Saturday 24 October 2009

Yes Means No

Something I have noticed about Pakistanis, is that some of them have real difficulty in saying no. At first I thought it was a language barrier, but my experiences with the most fluent of English speakers tell me otherwise. When asking for directions, work-related questions, or even just asking if something has been done, I am always replied with a yes, even when I know it is not the case. In the UK this would be a downright lie, but here it is far less sinister. My guess is that they are reluctant to disappoint and prefer to give a positive answer time after time. So there you go, in Pakistan , yes can mean no.

3 comments:

  1. Oh Em, please set up a facebook - we could chat! I have tried emails but they always get returned to me. I keep looking at your bolgs - they are scary (v. interesting and informative, but scary). Please send me an email so I cam reply and it might get through. x Love you,Jim Bowen

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