Asking for Directions
Author: Aaron Rotsinger, University of St Andrews
SITUATION: A student from China arrives in Scotland. They are walking around Edinburgh, looking at the beautiful sights, when a middle-aged man approaches and says, “Excuse me, how do I get to Leith?” He speaks very fast. The Chinese student looks down and ignores the man. The elderly man repeats himself more loudly, and when the Chinese student still doesn’t reply, the man looks annoyed and walks away.
QUESTION: What went wrong here? In your group, discuss this situation and try to predict why each person acted the way they did. What caused the man to get annoyed and walk away? What caused the Chinese student to ignore the man? Try to think of several reasons for each person’s behaviour, including ones that may be both positive and negative. There is no wrong answer!
The student didn’t know the way
The student didn’t understand the language
The student can’t speak the language
The student is afraid of the local people
The man doesn’t like foreigners
The man didn’t realise the student was a foreigner
The man remembered the way
The man thought the student was being rude
What do you think the man expected the student to do?
What do you think the student expected the man to do?
What do you think they could each learn from this incident?