Something New Every Day

I learned something new the other day at the middle school varsity volleyball game. We usually lose because we don't have a gym or a volleyball court, so practice is harder, but I went anyway to support the girls. More than half of the team is in my advisory (homeroom), and it was an early game; it was supposed to start at 4:00, and since no one is ever able to return the ball after the serve, the games end pretty quickly (they play to 21).

But the team was playing as well as I'd ever seen. Their serves have improved a lot since last year, and there was much less shrinking from the ball. They still need to work on calling it (all my memories of middle school volleyball center around yells of "I got" and, more commonly, "Help!"), but they're making progress. The team also seemed happy: excited, but loose, confident but not about winning, just about playing the game. I remarked to a girl sitting on the sidelines, "You guys are playing well tonight," and she said, "Yeah, you're our good luck charm."

This is the part where I learned something new. I thought that her comment was sweet, if silly, until she added, "Chinese people are good luck." ??? I made a face at her and she said, "You never heard that before?" I told her no, I hadn't, and she sort of repeated the point for emphasis. I said, "So me and my whole family are just good luck all the time?" This seemed to provoke a bit of thought. She modified her position: "Well, not all the time, just some."

Since it can be hard to read tone through the blog medium, I'd like to be clear that I am not offended at all by this exchange. But I am really puzzled. Where do they get these ideas? Who believes this? Is it a weird thing in her family? Is it an African American thing? Since they don't really distinguish between East Asians, do they also believe that Koreans and Japanese people are good luck? What kind of a question is that last one?

Anyway, I have never heard this one before. I'd love to know if you have.