部分英国文化

Part of British Culture

 

British culture: I took my paper to show it to the teacher, asking for feedback and suggestions for revisions. After carefully reviewing it, he said it was very well written with no issues and handed it back to me with a smile. However, when the grades were given out, he gave me a failing grade.

 

(I was furious at that moment, but I still had to pretend to be friendly and seek his guidance every week to rewrite the paper, as ultimately he had the final say on the grade.)

 

I sell things online, and after discussing with a buyer, I thought this buyer was a nice and friendly British person. So, I waived a few pounds off the shipping fee for the buyer. The buyer expressed gratitude, thanked me repeatedly, and even said I was a great person. But in the end, the buyer left a negative review.

 

(I knew from the beginning that this would happen, and I would never have waived the shipping fee.)

 

I was chatting with a foreign classmate, and the atmosphere was great. We talked and laughed for over two hours, and I shared some Chinese festivals with the foreigner, who found it very interesting and asked me to share more. But when I went to buy coffee and came back, I overheard the foreigner having a lively conversation with another foreigner and exclaiming, 'It was so boring just now.'

 

(I was shocked at that moment, so I pretended that I had forgotten to take sugar and went back to the self-service station.)

 

I went for a part-time job interview, and the foreigner interviewing me praised my performance, saying I was excellent and all sorts of good things. They asked me to wait for their decision at home. But when I got home, I received a rejection letter.

 

(I felt like I had entered a different dimension, receiving a rejection letter for the first time, and the beginning of the letter still said I was fantastic.)

 

The second time I applied for a student ID card at school, I was excited and told the teacher that I had two student ID cards. The teacher looked surprised and expressed curiosity, wanting to see my first student ID card and sincerely promising to give it back to me, just to have a look. So, I showed it to him, and he quickly snapped my student ID card in half and threw it into the trash bin. Then he smiled at me and said, 'Now, you only have one student ID card.'

 

(I was almost tempted to stand up and question him, but in the end, I held back. From then on, I became more low-key. Looking back now, I still feel a bit resentful. That teacher did such a thing in front of everyone, and I could have complained and defended my rights. After all, the student ID card he broke was worth over £10.)

 

The British culture is that they appear friendly towards you on the surface, speaking gently and politely with lots of praise and compliments. But their true thoughts and actions are not necessarily the same.