On the spot

During Thanksgiving work lunch, I was put on the spot to ask three questions to a bunch of my colleagues. I’m the new girl, I’m also the youngest in the company. People expected to prove my worth from asking articulate questions. So what were my three best questions?

1. “Does anyone here play tennis? Because I’m looking for a tennis partner and it seems like you guys in Taiwan are just not that into that sport.”

2. “Oh, I live in XYZ suburb, anyone know of a supermarket around my apartment?”

3. “Is anyone selling unwanted white goods? I’m looking for a microwave… but it’s not a big deal if I don’t have one. Just, it would be good to heat up meals… although I don’t keep leftovers anyways…”

The answers to all my questions were a big fat ‘no’ followed by stumped looks. I stood there like an idiot and could feel the tension of the unspoken thoughts.