them which is a drag, but I also get free food and good face value which pays off in other ways later.
Reason I brought the above up is, maybe…just maybe they do not think you want to be included in those activities for some reason?