So on a Facebook about guitar building in Taiwan someone was giving away a guitar form. So I try to take it and got it. He tells me to make arrangements (I have to personally go to Kaoshung for this, and I figure I want to meet another luthier in Taiwan), so I did.
Well I messaged him asking if he could perhaps open a little later because it takes a very long time to get to Kaoshung from Taipei by bus and I don’t want to miss his opening hours. He said a few things in English about other work arrangements. I repeated what I said in Chinese, the best I could. After that he took offense. Told me that obviously I can speak Chinese, but I tried to talk to him in English. He said that he loves to share good things to those who want it but he can’t accept someone who has no manners, and told me to save my ticket and don’t come.
Are Taiwanese, especially southerners really touchy feely like this, or are they just anti foreigner type? I felt like I stepped on a landmine here.
I think all you can really do is politely follow up and maybe suggest if there was a misunderstanding between you two. It’s really hard to see without the full conversation. If you want, you can post a censored version of this chat to really see it, but that’s of your own will. Otherwise, since the information is limited, there’s not much we can do. I’ve been ghosted for much weirder than that.
Suggest misunderstanding and kiss ass is what I usually employ.
Idk. I’ve had this happen to me before with some people. I don’t think you did anything wrong. I also am slow at Typing in Chinese. So I offer to call or use voice messages usually.
I think maybe he’s just one of those “I hate foreigner” type of person… who knows.
I don’t understand how guitar builders can be like this because this is a highly international trade… you have to source wood and parts from all over the world to make a guitar. If you’re an anti foreign, globalization type you wouldn’t be building guitars at all, especially if you have to order wood and parts from American suppliers, unless he deals exclusively with Taobao, but if he’s anti foreigner he certainly wouldn’t like Chinese people.
I don’t think he hates foreigners. I think he thinks you’re trying to show you’re better than him using English when you can use Chinese. It happens sometimes. So I try to use as much Chinese as I can when first talk to strangers.
I heard some feel deceived if they think you don’t know Chinese and then you suddenly surprise them by busting out some Chinese out of nowhere halfway through a conversation. I don’t understand it, but that’s what I heard. Anyway, I think you should just forget it. He was pretty forceful. He doesn’t seem like he’ll come around even if you apologize.
On an unrelated note, HSR economy is not that expensive, dude… bus from Taipei to Kaohsiung is hell from what I hear. And takes about 4 or 5 times as long depending on traffic. If you leave 8:40 on HSR you’d be in Kaohsiung a bit after 10am and that whole conversation wouldn’t have even happened. Just drop a few extra hundred and save yourself the hassle.
I just hope this isn’t a sign from God saying that I should just be a wage slave at some retail establishment instead of building guitars…
What’s worse is because I reserved a bus ticket, and paid for it with a credit card, now I gotta go and somehow refund the ticket, which I am not even sure if they will let me. Sometimes I think he did this intentionally too, you know get my hopes up and then just cancel on you after you’re already on the damn bus.
The way you interact with the guy is a bit odd to me. Why is it a rush if your bus arrives at 3pm and he closes at 5pm? It feels like you’re making unnecessary demands of him without providing an explanation.
And asking for directions. You just key the address into Google maps. The way you converse with him comes across as a bit demanding. Why tell him what time your bus leaves?
Getting loads of questions and unnecessary information in a second language, and then finding out that the question asker can converse in your native language - do you see how that could annoy someone?
What he didn’t understand is “So you cant open late?”
My guess is that may be partly because he already said he couldn’t stay open late indirectly but obviously. But you asked it again. He might have thought you were demanding to change his schedule again. He also might be confused by open late. open till late might be clearer for non native.
Then you repeated the same question, which he already understood correctly and replied, in Chinese.
It never occurred to me that I was coming across as rude or annoying. It is a perfectly understandable (that any Taiwanese would understand), that bus is slow, maybe a little faster than regular slow train on a good day, but the reason I think I may be in a hurry is because I never been to Kaoshung, and so it is going to take me much longer to find places and stuff. And also I don’t know his shop so by the time I found it it could be too late. I was simply letting him know and was asking if I could come in a little later.
It was not a guitar, it is a mold to make a guitar, 2 molds actually. I am perfectly capable of making the mold myself, in fact I made all of them myself. I really wanted to see another guitar builders in Taiwan and perhaps buy some materials from him. It was less about the stuff and more about making new connections with people within my trade. If I had known it would have been a big issue I’d have at least taken Zhi Chan train rather than bus… It is only a few hundred NT more than bus but probably only twice as long as HSR.
Maybe I just dodged a bullet… perhaps he may find that I can speak in Chinese and decide to tell me to leave, right when I show up at his doorstep.
Second that. If I was giving something away and someone started texting me in that tone and demanding directions that they could get from Google maps I’d jump at the chance to drop the deal too.
Is “Hi I got the guitar molds…” is the opening line in the whole communication? If so, maybe next start consider starting by thanking the guy for offering them and go from there asking when it’s convenient for him to have them collected.
