I stopped in a vegan cafe in Hanoi to wait out the rain this morning. An adorable waitress in a pale yellow dress greeted me with a big smile and showed me to a table. She had the giddy look on her face of one who can barely contain her excitement at the thought of practicing her English with a native speaker. I know that look because it transcends all the cultural boundaries that I've crossed. And it's unmistakable.
She waited until I finished my fresh-squeezed juice and the email I was writing on my phone. She stood twenty feet behind me, waiting patiently for her opportunity, and, I'm sure, hoping that I wouldn't mind talking, just for a minute.
I turned around to ask for the check and she scurried quickly to the table. As I counted the bills, I could almost feel her anxiety. I considered starting the conversation myself, but I didn't want to make her more nervous. Then, finally, she began,
"Where do you come from?"
"America," I answered, followed by, "USA," because she seemed a bit unsure of what to ask next.
"What do you do in US?" She pronounced each word carefully, paying special attention to the sounds most foreign to her tongue.
"I'm a lawyer," I answered. She looked surprised.
"So you are a lawyer, so you help people when they have problems?"
I smiled, "Well, actually I'm a criminal lawyer so I put people in jail. I put bad guys in jail."
(You try explaining the role of criminal prosecution in the American justice system using basic vocabulary!)
The conversation continued for awhile. Eventually I realized I was not going to finish my vegan pho... When a couple customers entered the restaurant, I used the diversion as an opportunity to politely excuse myself. My new friend remained gracious, and we exchanged social media accounts.
As I walked out the door, she smiled really big and said, "I wish many bad guy meet you!"
Don't you just love the English language?
