I went into class last Friday, and there is this boy who was laughing uncontrollably. The teacher says a name in Japanese, and I thought I got what it meant, but wasn't quite sure. The kid runs to the door and goes outside for a sec, then comes back. In comes another teacher and says in plain English, "He is gas sniper!" Apparently the kid had a bad case of the farts because he had eaten watermelon earlier. I couldn't stop laughing ... that kid would fit in real well with my family ;)
My new school schedule is proving to be a challenge just because I'm much busier now than I was before. Most of the schools are great. But there is one school that I don't necessarily look forward to going to. Most of the classes are pretty good, but the 6th graders are crazy! They remind me of kids back home! I ran into a few of them last week when I was riding my bike around and the boys decided they would greet me with "Hello Doggy!" and the oh so lovely "F*** you". I didn't bother reacting and just left, but told their homeroom teachers because there is no way I'm going to stand for that. The boys did apologize and our next class together was better, but I think I'm in for a nice little ride with these guys! :P
Luckily, this is balanced out with other good schools. One of which, on my second visit, the 5th and 6th grade girls all gave me little cards or presents for my birthday (3 weeks early!). I was totally surprised and almost cried! heee ... that school only has a total of just over 50 kids!
It took me long enough, but I have finally sent out my form to get my absentee ballot. We are entering a new era and I want to make sure my voice is heard. American politics are fascinating. The entire world is watching because what happens in the States will inevitably effect everyone else. I don't know if Americans truly get this or not, but I think (I hope) that it's becoming more apparent to the American public. During the last elections, I know there were many people who voted according to their moral beliefs because a moral country will be a good country, but I hope people will look beyond that and realize that issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. will not help the economy or our relations with other countries. Man, I can go on and on about all of this, but I won't. Let's get informed on the issues and exercise our right to vote! Yeah! hehe, now if I only get my ballot in time!
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2 comments:
not me. i'm just going to the dark side and becoming a republican.
Re defiant boys: Back during the war the students would have to line up, then each would have to stand there while getting their face slapped.
That happened to my mom and all of her classmates once.
She later became a schoolteacher in Fukushima starting around 1947 and taught through 1949 or 1950.
Of course, you probably have enough authority to make the boys stand outside the class on the roof of the building for a while, then forget to tell them when their punishment is over. Six months after my mom passed away my aunt told me the story about how she forgot to dismiss the defiant boy.
In other words ask (southern Tohoku dialect included for free): "Gebunwari seito wo sodo ni tajisasetara ii gai?" - now we would say normally: "Gaibun warui seito wo soto ni tachisasetara iin desu ka?" (Is it OK to make these uncouth students stand outside?)
I guess you now have gotten to listen to such expressions as "hetare" now, which in my understanding of Japanese from childhood, means "flatulent or f*rt*r."
I'm a son of native Japanese speakers who spent their childhood in Fukushima, and in my mom's case, held jobs there. I can't quite utter Japanese as well, though I was quite surprised when I listened to sample lessons about Tsugaru-ben and surprised myself with how much I really understood.
You got lots of color where you are right now... savor it, because it's provincially rich, and may not be as insipid as living in a large city....
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