A few years ago I went to get an X-ray done at the local clinic on Scott Road. When I got called in there was this Chinese lady there who thought I didn’t know English and started giving instructions in Punjabi. I was shocked! Wasn’t sure if I was really hearing what I was hearing. It was pretty close to ‘paindoo boli.’ So I kept talking to her in Punajbi and finally asked how much she really knew. She said: ਥੋੜੀ ਥੋੜੀ ਆਉਦੀ ਆ।(Just a little bit)The look of confusion, mistrust and awe on the faces of old Punjabi ladies when they hear the Cheeni talk to them in Punjabi is priceless.
I went again yesterday and there was this other Cheena guy who looked just like Dr Nik from the Simpsons. It was hard not to laugh at him- the why he looked and the why he talked. This guy too knew some basic Punjabi.
Instead of teaching these guys Punjabi when it isn’t their mother tongue why not just hire someone who actually ‘knows’ Punjabi well. The times I’ve gone there I don’t think there was ever a single Chinese person going in to get an X-ray done. I sure there are a lot of certified Punajbi speaking X-ray technicians out there. Who knows maybe the Xray chain’s owned by a rich cheena from Hong-Kong who has a no-hindu hiring policy.
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