Two cultures coping with a third

© 2016 Peter Free

23 May 2016

Through glass, lightly

At a German Autobahn rest stop, my wife was not sure how to open the glass door into the interior. A young (probably mainland Chinese) man, with a strikingly gold-rimmed upper front tooth, seemed equally puzzled on the other side.

Noticing the word “drucken”, my wife cautiously opened the door toward him. He stepped aside, saying “I’m sorry” in halting English. Miild embarrassment lit his face.

I was touched. I might barely have managed “sorry” in German. But certainly not any in any of China’s many languages.

Whether he recognized us as American, I don’t know. Yet, having the politeness and mental acuity to manage an unnecessary apology in an alien language greatly impressed me.

He will linger kindly in my memory. As an example of how to be.