We arrived today in Hong Kong at 1:30 P (actually we arrived at like noon - but after getting through cusotms, immigration, to the hoetl and what not it was 1:30) - and we started our meetings at 2:30 - we worked until 7PM and it was a good set of meetings.
And I am funny. It didn't hit me when I joked a lot during the meeting and people laughed. I mean that is normal and not odd. But I am kind of a boss, so people laugh now a lot - even when they don't get my jokes.
Okay - so background - when I am around non-English speakers, I tend to talk differently. I talk a little slower, I use less vocabulary and try to use their adjective / noun / verb structure. So I actively try to change my style (actually the word "actively" may be pushing it - I change my style with very little effort, it kind of just happens). Well today I was discussing a Master Card initiative (stop snoring Eddie). Anyway, I want to say MC isusing a carrot and stick approach, but I realized that the colloquism wouldn't translate well. So I said push / pull and stammered for a while. Finally a woman from the Philippines said, "You mean incentive."
And I replied, "Right!!!! Thank you, I couldn't think of the word." I then looked at the Hong Kongers and said, "I wish English was my first language." They laughed and laughed, and one guy had a little coffee come through his nose, so I know it was really funny - they weren't just being polite. I mean politie is polite, but you don't push coffee through your nose just to be nice. Even in Hong Kong.