Asia Update #33 - Engrish?

Asia is generally good for laughs in how they try to use the English language. Have hit a few very interesting mistakes in my time here - ones which translate into something much different than what they meant it to. There are some web sites on this, including http//www.engrish.com (about funny Japanese mistakes) andhttp://www.feer.com/indexes/talesindex.html (covers misc. mistakes every week found throughout Asia).

One big mistake is that Rs and Ls are often mixed up by many Asians. Their languages do not have these sounds. Most westerners here have hit the stereotypical mistake. And I got it from a Japanese coworker when he sent me an email and wished me to "Have a good fright back to Korea".

The agriculture museum in Korea had a few good ones. Here are some pictures that show the best of the mistakes...

The one above was at a model of a farmer's guard stand for their melon patch. It was a small platform with a roof. Used for guarding the crop, and also as an escape from the "sultry summer nights". Why would someone want to escape from a sultry summer night?

This one was easy to miss. It is in the line where they talk about the King of Fruits. Crap apples sure don't sound like a type of apple I'd want to eat…

One common question I get from people in the States is when am I going to return. Well, I now have an answer. I return to the States in June. Well, sort of return. I will be keeping the same job, but will be based out of the States. The rough plan is that I will spend 2 weeks a month in the Bay Area and the other 2 weeks on the road (mostly to Asia). As if I don't have enough frequent flier miles…

The experience in Asia has been great for me - I definitely have learned a lot. This includes all the stuff you would expect, such as little of some of the languages and about the culture. But it has also changed me in many ways which I didn't expect. For example, I am now much more comfortable with not being in full control of my surroundings. Most of the time, I would sit down at a restaurant and not be clear on what I had ordered. Generally, this works out just great, because most of the food is very good. But you must be willing to accept that what you want may not be what you get, and their really isn't anything you can do about it.

I have a couple of pieces of advice to anyone who is considering doing a similar type of long trip. First advice is to eat yogurt. What you eat will contain bugs that won't agree with you - yogurt helps replenish your supply of good bugs to fight these nasties off. Next piece of advice is to smile a lot. When you are unsuccessfully trying to communicate with someone, it goes much better if you are friendly. Another piece of advice is to carry a little packet of tissues - seems many bathrooms in some countries expect you to wash your nether regions with water or just aren't stocked with paper. The last piece of advice or anyone who gets an opportunity like this is to go for it. Yes there are lots of risks and will be some bad times, but overall it will be a great experience.

Looks like I will be in Korea for the next few weeks. May enter a mountain bike race this upcoming weekend. Another couple of weeks of work, and then I take two weeks of vacation at the beginning of May when my lady-friend comes out to visit (the same one who I got together with in Hawaii). Hopefully, we will be spending a week in Thailand as part of this to get some diving in, catching some sun, and seeing if we can get another set of wallets stolen.