I'll have to admit it. I haven't listened to the radio is several years. But with our recent long-term car rental, we now have a radio which means "company" while I'm driving. It took me awhile to figure out how to turn on the radio, and I still haven't learned how to change channels. Luckily, the current station, FLY FM (no joke, those are the call letters) is in English so I'm what you might call a "captive" audience. In addition to English speaking DJ's (although they add "la" to everything as in "Ok, la" "Let's listen to Justin Bieber, la" and "Really,la?") I'm getting enough exposure to Brittany Spears' "You've Gotta Work, Work*", Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe", and Justin Bieber's "Heartbreaker" to actually learn the words even though I have to admit that 2 or 3 times per hour is a little excessive. But, my favorite part of FLY FM are the commercials....a.k.a..public service announcements that teaches me proper personal behavior and social etiquette. Here are the six things (paraphrased unless the words are in quotation marks from the radio skits) that I've learned so far:
1. Smile - I should smile even it I don't feel like smiling. I should "fake it" and then I will feel happy. My smile will make everyone else happy, too.
2. Don't crowd in lines - I should stand at least 3 "foot lengths" behind the person in front of me. No one wants to "smell what I had for lunch" or "catch my crappy cough".
3. Don't procrastinate - Even if I think I'm very "creative under pressure" it's not good for me to procrastinate. I should plan ahead. It will make me happy and everyone else in Malaysia happy, too.
4. Don't spit - I've never actually thought about spitting in public but now I'm really aware that I shouldn't do it in Malaysia.
5. Expand my social network - I should make new friends, get a hobby, join a club. It will make me happy and happy people are good for Malaysia.
6. Be on time - It's not good to keep my friends and/or co-workers waiting. It's good for work and good for Malaysia to be prompt.
Listening to the radio has provided interesting insight into a culture and it's cultural norms.
*I just learned that the second "work" is actually another word. Either I'm hearing the song incorrectly, or it's been edited for the audience.
1. Smile - I should smile even it I don't feel like smiling. I should "fake it" and then I will feel happy. My smile will make everyone else happy, too.
2. Don't crowd in lines - I should stand at least 3 "foot lengths" behind the person in front of me. No one wants to "smell what I had for lunch" or "catch my crappy cough".
3. Don't procrastinate - Even if I think I'm very "creative under pressure" it's not good for me to procrastinate. I should plan ahead. It will make me happy and everyone else in Malaysia happy, too.
4. Don't spit - I've never actually thought about spitting in public but now I'm really aware that I shouldn't do it in Malaysia.
5. Expand my social network - I should make new friends, get a hobby, join a club. It will make me happy and happy people are good for Malaysia.
6. Be on time - It's not good to keep my friends and/or co-workers waiting. It's good for work and good for Malaysia to be prompt.
Listening to the radio has provided interesting insight into a culture and it's cultural norms.
*I just learned that the second "work" is actually another word. Either I'm hearing the song incorrectly, or it's been edited for the audience.
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