不知道

it happened two days ago in 1st year chemistry lab, building 20.
we were doing the experiment: Quantitative determination of food colouring in jelly crystals using UV/Vis spectroscopy.
we were told to work in pairs, as it was also being stated in the lab manual.

the lab is so big that it consists of 8 bays, about 30+ students in a bay. i am in Bay 2 and my lab demonstrator is in-charge of some students from Bay 1 and a few from Bay 2.

国外升学，特别是来到澳洲，除了适应环境，还有一个障碍要解决：口音。
我听惯了British的English accent。
来到澳洲的前面几个星期，甚至现在，我有时候还得“sorry?”，“pardon?”，因为抓不到朋友在讲什么。
拿个例子，我念“OK”为'O-K'。他们念成'ou-kaaai'。
我念"paper"为"pey-perh"。他们念成"pey-pah"

那天做实验时，有一个部分是filling the volumetric flask.
正确的步骤是当你把distilled water填进去，快要到volumetric flask的mark时，得用dropper一滴一滴地把distilled water填进去v.flask
走了整个Bay 2，就是找不到dropper。我的partner就叫我去问lab demonstrator。

"Hi, Amy. May i know where can i get a dropper?"
"what?"(我觉得奇怪，她不可能不懂什么是dropper啊。我决定变口音。)
"er......a 'drop-par'."
"sorry, i don't understand......"(怎么她还是不懂……到底dropper还有什么australian accent?）
"a 'drorrr-per', you know, when filling up to the mark of the volumetric flask......"

还好，她终于听懂我在讲什么，并告诉我去哪里找。不过我头脑里还是有很多疑问。
不可能啊，她明明在读Phd，怎么连dropper是什么都不懂。
明明上一次实验她还有用dropper……

回到partner那里继续实验，到另一个部分，发现volumetric flask里有foam。
根据lab manual，如果要把foam“弄不见”，要用isopropanol，但是我在side bench看到的是butanol。
所以我再次去问我的lab demonstrator。

"Hi, Amy. Uhm, what are we supposed to add into the volumetric flask, is it......(i wanted to finish the sentence with 'isopropanol or butanol')......"
But before i could finish it,
she went to the side bench, picked up a dropper and handed it to me.









......................


那时候，我真的不知道脸上改呈现出什么表情。
我该笑？还是该气？
心里真的很纳闷。
为了一个dropper我已经换了口音，尽量让她听得明白。
我想肯定一下可否用butanol，却换来她的异样眼神，拿一个dropper给我。

整个人心情变得好像沉到地壳里。
回到座位，真想把lab report撕了。
还好还有一位lab partner做我的listener，听我发牢骚。



求主给我智慧和聪明，尽早彻底解决语言障碍。