My Last Class

Last night, just as I was in the business district around Sathorn getting a print out of my air ticket, Yui called and asked me if I could fill in for a language teacher who was sick. The class started in forty-five minutes so thank God for MRT, the subway system. It would have taken me at least two hours to make it on time by car but the subway system is fantastic and I made it just in time for the class. ( with seconds to spare I might add)

In the past, it seems, I always got my ‘next’ job in June, so I never really had the opportunity that Sylvia did in knowing that the class she just taught the last day in June was the last class she could ever call her own. As I told the students last night, they had the privilege or rather I had the privilege of knowing that this was going to be the last class I would ever teach. Unfortunately, they all went to the principal of the school and told him how much they like me and he offered me a job immediately. I gave him my card and told him to write me if he was serious. I also just got an e mail from my “boss” asking me to meet him in Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow but I told him I will either be in Narita or Tokyo. ( Daniel thinks I should go into Tokyo in my eleven hour layover). I am sort of timid about it and think I should probably just take the local bus into Narita ( if there is such a thing) and look at the temples, have lunch, go into a store or two and back to the airport. I am afraid that if I go to Tokyo it will probably be “mi me ben ha”…no sweat but getting back might be sweat!!! Would I ever find the train station again in time to get back?

On another note, Yui told me that in languages, the first thing people acquire is listening and understanding, then speaking, then reading and finally writing. For some reason this never sunk in with me until this last trip to Issan. Instead of trying to figure out intellectually what people were saying to me, I just listened and reacted. I let the sounds wash over me and did not try to decipher what every word or sound meant. I just tried to respond appropriately. For example, people in stores always say ‘dai mai’ which I know means how can I help you but literally means correct? I keep trying to figure out why they are using the words they are using instead of just accepting them, and moving on with my response. It will be kind of interesting when I get back to Canada tomorrow to only hear English or some version of it anyway!