Kid Ethnic: Mixed-Race Adventures in Japan: Theory: Three Strange Occurences Per Hour

Theory: Three Strange Occurences Per Hour · 27 October 04

Hypotheses: While working with students, I experience an average of three strange occurences per hour.

From a sample hour yesterday:

0:02 – Walk into class with my Japanese teaching partner and our lesson plan. Attempt to start class. Am told by a student that the class will be starting 5 minutes late, if that’s okay. Because a song must be sung.

Unsure if I am to sing or be sung to. Look to my Japanese teaching partner to try to understand what’s going on. She shakes her head in shame and amusement, and nods that I can okay the performance.

I nod.

The entire class room arranges themselves in three rows at three different heights on chairs and tables in the back of the room.

They then sing, in three-part harmony, a song whose only English words are “Best Friend”.

I clap. Class begins.

0:52 – While leaving class with my teaching partner, two students approach me and tell me that I have “good hair”.

I thank them.

“Permanent?” they ask, pointing to the weird curls my hair gets on rainy days. I look at them confused.

“A perm,” says my teaching partner. “They want to know if you got a perm.”

I consider explaining that, at least in the States, dudes don’t really get perms, but decide it’s too much work.

“No,” I say. “All natural.”

0:58 – Two students laugh and yell things at me in Japanese.

My teaching partner tries to get them to not say what she thinks they are going to say to me.

I gather that they are discussing my rear end.

“Very small,” says one. “Nice style,” says the other. They run away.

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should I assume that these last two students that were commenting on your rare end were female students?
Ah, the English, it kind of saves you at times, doesn’t it?
— Ela 1291 days ago #
I’m hoping not only were the 2 checking out your rear end female, but the two students wondering about your jeri curl were also female.
— andy 1286 days ago #
Wow…”Good hair” is dime-a-dozen, but you were told your butt had a “nice style”...how many people can say that?
— Monica 1285 days ago #
Jheri curl? C’mon, man. How you gonna come at me with “Jheri curl”?

Your friend,
Saleem
— saleem 1284 days ago #
weird curls?
wet hair?

sounds like a jheri curl to me? don’t be offended, the jheri curl is a big part of the 80’s experience.

we all know your hair is closer to a roadie for the Strokes stage than anything else. @ least that’s what it was before you left for Japan.
— andy 1280 days ago #
I’ve been sadly negligent in my saleemblog reading. this post made me remember how sweet the experience can be.
— joeyb 1270 days ago #

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