Conversions

ZHANGJIAJIE, China — He looks at my passport, and I know something is not right.

The bank teller stares at my currency exchange form and gives me a look I can’t decipher. My stay in Zhangjiajie is ending, and I need some yuan to catch the last train out.

His fingers tap the desk anxiously, adding an uneasy percussion to the mellow humming of the air-conditioner and the murmured vocals of the other clients behind me. “You from what country?” he asks in broken English.

The Philippines. His brows meet.

Where I’m from, Zhangjiajie is unheard of, but China is quite the newsmaker. The rift between the Philippine and Chinese governments had resided in the national headlines for a long time. A tense territorial standoff, a failed hostage rescue, and several drug trafficking incidents have built a Great Wall between the two countries. China left the front pages only when the Philippines was ravaged by one of the most devastating natural disasters in history, Typhoon Haiyan. The country was still in mourning when I left.

Outside, a gentle shower tickles Zhangjiajie’s streets. It is cold, and the pavement does not give off that familiar scent of steam when raindrops touch the hot ground. I spent hours in the rain trying to find this bank with the help of locals who, contrary to what I am led to believe, had shown a brand of warmth that could battle the season. But not this guy, it seems.

“You wait,” the teller orders and leans closer to a co-worker. He speaks something in Chinese while fixing his eyes on me. The other man shakes his head. I nervously clear my arid throat, but there is nothing there except the aftertaste of local mini-sausages, the only brunch I could afford with the little yuan I had left.

The teller moves across the room toward another co-worker. He shows her my passport and, right on cue, looks in my direction. He seems to be asking her something. Like the man before her, she shakes her head. He approaches another colleague. What is going on? What happens if they don’t let me exchange money? My visa is expiring soon! I need to catch this train or I’ll be stuck here!

His expression has not changed as he walks back to the counter; all eyes on him. The whirring and the murmurs sound much louder. I am now the one tapping fingers. “Here,” he says while pushing the bills across the table. What a relief!

“One moment,” he says.

Struggling with the language, he continues, “On TV. I saw. Typhoon Haiyan. I don’t know how to say. But. I want you to know. I am very sorry about what happened.”

The other tellers are looking at me with a smile. Outside, the rain has stopped.

Comments

  1. Well it seems only their govt is our enemy. The civilians who are against us were only brainwashed by their govt

    • Yeah! As I stood there by the counter, I was reminded of my experience at the Immigration counter at Guilin airport (which was my entry point), where I spent the longest I had at any Immigration booth in any country ever. I thought it would go similarly.

      But in Zhangjiajie, there was no incident at all. I never felt unwelcome there. The people were warm and they would still took good care of me. One seller at a “turo-turo” restaurant even gave me her biggest catch when she learned I’m Filipino.

    • Thanks, Mark! I was surprised too. One part that I skipped in the post was that he initially thought I was from Taiwan. Apparently he was looking at my Taiwan Visa and not the bio page of my passport (even though I indicated in the form that I was from PH). When I cleared things up and mentioned that I was from PH, that’s when he acted all weird and went around the room. Everyone was looking at me, and I was like, ‘Dafuq is happening?’ hahaha

    • My companion was waiting at the lobby the whole time and she was wondering what was taking so long. (We both were yuan-less and I owed her a lot of yuans at that point.) I would have teared up too had I been alone. :))

  2. Awww.. Just wow. Ever thought of becoming a thriller writer? That was really good, I could really feel the tension of that moment and I was afraid for you.. Good to know that in times like these there are still people who shows they still care for humanity.

  3. A good ending. I had somewhat a similar experience in Hong Kong (that was after the Luneta Grandstand incident, a very tense history between China and ours). I got to share a cable car ride with a couple from Shanghai. They asked me where I came from and said the Philippines. The husband gave me a thumbs up and said Philippines good. That made my day.

  4. Hi Yoshke! Been following your travel blog, and I just found out your personal blog. You’re an awesome writer 🙂

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