Mile-high misunderstandings

"Where are you from?" The Pakistani man had been hovering in my line of sight for a few seconds longer than was necessary. For the 15 minutes preceding his arrival I had avoided eye contact with the men filing past me to reach the toilets. I was flying from Beijing to Islamabad to write stories about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, so being propositioned while stretching my legs at the back of an aircraft had never crossed my mind.

Caught between time zones, languages and cultures I told him in a mix of English and Urdu that I was born in the United Kingdom, my parents were Pakistani and that I lived in China. I don't remember much about him, except that he wore a fine gold chain and had a state-of-the-art phone that he kept waving in my general direction.

"What do you do?" Quick as a flash I told him I was an English teacher, thinking this answer would lead to fewer questions. It had the opposite effect. He wanted English lessons, he told me, because he felt nervous whenever he spoke. I reassured him, saying his English was impressive. "Are you single?" he asked. "Are you serious?" I countered. "Yes, I am very serious, I want to know if you are married." Our exchange had escalated from small talk to happy ever after in a matter of minutes.