Being asked about your salary

LunavadaLad

Great answer I will use this one next time

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If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener

bariloche

I was asked this and it was in a tourist office questionnaire that I received in Coimbatore. They even asked me what I spent each day on meals, tips, accommodation and goodness knows how many things I couldn't possibly remember. It really is a little irrelevant because there is no comparison to Indian money values except for your capacity to pay while in India. I didn't find it offensive. If I didn't feel like telling I just said that I was retired - which is true

Dilliwala

The above suggests that no Indians have been outside India. I know of a few who have (waitaminnit, I just remembered, I'm one of those )

Dilliwala

Up North, this will always work - "Insaaniyat" (humanity). Find out the Tamil equivalent and try that. It may start a discussion u don't particularly want, but certainly the look of incomprehension will be gone - who doesn't understand "humanity"?

Nick-H

Humanity... Yes, that's a good one.

Not sure I measure up though.

It's an aspiration, at least; something like the apparently simple Budhist (?) injunction, If you can't do good, then, at least, do no harm

Dilliwala

Ah yes, "the self-deprecating-Pom" type, u can always tell 'em even 1500 miles off!
No need to be so hard on yourself, from what I've seen/read so far, u measure up (I'm no MG myself, but I can recognise humanity when i see it - I think )
Agree cent-percent

Nick-H

... ...

jbird

Made my day too.

jbird

Fabulous reply

Diana

I started out saying I was a "secular humanist" which worked to stop the questioning a few times...until one woman persisted with "is that Christian?" and so on. A friend I'd only know about a month intervened explaining, "It's American."

Amyth

If a lady asks you, "Your Earnings?" , don't even breathe, just shoot a question in reply, "Your age?!! It is bound to shut her up

And if it comes from a male, tell him, "My GF/wife thinks I earn enough, so she hasn't left me still...sigh "!!

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Smile -- it makes people wonder what you're up to

brownboy66

that's a great answer. Definitely going to use that one.

use to get the same thing in Thailand (how much do you earn). Having arrived there after just getting married (and not having any children at that stage )- the family questions in quick succession would go:

are you married?
do you have any children?
why not?
or
is there something wrong with you?

nirola

Correct

That's the way most of people here, in this part of the world, tries to mix up with $$FOREIGNERS$$

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"Love is God"
"One Way Love NO Love"

Ali-Monbeam

We were often asked about our sons.

at school......no, working.
Doing what...........followed their fathers trade, construction.
Did they go to college.....No
So how did they get such a good job?

the idea that you can get any job without going into further education seems so odd to them.

I had photos on my phone of our house and area and they loved to look at them, they have a genuine interest in our 'western' way of life.
One woman who noticed the carpet on the floor laughed and said 'no animals then?'

Haylo

Ali, what a great idea, I'll definitely do that.