I'm reminded today of a subway ride a few days back. A Chinese guy was on the train but didn't know which way we were headed. I told him, with gestures, that we were going to Manhattan.
A few minutes later, another man who had watched the incident came over to me and told me he thought the Chinese man was confused and we should get a cop. To avoid involving the cops in what looked like a basic problem of language, I made the Chinese guy come over to me and point out his destination on the map. Flushing! No problem.
The woman who had to move her head so the Chinese guy could point looked at me and said with not a little contempt, "I think he knows what he's doing."
I didn't say much to anyone for a while after that, even when I'd been at work for several hours. Instead I made myself several cups of tea and concentrated on the Internet.
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