08/26/24 - Hospitals and banks. Every time I go in these places, I wonder if I’m retarded and deaf.
A compilation of why you never see Tibetans in the workplace:
“I went to Tibet before, got altitude sickness, and I was talking to the doctor in the hospital when he told me that a retired couple over there get 140K between the two of them. I thought it was per year, but he actually meant per month T_T”
“The year before last, I went to Tibet to fight poverty. My target made 20K a month growing cordyceps. I have no idea why I even went T_T”
“When I went to Shangri-La, the hotel owner looked maybe 20 years old and already had three kids. He says whenever he’s free, he goes to dig up some cordyceps to sell for money, maybe just 500K-600K. Average income there is 200-300K, and with three kids, he makes just about average income T_T”
“I went to the bank there to transfer a few grand, and a bunch of people asked me to fill out transfer forms for them because they were illiterate. And every single one of them needed to transfer 500K, a million. They’re dressed like beggars and telling me to help them transfer seven figures T_T”
“I’d see these red and blue stones on Tibetan headdresses and I thought it was just colourful rocks. I had no idea it was all coral. Three pairs is like 300K. They don’t have bride price there, but it’s not any cheaper.”
“This is my sister’s dowry. Her husband gave 1 million bride price, we sent her along with 2 million’s worth of jewellery, so she has 3 million RMB’s worth of jewellery and 100 yaks to her name now.”
“This is when my brother got married.”
“I wouldn’t even dare to wear that much fake gold T_T”
“The roll of tape in my house is less thick than her bracelet T_T”
“I always thought tibetan robes were really boring. Now, I’ve realised I just didn’t have enough perspective. The colours of tibentan robes are always really true, really nice, and the quality is always good too. Once you have a full set, it honestly looks really nice. If you throw on a belt or a necklace, it instantly looks really high end.”
”Did you start feeling this way once you heard that tibetan robes are 4000+ RMB?”
“My Tibetan college classmate went to the bathroom and gave her bracelet to me to hold for a moment. I was confused until I learned it was 180K.”
“Last time I went to Potala Palace, there was a really big room in there full of gold. There’s literally tonnes of gold in Potala Palace, and it’s all donated by Tibetans over the years.”
“When I reported to uni there, everyone had an iPhone, iWatch, Macbook, and iPad. And they were all wearing amber and turquoise.”
“The Tibetans near me uninstall the backseats in their Land Rover to haul cattle.”
“I’m an ethnic minority too. My dad’s coworker’s daughter invited my dad to her wedding, and he couldn’t make it, so he sent me instead. I was sitting on her side, and although I didn’t know anyone there, I heard from the conversation that her dowry alone was 99 heads of yaks.”
“Why would anyone think Tibet is poor? They only have 3 million population, but they’ve got 230 billion in GDP. That’s over 60K in GDP per capita. They’re not in last place at all.”
“I’ve went to Tibet to be a volunteer teacher, my students either owned a brewery or a fitness gym or dig cordyceps or own a tea house. The poorest people there were us volunteer teachers.”
“Before, I saw a Tibetan little girl show off her sister’s gold jewellery, and she was like, “We like big pieces here. It’s a little different with you guys, right? You seem to prefer small, delicate jewellery.””
A compilation of complaints about bank windows:
“Every time I get to this window, it’s like I instantly go deaf. I can’t hear anything at all, like some kind of retard.”
Comments say, “Her: What’s your ID number? Me: Yes.”
“Last time, I just poked my head in the hole, and the worker told me to back off.”
“Me too, and the worker just shoved my head back out.”
“It’s one thing that you can’t hear, but if you dare to ask them to repeat themselves, they get super impatient.”
“I can’t hear shit either. Why can’t we set it up like when you visit people in prison, with the phone and stuff?”
“Any kind of glass barrier makes it hard to hear. When I go buy duck necks, I keep repeating, “That’s enough! That’s enough!” But they can’t hear me either.”
“Hospitals and banks. Every time I go in these places, I wonder if I’m retarded and deaf.”
“I see the teller’s lips move. Me: What? What did you say? Him: I wasn’t talking to you.”
”My initial reply is always, “Huh??””
“Her: Put in your pin please. Me: Huh? Her: Put in your pin please. Me: Yes, it’s my card.”
“Yeah, I just reply at random too. I never say, “Huh?” twice. I’m just so scared of people getting impatient with me.”
“When you go to the bank, you might not be able to hear what the workers are saying, but if you want to look up your remaining balance, the announcement is super goddamn loud. Especially when you don’t have a lot of money left.”
“Why can’t they switch the two speaker systems? The fucking speaker at the counter is so frazzled that the tellers sound like they’ve been kidnapped by aliens.”
“Oof, a critical hit. Korea is going to trial the 4-5 day work week system starting next year.
Korea is going to start the no-pay-cut version of the “4-5 day work week” system, and the “0.5 and 0.75 work option”. “0.5 work” means that you only work 4 hours a day, 20 hours per week. “0.75 work option” is working 6 hours a day, 30 hours a week. It was already niche enough that Korea has make-up vacation days [when a public holiday falls on the weekend, so you get Monday or Friday off instead], now I’m seriously freaking out.”
Comments say, “I’m interning in a Korean law office right now, 20 hours a week, you can set your own working hours, any work past 20 hours counts as overtime. My post-tax income every month is over 10K in RMB, and the company pays over 1K in insurance for me every month.”
“Someone’s gonna come in here and talk about how they can’t afford meat and watermelon n Korea. Chinese people always need some way to satisfy themselves.”
“Wait a minute, I just realised that everything would work out perfect if we switched Tang Sanzang [from Journey to the West] and Fa Hai [from Legend of the White Snake]. The strong, decisive Fa Hai can fight monsters on his way to obtain the sutras in the west. And the weak but kind Tang Sanzang can go approve of the White Snake and Xu Xian’s relationship.”
Comments say, “Monsters: I’ve kidnapped your master! Wukong: [thumbs up]”
“Guanyin: Wukong, I’m going to put this golden circlet on Fa Hai and teach you the spell for it. If he keeps killing wantonly, then repeat this incantation.””
“Wukong: Master, this monster has never hurt anyone. Why don’t we let him go? Fa Hai: Monsters are monsters. If you’re a monster for a day, you’re a monster for life. Great dragon, come!”
“Wukong, why are you wasting your time talking to him?”
“”If you cannot understand Buddhism, I also know some kung fu.” “Speed run journey to the west.” “Chapter 77: Monk devastates Shituo Mountain, Wen Shu begs for the Lion King’s life.” “Even if you begged on your knees, I would have no mercy for you.” “You should feel lucky that I’m sending the monkey after you.” “Buddha, why do you not kneel in front of me?” “Wukong, I’ve told you before that we do not take prisoners.” Wukong: I’ve always lived in trauma of him. That day, he shattered the Five Finger Mountain with one punch, pulled me up by my collar, and asked whether I want to go with him to heaven on his journey, or if he should send me there right now.”
“Monster: Do all monsters deserve to die!? Tang Sanzang: (silence) Fa Hai: The fuck are you talking about. Do you expect me to go die then? Great dragon, come!”
“Fa Hai, at his very last trial: I see. So my disciples are also monsters. Great dragon, come!”
“Fa Hai: Speed rum journey to the west with four newbies, playback attached here. Tan Sanzang: Monster Human relationship counsellor, resume attached.”
“They set off in the morning, arrived in Tian Zhu by noon, and can make it to dinner with Li Shimin [Tang Emperor] on time by night.”
“What love? What relationship? I’ll see you in your next life. I’m not your sweet brother. If you keep standing in my way, I will raze your country to the ground.” [referring to when Tang Sanzang was tempted with love in the Country of Women.]
“Buddha: You have killed too much along your journey, I’m afraid I cannot grant you the sutras… Fa Hai: Great dragon, come!”
A debate on whether work is worse or if school is worse:
“One is diarrhoea, one is constipation. Normally, you wouldn’t want either. But when you have diarrhoea, you want constipation, and when you have constipation, you want diarrhoea.”
“How can you make me choose? It’s shit either way?”
“Be a teacher. You can have the worst of both worlds.”
“Life is worse.”
“At work: Just go a couple more days. Just a couple more days and I get paid. At school: Just go a couple more days. A couple more days.”
“Just a couple more days and you get a break at school, or you graduate. There’s lots of time for you to decompress. Work is endless torture. I’ve only just went back to work and I’m already looking forward to the next New Years.”
“Yeah, time to decompress. It’s all 9-5 either way, but at least you have hope in school. You have no hope at work.”
“It’s like choosing between chocolate-flavoured shit or shit-flavoured chocolate.”
“That’s not the same at all. Chocolate-flavoured shit is still shit. Shit-flavoured chocolate is still chocolate. But work and school are both just shit-flavoured shit.”
“Honestly, school was harder.”
“You’ll think differently once you start working.”
“But I am working.”
“Work is hard, but you get paid. School is hard.”
“After a month at work, you get a pay check. After a month at school, you get an exam.”
“You think you actually make any money at work? Isn’t it better to be in school and just spend your family’s money?”
I wonder if the Tibet posts are organic, or a project of the the Chinese government trying to get people from other areas of China to move there, in order to dilute the locals.