TT: Did you read the book?
Me: Uhh...no, I've been busy...
TT: You don't read at home?
Me: Sometimes, but like I said, I was busy!
TT: Well, you can borrow it for as long as you like! But please give it back while I'm still in junior high school. I don't know when we can meet after I graduate!
Me: Okay! Thanks~
笑い過ぎた (^◇^;)
I laughed way too hard about this.
Fortunately, many of my students have overcome this but many Japanese people will say their name at seemingly rapid fire speed that is incomprehensible. I saw this at Lawson and burst out laughing. Then I bought it. I’m ready to be entertained.
It’s called “Strange Japanese People’s English” and so far, it’s awesome.
So, greeting people with “Happy New Year” or 「明けましておめでとうございます」(akemashite omedetou gozaimasu) is a more formal than I originally thought. I was walking towards the school entrance when I saw one of my co-workers ahead of me. We were going to pass each other so I figured I would say “good morning” and “happy new year” while I walked past him. The moment I said “happy new year” though, he stopped abruptly and said it back with several bows. He added, 「今年もよろしくお願いします」(kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu) which means, “Please treat me kindly this year too.”
I stopped walking and copied what he did. I felt bad for almost just saying my greeting and walking by without doing the whole よろしく bit!
The rest of my new years’ greetings went much more smoothly.
So while I’m here…
みなさん、明けましておめでとうございます！
今年もよろしくお願いします♪～
(I don’t have any gifs or anything of people bowing lol so this will do)
[A little conversation with my 5th graders]
Mr K: What is "kasa" in English?
Me: "Umbrella"
Mr. K: Umbrurerra...
Mr. Y: Talia-sensei, do you know Biohazard [Resident Evil]?
Me: Yeah.
Mr. Y: Isn't that the name of the company? Umbrella Corporation?
Me: ...oh, yes! Yes it is. Very nice. *thumbs up*
[What can I say? I'm easily impressed. Congrats Mr. Y on making that connection!]
Me:
(while laughing because I couldn’t believe he asked me that)
To further decorate my home, I’ve added the magazine cut-out of 2NE1 and the streamers from the Big Bang fan event. They shot the streamers out while they performed, “TONIGHT.”
- A first grader greeting you by whacking you on the arm with a flag
- A first grader saying goodbye to you by tapping your boobs repeatedly
- A fifth grader giving you a high five only to grab your hand and squeeze your knuckles together to make you yelp
- A fifth grader who headbutts you and rams into you with his stomach
- An arrangement of students trapping you in a corner and tickling you
- A first grader wiping her wet hands on the back of your shirt
- A fourth grader jumping on your back and assuming you’ll give them a ride if you’re on your hands and knees for any reason
- A first grader giving you a kancho (being poked up the butt…I wish I was kidding)
This was my reaction along with awkward laughter. He’s such a silly kid.
"You stinky little boy."
"You crazy?! I think so."
"Shaddup! No no no!"
"Holy crab!"
"Thanks, animal."
[My 8th grade boys start saying stuff like this in class to make me break into a fit of giggles. It works every time, I can't even help it.]
A 5th grade girl whose name means “love” gave me a big hug when she saw me today and at dinner time, insisted I eat some of her food because I didn’t have anything yet.
Thank you for making me feel loved today.
Every time I have a day at an elementary school (every Tuesday and Thursday), I just want to blab about how much fun my day was. So here are my recent highlights:
Tuesdays
- Instead of having English class one day, I helped the 1st and 2nd graders fish tadpoles out of the school’s pool and put them in a nearby creek.
- After every English class, one of the special ed kids runs up to me and gives me a high five. When I read his feedback sheet, it always says that class was fun and he was happy. Outside of class, he comes to talk to me and one day, he kept picking flowers and grass for me.
- I told a 5th grade boy that there was no one that I liked but a 6th grade girl reminded me that I loved Big Bang and I started giggling like a little girl because it’s so true
- Most of the kids are happy to see me, but there’s one 1st grade girl who makes me feel like I’m as important as the sun or something amazing, she’s so sweet.
- I was asked to suggest a name for the 3rd/4th grade classes’ new pet turtle. (I voted for the name “Mikey”)
Thursdays
- I sang Guile’s theme from Street Fighter while I had a light-sparring match with a 6th grader. It all started because I did the “over the opposite shoulder” tap and he was all like, “Hehehe, you’re gonna get it now!” XD
- Kids use me as an instant human Japanese-English dictionary for everything. I don’t think they remember all the translations but it’s fun listening to them imitate me and be interested in English at least a little bit.
- I never imagined I’d be playing soccer ever again, but I’ve got a pretty good kick and I impress all the 3rd graders (never mind that there are only three 3rd graders though. Yes, my schools are this small).
- I had a really fun conversation about Tekken, Transformers, Ghibli movies, and The Fast and Furious with one of my co-workers…in English!
- The 2nd and 3rd graders ask me to sing for them and when I do they’re all so fascinated, even if the song isn’t in Japanese
Two of my friends have come to visit me so I’m gonna take them around and enjoy their wonderful company. I’ll come back eventually~
"You smell like grapes."
"You're nice."
"I want to be you when I grow up."
"When I'm 18, I'm going to to Korea and then, when I'm 20, I'll get married to a Korean guy."
"Is your brother handsome?"
"Why are you so ticklish? I even did it softly."
Mr. Noto: "Today was our first foreign language class. We greeted different people in English and since we didn't have time to do much more, it was good. When I said my name in English, it felt strange."
Mr. Kawahara: "Today we had foreign language class and I wrote my name. Even though I'm writing my name all the time, writing it in English was difficult."
Ms. Yamane: "Today was our first foreign language class. At first, writing everyone's names was a little hard but being able to know different English was good. At home, I want to practice writing in English."
Mr. Iwai: "Today was our first day of foreign language class. But because we were slow writing each other's names, I want to practice at home so I will be able to write quickly." - Mr. Iwai
I’m back in Japanland!
I’m going over to Himeji today for hanami or “flower viewing,” so I’ll be back with pictures!
