Things I want to tell my students

Dear Students,

I love you all very much and I love our little chats outside of class.  However, I must admit that I am a bit bored with repeating the same information about myself over and over.  I have therefore compiled a handy list with responses to the most frequently asked questions that I get from you.  I would greatly appreciate it if you referenced this list every time you want to ask me a question.  If the answer is on the list, you don't have to ask the question, saving us time and allowing us to progress to more interesting topics.

1. Yes, my hair (color and texture) is natural

2. As is my eyecolor

3. No, I don’t really speak Japanese

4. Yes, I’ve eaten (and like) sushi/okonomiyaki/takoyaki/whatever else you can think of

5. No, I don’t like wasabi.  it is evil.  ditto for natto

6. No, I don’t ever eat at McDonald’s at home, and only twice since I’ve been in japan.  There are better burgers around, trust me

7. No, I am not cold in my short sleeved shirt.  why don’t you worry about how you're feeling in your mini skirt before trying to tell me that I should be cold?

8. No, I don’t have a boyfriend- I wear the rings cause I like them

9. Yes, I would be ok with dating a Japanese guy

10. No, I’ve never seen any of my coworkers shirtless

11. OR, yes, actually, we play strip poker together every Saturday night

12. Yes, I do have opinions regarding their cuteness/date-ability

13. No, I will not be sharing those opinions with you

14. Yes, it’s cold and snowy in OH.  why? because we have this wonderful thing called “winter,” where the temperature actually drops below 0 degrees Celsius

15. No, I am not  from “America,” I am from “The United States of America.”  “America” is an entire hemisphere that includes two continents and numerous countries, not all of which speak English! (shocking, I know)  Thus I will continue to refer to my home country as “the States,” and I would appreciate it if you did not call it “America” when you are using English.*

16. Yes, Japan is a bit different from home.  However, I have lived in a city before and am therefore used to crowded quarters, tiny streets, and other things you seem to think should totally wig me out

17.  Yes, I can seriously eat just about any Japanese food you suggest.  I've been here almost 6 months, my stomach has totally had time to adjust (not that there was much it needed adjusting to)

18.  No, I don't know much about current popular TV shows at home, cause I rarely watch TV

19.  Yes, I will only play older music or showtunes while you work on handouts.  This is because I'm mostly not a fan of current pop hits.  You need more exposure to the classics anyway.

20. Yes, I am aware that my home state (Ohio) has the same pronunciation as "good morning" in Japanese.

I hope this little list will facilitate our communications in the future.  Please let me know if you have any questions that aren't already answered.

XOXOXO

Me

*In Japanese, the US is generally referred to as  アメリカ, or Amerika.  I am trying to be culturally aware and go with the flow, but once we start speaking English, I wish more people would use the proper English name.  When my Japanese is better, maybe I’ll go around saying “Japan,” instead of 日本 (nihon)