coryandfarah

Yesterday, I was showing my third year students pictures of Taiwan and telling them all about my experiences in the three times I went there.  In the beginning, I told them that if they were good listeners and asked questions in the end that I would show them a picture of Farah.  Naturally, this kept them quiet and got them asking loads of questions when it came time for that.  Pretty tricky, huh?  So anyway, when the kids asked me questions, I invited them to the front of class to individually take a look at Farah’s picture.  Most kids responded with a big grin and said things like, “Berii kyu-to (very cute),” “Kawaii (cute),” or my absolute favorite, “Yabai (`Oh, my god,` or something like that)!”  But this one f*cker comes up to the front and has the nerve to say, “Futsuu dane,” which is the equivalent of saying, “Yeah, I guess she’s okay,” or “She’s just average.”  Can you believe that?  This kid just gave my wife the grade of “she’s all right.”

So in response, after a deep breath and a lengthy glare, I said to him in my best mad voice in Japanese, “Sonna koto itte OMAE wa heiki nanoka?”  Translation: “How can you even say something like that, you punk!?”  He answered in half-assed polite Japanese by saying, “Heiki ssu,” which in other words means, “Yeah, no problem.”  So I repeated the question and informed him that he just insulted my wife.  And then he says that he didn’t know that it was my wife.  Apparently, he must have thought that he was critiquing just some random girl!!  Hello!!  Konnichiwa!!  Bonjour!!  Amigo, I just finished telling the entire class that it was my wife!  I guess that announcing it at least ten times and the fact that he didn’t get it can only mean that he belongs in the class down the hall that comes to school on the little yellow bus.  But even if he didn’t know, he should have wondered why I was making such a big deal about showing the picture of a girl and whose family it was (Farah`s family) hanging up on the chalkboard right in front of his face.  To say the least, I was fuming and ready to kill anyone with a Japanese passport!  Well, not really, but I did need a moment to cool off.  I guess that I don’t take well to insults directed at my wife, even if they are not true insults.  There is just a trigger within me that is easily pulled.  I know that he’s just a punk kid and he did it for a reaction from the class but still…  So just don’t be a punk and say crap about my wife and I’ll be okay with you.  Are we cool, amigo?