| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
The Dog Ate My Keitai
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 67
Location: Japan
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:19 am Post subject: Students who ask strange questions... |
 |
|
This is intended to be a fun thread.... 
In honour of the new school year, and the fresh batch of ichi-nensei (grade 1) kids starting school, I am once again neck-deep in gaggles of kids trying to hang from my arms, legs, fingers, necktie, shirtsleeves and belt...
Makes ya wonder what they do in these kindergartens. How come little kids are so affectionate but by the time they reach adulthood they are in sexless marriages and have to hire overpriced counsellors and psychologists just to teach them how to use their junk.  Anyway... Whatever. That's not really even the purpose of my thread.
Each year I start off with a brief self-intro and get the kids to ask me any questions they like. Usually it's highly predictable what I'm gonna get... What's your favorite: colour, animal, sport, food, TV show.....
My question to you today is.... What are the STRANGEST questions you have ever been asked by a student??? Questions that have left you going.. HUH?!?  (Doesn't have to be elementary school grade 1 but I find that's where most of them come from)...
I'll kick things off.
These are some of the ones that have left me discombobulated.
I've been asked (all by grade 1 kids, BTW):
 What's your favorite texture?
(I dunno... Sandpaper? Suede?)
What's your favorite architecture?
(Ummm... I've always been partial to Romanesque pointed arches personally, but I suspect that a grade 1 student may find more fulfillment in Rococo window frames)
What's your favorite chair?
(Well, the massage chairs in Kojima usually do it for me, but there's nothing like a good, traditional chaise longue to relax on).
Ok.. YOUR turn....
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
Actually one of the strangest questions I have received in Japan came from my children's kokugo teacher on a home visit. After tea and cookies, this very old-fashioned woman in her mid-40's, looking at my red hair, asked in her stilted English:
"Is your hair the same color all over your body?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
Another question that comes up almost every single time we have a foreign visitor in class -- or even if I invite questions "about me, my wife, or my children" -- is this:
"Do you like Japanese girls?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
Then there was the time I had students write their own questions for a "Find someone who..." sort of activity (e.g. "Do you have a camera?") and one of the students walked around the room asking the following question:
"Have you died of a serious illness?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
luckyloser700
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 308
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Makes ya wonder what they do in these kindergartens. How come little kids are so affectionate but by the time they reach adulthood they are in sexless marriages and have to hire overpriced counsellors and psychologists just to teach them how to use their junk. Anyway... Whatever. That's not really even the purpose of my thread. |
I know it's not the point of this thread, but I've gotta reply to this.
It drives me nuts. Japanese parents and teachers let kids do pretty much anything they want to and give them anything they want until they hit junior high and then then they come down on 'em hard. I just don't get it. Why do you let kids do all the crap they're not supposed to do until they're 12 and then start kicking 'em in the ass for it? If someone is destined to live a pressure-filled life (for cultural reasons or whatever), start getting them ready for it early on.
I've been told kids can do whatever they want when they're young because parents often feel guilty about the fact that the kids will grow into adults with stress-filled lives. OK. I can understand that feeling, but hey, a little discipline at an early age couldn't hurt. It's like a child is above facing the consequences of his or her actions because they're seen as being totally innocent. I guess when they hit puberty and the acne kicks in and the cuteness starts to fade, it's easier to come down on 'em. Don't shellshock the little *beep* after twelve years of living because you don't have heart to toughen 'em up a bit when they're young.
Look at young Japanese guys; lots of 'em lose weight on purpose to appear more feminine. You've all seen the hairstyles. Most of 'em are wimps. I'm not saying they should become bruisers or thugs; they're just way too sensitive. But, at the same time they're as rude as hell to everyone else. Why? Probably because they thought the world was such a wonderful place until they hit Junior high and started to get crapped on all the time. Poor *beep*. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
Well, there goes THIS thread!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bozo Yoroshiku
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 139
Location: the Chocolate Side of the Force
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hmmm... just off the top of my head...
When did I lose my virginity?
(from a Korean student) Name 3 reasons why I hate Japan. [ uh... I don't. YOU do. ]
Can you fit your whole hand in your mouth?
Why are western men hairy amd Korean men not?
--boz |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
trina
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 5
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 11:07 am Post subject: strange questions |
|
|
I got asked once
``do you have powerlines in Australia?``
no, we have little elves who carry the electricity from the power plant to our house... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject: Re: strange questions |
|
|
| trina wrote: |
I got asked once
``do you have powerlines in Australia?``
no, we have little elves who carry the electricity from the power plant to our house... |
Yeah, I knew that actually. I met one of those elves once... At the local pub over some beers. He was telling me all about his job carrying electricity.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
abufletcher
Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 779
Location: Shikoku Japan (for now)
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| And how do you carry electricity? Very gingerly! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bozo Yoroshiku
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 139
Location: the Chocolate Side of the Force
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: strange questions |
|
|
| trina wrote: |
I got asked once ``do you have powerlines in Australia?``
no, we have little elves who carry the electricity from the power plant to our house... |
Ah, yes, reminds me of the old MAD magazine's "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" or Bob Engvall's "Here's Your (Stupid) Sign" routine.
Have you seen the Australian Tourism website's answers to the stupid questions they receive? Obviously, someone there has a sense of humour about the whole thing.
Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.
Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.
Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?
Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross.
Q: Which direction is North in Australia? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers Milk is illegal.
Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
Q: Do you have perfume in Australia? (France)
A: No, WE don't stink.
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.
--boz |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
angrysoba
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 446
Location: Kansai, Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Student looking at my nose: "Is it REAL?"
"Why did you come to Japan?" is okay but a little disconcerting when followed so soon by "when are you going home?"
"Can you eat sushi?" is amusing in the sense that it suggests the eating of sushi is a SKILL rather than a preference.
An interesting one from a middle-aged man was "What language do people speak in England? English? Really?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| angrysoba wrote: |
| Student looking at my nose: "Is it REAL?" |
How deformed and fake does your nose look? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
earthmonkey
Joined: 18 Feb 2005
Posts: 188
Location: Meguro-Ku Tokyo
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| abufletcher wrote: |
Actually one of the strangest questions I have received in Japan came from my children's kokugo teacher on a home visit. After tea and cookies, this very old-fashioned woman in her mid-40's, looking at my red hair, asked in her stilted English:
"Is your hair the same color all over your body?" |
Well... We're waiting for an answer here Mr. Abu.
I've had this one several times.
Q: "What's your girlfriend's name"
A: "Hiromi (or any other Japanese woman's name you can think of)"
Q: "Oh! Is she Japanese?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Montbell
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
Posts: 18
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Q: Why do you have a Japanese name?
Q: Are there men in America?
Q: So why is your husband Japanese? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
