A Shitty Trip to the Vet

 

Meet Orangejello (or-AN-juh-lo) AKA Shitty Kitty. What a shitty thing to call a cat, you might say. I agree, but my roommate started calling him that and the name just stuck. 

Well, this week Shitty came down with a chest infection and we needed to take him to the vet. Our usual vet only speaks Chinese so I decided to try out the new international vet down the street, just to be safe. I called to make an appointment and they didn't have anyone who spoke English so I surprised myself and managed to tell the receptionist all of Shitty's symptoms in Chinese. I even managed to answer all of her questions about immunizations and past medical history including his recent neutering. 

The phone conversation went pretty well until it came time to give her my personal information. J-A-C-K-I-E, I spelled. J-A-C-A-I-E, she asked. Oh dear, after botching both my name and email address multiple times, it was time to give her the name of our cat. I thought about it for a moment. Orangejello is such a long name. So many letters to stumble over! I started spelling S-H-I-T-T-Y. I figured, she doesn't speak English, it's just easier this way. When I finished, she snickered. Nervously, I snickered. A long silent moment passed. Shit. This is one word this girl understands. How embarrassing. 

We got to the vet and Shitty's name was already in the system. I paid for his exam and my shame deepened as I was handed the receipt with his lovely name populating several fields. After his exam, I was introduced to the resident vet who was... an American. I hung my head in shame and she walked me through his diagnosis and treatment... all while looking at his chart with his shitty name written at the top. 

=======>Mother of the Year Award right here please!<=======

The moral of this story, never assume Chinese people don't understand English. 

Oh, and O-R-A-N-G-E-J-E-L-L-O... that spells Shitty!