Teaching English in Japan with Ato - Bananas
12 November 2008
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After the “Obama is a Monkey in Japan?” thread, I had to relate this story of an experience I had on the subway this past week:
I was sitting talking with a female friend in an otherwise almost empty train-car on my way to Tokyo. On the other side of the train, some seats down, sat an old man - grinning maniacally. I know the look: It’s the “I’ve-been-practising-English-all-this-time-and-never-had-the-opportunity-to-speak-to-a-real-live-gaijin-and-now-I’ve-got-one-trapped-on-a-train!” look, so I fully expected him to attempt to have a conversation with me sometime before the ride was over.
Not one to disappoint, the elderly gentleman made his way across the half a car-length and aisle that separated us and sat beside my friend.
“Is that your boyfriend?” he asked in Japanese. “Eeee, neehhh…! I have something for you..” he continued, rifling through his backpack, pushing out puffs of foul-smelling air between yellowing teeth.
“Daijobu! Daijobu!” I say trying to refuse politely. Soon afterwards he produces his gift of…two bananas.
My friend looks at the 2 (not quite ripe) bananas, then looks at me, looks at the man, looks at the bananas, then looks at me again - puzzled.
“Just take them. …” I sigh. And a few stops and 5 minutes of conversation down the line, with a wave and a friendly yellow smile, he was gone.
“Do people try to practise English with you a lot?” my friend asks.
“Not often, but it happens.” I respond.
“Oh.” She says and looks away, holding the two bananas in her lap. Then after a brief pause she looks at me again because I’m suddenly quiet as I process the preceeding event.
“Do they often give you fruit?”
“Nope. No, that was a first.”
“Not often, but it happens.” I respond.
“Oh.” She says and looks away, holding the two bananas in her lap. Then after a brief pause she looks at me again because I’m suddenly quiet as I process the preceeding event.
“Do they often give you fruit?”
“Nope. No, that was a first.”
We ate the bananas.
They weren’t ripe yet.
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