Kid Ethnic: Mixed-Race Adventures in Japan: The Youth Are Quick and True

The Youth Are Quick and True · 17 September 04

Like our bee-killing manchild friend, many of my students write letters to me weekly.

Many of their second-language notes are innovative and honest. I have reply to up to thirty letters a day, so I write back quickly. Their strange styles are infectious, and I find myself picking up their quirks in my responses.

My favorite student intro paragraph of the past week:

I like various songs, musics, tea, sweets, cats, and fantasy novels. So, I don’t like bugs, seaweeds, and taste is hot.

Most lists are boring, but this one is simple and true. Nice bright writing. Completely unpretentious.

Since we’re on a nice reader-participation kick, feel free to play along. Click ‘comment’ and type your list quick as you can. Keep it fast and honest.

For example, I wrote back:

I like sunshine, bananas, Drew Barrymore, ninjas and tacos. I do not like roaches, pork, boring stories, nuclear weapons or lumpy pillows.

And I’m not sure I knew those likes and dislikes before I wrote them. Fast and honest equals fun.

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I like jumping around, hot fudge sundaes, big smiles on the street from strangers, and baby drool. I dislike the screeching subway sound, vitamins, and TV.

Huh. That was fun. Thanks Saleem.
— Monica 1338 days ago #
I like eating, free things, magazines with pictures, free time, and bicycling across bridges. I dislike being rained on while involved with any of the above, explaining my homeland without proper communication tools, and cockroaches. I must also admit sheepishly that i do enjoy saying hello 500 times a day.

What up Saleem, this is your boy will outta Toyama. Thought id drop a line. Glad to know you survived the Ty Hoon, i hope that the folks out in North Kakka made it through Ivans buster ass rainfall. If you get a chance hit me up
Shits nuts huh? what you got going on come the holidays?
— WRP 1336 days ago #
I like my bed, chocolate chip cookies, and Saleem. Not necessarily all at the same time ‘cause cookie crumbs in the bed are itchy…and I really didn’t mean any innuendo when I wrote my bed and Saleem in the same sentence. I don’t like ants. Especially if they are in my bed or in my chocolate chip cookies. Or in Saleem.
— The Ferg 1335 days ago #
Ferg, that was beautiful.
Monica, baby drool=gross.
Your friend,
— Saleem 1335 days ago #
hey saleem. it’s Angela, also in Kumamoto.
i (unexpectedly) followed a random blog to your site… =)
i like doing my laundry, watching sunsets over the Pacific, and green tea ice cream. I dislike bugs, animal/horse abuse and molestation, heat, humidity, recycling rules that don’t make sense… and oh wait, that sounds like I hate Kumamoto =P.
— angela 1334 days ago #
How wrong you are Saleem. Baby drool is so clear, so clean-seeming on your sleeve.
— Monica 1334 days ago #
i like great conversation, the beach, falling in love, curling up with a great book, and the feeling that anything can happen next. i dislike republicans, mice, wal-mart, and teenagers driving hummers.
— maggie 1331 days ago #
i like green, sweet, bright, music and percussion. i do not like bitter, mean, dark or irritatingly loud phone conversation.

wow! it really works. now if i could just figure out these scissors i’d have a spinny-japanese-boy- flipbook in no time!
— kates 1328 days ago #
I like love, boys, music, sun, and clouds. I do not like chicken, bad wine, pop music that tries to be more than it is you know, and really sweet breakfast cereal.
— Anika 1326 days ago #
i like this site.
— alice 1156 days ago #
i like childrens games, laughing, football ( soccer ), icecream and picking scabs (Gross). I dislike rain, wind, sleet, cold weather without snow, sitting at my desk when the sun is shinning, the smell of dog poo on your shoes!
— Glen 1138 days ago #
I like back scratches, sweet smells, making love, hot dogs from street vendors (not the important comma), the Berlin S-Bahn, dogs, Vikings in front of my cab on Halloween in DC and Ben & Jerry’s. I dislike wet feet, sand in my orifices, itchy backs, cigarette smoke and wasting time by working.
— The Monster 1135 days ago #
I like unmeaning photographing, chapstick, hours of sleeping in daytime, oral hygene, hollow threats at strangers, and yellow. Otherwise, not as much for civil small-talk converstions to strangers, too long shoelaces, green cantalope, and grains in some persons teeth.

Gah, thats too long. I have shamed my people.
— Heather 1075 days ago #

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