Well, our language is truly progressing. Sometimes we feel like it's not, but I know it is. Words are becoming a bit easier to learn, and we have much more opportunities to practice them in the new apartment.
The past two days have been a bit frustrating - due to little things. Yesterday, we went to Tesco (the British equivalent to Wal-Mart) to get our groceries. We've been looking for a nice, big pot to cook in, and they had one on sale. The sign said if you buy RM30 or more, you get 60% off. That means our pot that would have been RM239 ($75) was now RM79 ($25).
Well, as Murphy's Law says, things aren't as easy as they seem. The sale price didn't come up initially. Shortening the story a bit, it took over 45 minutes to get the right person to get it to work. I explained that 45 minutes to wait was too long, and asked for a discount on my items. They said they couldn't, but the head manager said he would check the next day and call me. Not a great solution, but at least it sounded promising.
After Tesco, we stopped by the cell phone/internet shop to get our modem. We did all the paperwork, etc., but for some reason the guy couldn't input the information. He told me "Certainly in the morning". Actually, he told me a work that literally means certainly, but actually means a promise of something that will happen without a doubt.
When Angela and I got home, we realized that the box included a used modem (we were told it was new) and didn't have the power supply... Therefore, we had to go back to Tesco the next day (15+ minute drive each way) and get a new one.
I went back tonight, and got my new modem and asked for some compensation for my time and gas wasted. They told me they couldn't. He called his manager, who basically told me the equivalent to "Whatever" when I told him I would be calling the company's customer service line the next day to complain and say that this particular center did not give good service. The "positive" thing about all of this was that I did it mostly in Malay.
Ahh... Sometimes things in life aren't so simple that really should be simple. We talked with our language teacher tonight about whether complaining was culturally appropriate, and he agreed that people here should do it more. He said most people here will avoid confrontation, which results in lower quality work ethics as people can get away with a lot more. Interesting.
