today i found this very accurate (and not at all meant as offensive!) description of "lining up." when i lived in england i always marvelled at how well everyone lined up, and how no one ever broke in line...even if there wasn't any real reason to form queue, in england, we did anyway. and in the west, queue jumping is highly frowned upon. if you break in line, you will be reprimanded loud enough for everyone to hear, and you will be given the look of shame by everyone else in line. so you can imagine my confusion the first time i tried to form a line in taiwan. i remember it like yesterday: i was going to taipei and went to hsinchu city to buy a train ticket. so, seeing the large mob of people at the ticket counter, i thought that there must have been some kind of problem. so, i chose the shortest "line" and took my place behind the person in front of me, like the western girl i am. next thing i know, i have watched 5 people who weren't in front of me before buy their tickets. so finally a man tells me "GO" so i went. the whole time i was trying to buy my ticket, there were people so close behind me ready to jump for their turn next that i could barely move my arms to get my wallet out of my bag to pay for the ticket. i left this ticket buying escapade very confused, and very well aware of yet another cultural difference. i have since learned how to queue in asia...but it is still a daily struggle to stop the british blood in my veins from clotting when i see such disorder.
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