Sick and Second-language Shopping

I got to school today to discover that my stomach did not want me to be there. So I promptly came home and laid in bed all day, and took medicine when Rachel got back and gave me some. I really hate to use up a sick day so early, but it was just one of those things that I don't think could have worked any other way--I was in pain, and I'm going to Taipei tomorrow morning for an official reception Monday. I HAVE to be okay.

 So my day was pretty dull. I slept, felt sick, slept, watched TV, read while the TV program was loading (oh, joyously slow Internet), discovered that a new issue of the New Yorker automatically loaded onto my Kindle at some point (hooray! finished the previous one today--loving this), and finally rallied to eat a normal dinner and take a quick exploratory jaunt out to look for shoes for Monday.

Monday, you see, is a big deal. A VERY big deal. The Fulbright scholars are invited to a reception hosted by Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs for 10/10, their "National Day" and, this year, the 100th anniversary of Taiwan (ROC) as an independent country. And, given that the USA does not formally recognize this to be the case, our presence there is, as I said, a VERY BIG DEAL.

So dressing appropriately matters.

I have my traditional silk dress (which I bought, ironically enough, in China) which I am going to wear, but the only the problem with this dress is that it is dark blue with blueish silver accents. Which is beautiful, but astonishingly difficult to match in the shoes-and-purse category.

Hence the shopping trip. But, a longish walk,  four times through the shoe department, five saleswomen, and multiple repetitions of "對不起, 我的中文不好" ("Sorry, my Chinese isn't good") and "有沒有 四十?" "沒有" ("Do you have 40?" "We don't have it") and "我要 藍色的... or...灰色的" ("I need blue...("or" in English)...gray," invariably followed by them showing me ugly shoes in other colors). It was frustrating, to say the least. Shopping often stresses me out, especially when I am required to ask salespeople questions; add a complete inability to talk about anything but size and color when they ask questions like if I want them to order it or if I want a shoe with a heel, and you get chaos.

Long story short, I walked away shoe-less, with a host of slightly bemused, slightly disappointed saleswomen in my wake. I'll try again in Taipei with Rachel and Karina--my allies in this battle for understanding.