Yesterday...
8:00 AM Our Spoken language class begins.
It was Friday, it was a warm sunny day (my arm skin was touched by the sun for the first time in months), and it was the last class before a week holiday. Even so our class was like a meeting of the UN with 2 Japanese, a Korean, and 6 of us Americans.
8:10 enter Rob stage left
Our teacher exclaims "Oh here's handsome boy!"
Rob smirks, and begins to walk to his seat. As he does so the middle-aged Korean lady reaches out as if to embrace handsome boy. rob awkwardly giggles and sits in his seat.
9:15 we learn how to form the question equivalent to " Hey isn't that so and so?"
We then begin to come up with clever examples, Rob towards tim:"Hey isn't that Brad Pit?" Etc. The teacher then pipes in " To be honest Rob, when I first met you I thought 'Oh, It's Tom Cruise!'" Immediately the middle-aged Korean woman and 65 year old Japanese woman turn to Rob and squeal with all the zeal of two 12 year old girls. I really couldn't decided if it was cute and funny or incredibly awkward and creepy. I've lost sense of those things...
6:30 PM enter 8 americans into Rick's american cafe
We decided to all have dinner at the most american place in our city. peanuts, tom petty, melissa etheridge, baseball bats, readers digests, tuna sandwiches, cowboys and hamburgers.
6:55 enter Nathan and Rick
After they roll up on their sweet hogs, the owner of the restaurant walks in while a new foreigner, probably in his late 30s, subbles after him. He then stops, swaggering a bit and exclaims " I DON'T THINK I KNOW YOU ALL BUT I'M NATHAN!" "hi nathan.." Nathan grabs some more beer, maybe not a good idea.
7:10 Nathan strikes up conversation
After making multiple attempts to use the occupied bathroom, since we obviously have so much in common with nathan(big noses, mostly white faces and english skills) he decides to have a little chat. (the caps shows volume of voice)
"SO, IM SORRY BUT IM CURIOUS, THAT'S JUST WHO I AM, I DO WHAT I DO[lifts up beer glass], WHERE ARE YOU ALL FROM?"
"america"
"WHICH STATE?"
"californ..."
" YEAH I LIVED THERE!!! SO WHERE ELSE?"
"we're all from california"
"BOO!!!! HAVEN'T YOU ALL HEARD OF TRAVELING?!?!"
we exchange glances, not really knowing how to respond seeing how were in a foreign country and all...
"SEE YOU ALL ARE YOUNG, YOU SHOULD TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL EVERYWHERE YOU CAN. YOU KNOW THEY HAVE A SAYING IN AMERICA; 'I DID THAT WITH A BAG OF CHIPS'. WELL I CAN SAY 'I'VE LIVED IN GERMANY, FRANCE, SPAIN AND EAST ASIA....AND I DID IT ALL WITH A BAG OF CHIPS!!!!'"
well needless to say we sure took his advice to heart. later that evening nathan serenaded us with his drumsticks and the glass table, quite nice, quite nice. i sure am excited to go back to america!
