In the past 2 days, students have asked me the following questions:
1. Did you kill Michael Jackson?
2. 英語では鳥のうんこって何って言うんですか。 eigo dewa tori no unco ttenanteiundeska?
(Translation: How do you say bird poop in English?)*
3. What yesterday earring? (Translation: Why are you wearing glasses today?)
*I waited around for 20 plus minutes for this question from a 7th grade boy, Shotaroh, because one of the other teachers, my friend Daisuke, told me that he had a question for me, and I naively thought that he was eager to know more English or more about my culture. !! Daisuke and I were walking through the halls looking for him during cleaning time and asking all the other kids, "Where's Shotaroh?"..."Do you know where Shotaroh is?" When he finally returned from his cleaning duties and asked me this question, I said, "Is THAT your question?! THAT'S what I waited for??!!" I still thought there had to be another question coming...this was just a warm-up, right? To Daisuke I said, "Is that the question he wanted to ask??" Daisuke had told me 3 hours before that Shotaroh had a question for me...as though it was something important. I am an English teacher, and "bird poop" will probably be remembered more than anything else I taught today. I also learned something through this scenario. I learned about a part of Japanese culture that I'd never heard of before. It turns out that a a bird pooped on Shotaroh's arm as he was walking to school. ;( 'Bummer! Sad!!', I think. But then I found out that Japanese people think if a bird poops on you, it's good luck. !??! WHAAAT?! This place is crazy! ;)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
P.S.
Regarding my previous post:
I should point out that drinking water with lunch isn't inherently strange in Japan. It was only strange for me to be drinking water because everyone else drinks milk with school lunch. And in Japan it is strange to do something different than what everyone else is doing.
I should point out that drinking water with lunch isn't inherently strange in Japan. It was only strange for me to be drinking water because everyone else drinks milk with school lunch. And in Japan it is strange to do something different than what everyone else is doing.
Friday, June 5, 2009
I'll tell YOU what I think is strange.
I don't get it. Today when I was eating lunch with a class of 9th graders, Kenta turned around from his desk, gave me strange look...with his nose sorta upturned like he was appalled at what he saw, and said scoffingly, "Mya. Water??" Oh, THAT'S what that look is for? My water bottle?! A little chuckle escapes from my mouth, and then I matter-of-factly reply, "Yes", as though it's the most normal thing in the world to drink water with lunch. BECAUSE IT IS! IT IS normal to drink water with lunch! But Kenta doesn't think so. To my calm, "Yes", he retorts, "Why?!" and again makes that face of disgust. OhMyGosh! Are you kidding me? This is a conversation?! I mean, it's really something that elicits questions and emotion? It's a bottle that I filled with tap water to drink because I like water and water is healthy and it's a hot, muggy day so I don't feel like drinking milk for lunch...eewww. I don't really know what to say to his emotionally-charged "Why?!" that sounds like how you'd say "Why?!" if your skinniest friend told you she was going on a diet, so I just say, "I like water." And Kenta says, "Oh", in his slightly rising-intonation Kenta-thinks-you're-dumb-but-he's-too-nice-to-say-it OR Kenta-doesn't-understand-the-English-words-you-just-used voice. Kenta understands the English words, "I like water." Kenta doesn't get why I'm drinking water. He probably attributes it to my gaijin-ness (foreign-ness) and is trying to be open-minded to such a bizarre custom as I have just introduced him to. The fact that Kenta initiated this conversation means that probably all 36 other kids and the homeroom teacher of class 3-3 were thinking the same thing. I talk and laugh with Kenta and his friends all the time...so he's comfortable enough with me to say what he's actually thinking about this situation (and yes, this is a "situation")...whereas the shy boys who aren't confident of their English ability and the sweet girls won't be honest with me about what they think is strange about me. But Kenta's response tells me that they think this is strange.
Well, I'll tell YOU (and by "YOU", I mean Japanese teachers and students) what I think is strange. I think it's strange that you clean out your nose with a Q-tip while sitting at your desk in the staff room. I think it's strange that you eat donuts with chopsticks. (I know, I know! You think it's strange that I pick mine up with my fingers. Thank you teachers for not gawking too much when I do this during lunch. Next time donuts are on the lunch menu, I'll make sure to eat with Kenta's class so I can find out what you're really thinking.) I'll tell you what I think is strange. I think it's strange that you have conversations with each other-- teachers to students-- while you are brushing your teeth in the staffroom and have toothpaste coming out the sides of your mouth. I think it's strange that in preparation for field day, you have a school-wide event to pick up pebbles and trash from the playground.....two weeks before field day.....in the prefecture that is famous in Japan for its strong wind. This is really 3 strange things in 1. Let me clarify this strange event that we had: #1. More than 300 students and teachers go outside and scour the ground for any pieces of rock that are larger than a baby ladybug, and then collect said baby ladybug-sized pebbles in buckets to be removed from the playground. This will keep people safe. ?? #2. It's two weeks before field day. I think that more unsafe obstructions will find their way onto the playground before field day occurs. #3. Gunma is the windiest place in Japan. More pebbles and litter will undoubtedly find their way to the playground in the following two weeks. Okay next. I think it's strange that you take off your shoes and socks and sit barefoot while you grade papers at your desk in the staffroom. I think it's strange that you are in 9th grade and you are embarrassed for anyone to know who your boyfriend or girlfriend is. I think it's strange that the day before field day you have a school-wide rehearsal for the warm-up exercises that you will do on field day. You aren't actually warming up for any physical activity; you're just practicing for the warm-up exercises that you will do tomorrow when you do actually do physical activity. And you aren't practicing for actual field day events that you will compete in; you're just practicing warming up. Really, it is helpful to practice stretching and jumping jacks? I think it's strange that at every assembly one person uses a microphone to announce that someone will come to the microphone now to say something...why doesn't that person just go up to the microphone and say what he needs to say? Why do you need to tell everyone that he is going to tell us something now? I think it's strange that sometimes when the person who is going to tell us something finishes telling us and then leaves the stage, and then you (okay, we!) all bow, and then someone will announce that the same person is going to say something and then that person goes back up to the stage and we all bow and she says something that is on a different topic than the previous time she was on stage ("previous time"=90 seconds ago; that's how long it takes her to exit the stage and for you to announce she is going to say something and for her to reascend those steps and make it back to the microphone). I'm just telling you what I think is strange, but I realize you probably won't take it very seriously since it's coming from the strange teacher who drinks water at lunch.
Well, I'll tell YOU (and by "YOU", I mean Japanese teachers and students) what I think is strange. I think it's strange that you clean out your nose with a Q-tip while sitting at your desk in the staff room. I think it's strange that you eat donuts with chopsticks. (I know, I know! You think it's strange that I pick mine up with my fingers. Thank you teachers for not gawking too much when I do this during lunch. Next time donuts are on the lunch menu, I'll make sure to eat with Kenta's class so I can find out what you're really thinking.) I'll tell you what I think is strange. I think it's strange that you have conversations with each other-- teachers to students-- while you are brushing your teeth in the staffroom and have toothpaste coming out the sides of your mouth. I think it's strange that in preparation for field day, you have a school-wide event to pick up pebbles and trash from the playground.....two weeks before field day.....in the prefecture that is famous in Japan for its strong wind. This is really 3 strange things in 1. Let me clarify this strange event that we had: #1. More than 300 students and teachers go outside and scour the ground for any pieces of rock that are larger than a baby ladybug, and then collect said baby ladybug-sized pebbles in buckets to be removed from the playground. This will keep people safe. ?? #2. It's two weeks before field day. I think that more unsafe obstructions will find their way onto the playground before field day occurs. #3. Gunma is the windiest place in Japan. More pebbles and litter will undoubtedly find their way to the playground in the following two weeks. Okay next. I think it's strange that you take off your shoes and socks and sit barefoot while you grade papers at your desk in the staffroom. I think it's strange that you are in 9th grade and you are embarrassed for anyone to know who your boyfriend or girlfriend is. I think it's strange that the day before field day you have a school-wide rehearsal for the warm-up exercises that you will do on field day. You aren't actually warming up for any physical activity; you're just practicing for the warm-up exercises that you will do tomorrow when you do actually do physical activity. And you aren't practicing for actual field day events that you will compete in; you're just practicing warming up. Really, it is helpful to practice stretching and jumping jacks? I think it's strange that at every assembly one person uses a microphone to announce that someone will come to the microphone now to say something...why doesn't that person just go up to the microphone and say what he needs to say? Why do you need to tell everyone that he is going to tell us something now? I think it's strange that sometimes when the person who is going to tell us something finishes telling us and then leaves the stage, and then you (okay, we!) all bow, and then someone will announce that the same person is going to say something and then that person goes back up to the stage and we all bow and she says something that is on a different topic than the previous time she was on stage ("previous time"=90 seconds ago; that's how long it takes her to exit the stage and for you to announce she is going to say something and for her to reascend those steps and make it back to the microphone). I'm just telling you what I think is strange, but I realize you probably won't take it very seriously since it's coming from the strange teacher who drinks water at lunch.
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