I had to study a foreign language when I was in high school, and by gum, so will my kids. But which language to learn?
Squirt: Japanese, Mom. It’s so cool!
Bonnie: Yes, it is, but Spanish is easier and you’re more likely to use it.
Squirt: But Japanese, Mom! It’s the language of anime!
Yes, well, Japanese may not be as easy to learn as Spanish, and it may not be as desirable in today’s world as Arabic or Russian or Chinese, but it IS the language of anime. And I guess it’ll still be useful if Squirt goes into business, or international relations, or lands a job with Toyota.
In fact, the more I think about it, I’ll bet that in today’s global economy, fluency in Japanese is considered a highly marketable and useful skill.
Squirt: I learned something really useful in Japanese today, Mom.
Bonnie: Oh, good! What?
Squirt: Um, I can spell it better than I can say it, but it means infection. Isn’t that sick? Now I can tell Tiger, “You are an infection!” And he won’t know what I’m saying! Once I learn how to say it, that is.
Okay, so maybe my idea of usefulness isn’t the same as Squirt’s idea of usefulness. That’s all right. Learning Japanese will still enrich his cultural awareness and broaden his worldview.
That’s because he won’t just be learning about anime in his Japanese class—he’ll be learning all about Japan’s incredible culture: its history, its technology, its emphasis on higher education, its respect for the elderly… and a whole bunch of other stuff I can’t think of right now, but which I am sure is highly cultural.
Squirt: (laughing) Heh, heh! We read the funniest story in our Japanese book today! Ha, ha! It was so-o-o funny! HA, HA, HA!
Bonnie: (starting to chuckle) Tell me about it!
Squirt: Heh, heh! It was called “Takeshi’s Bad Day” and Takeshi’s pants rip in front of his girlfriend, hoo hoo hee! … And then he drops all his homework in a puddle… bwa ha, ha! And then… HA, HA, HA, HA!
Bonnie: (laughing) And then?
Squirt: And then… HA! He gets on a bus, and Takeshi’s reading a newspaper on the bus… hoo hoo hoo! And then he turns and looks behind him with this really disgusted look, and there’s this guy! (falls back in his chair and laughs helplessly) HA HA HA HA HA! THIS GUY!
Bonnie: Ha, ha! What? What?
Squirt: He’s… ha, ha, HA! He’s… HOLDING TAKESHI’S BUTT! HA HA HA HA!
Bonnie: (stops laughing) Hunh? What’s so funny about that?
Squirt: (holds up his hand until he can control himself) “Takeshi’s Bad Day” Ha, HA! It should’ve been called… “Takeshi Gets Molested”! BWA HA HA HA HA HA! (dissolves into a heap of hilarity)
Bonnie: Hmmph.
Squirt: Oh, my stomach hurts! Ha, ha, HA!
BOYS!!!
That reminds me of my Latin class in high school. We read a bunch of random stories and my teacher (who was a former priest) talked about how women in America should go topless like the woman in Europe because the naked body is a beautiful thing… but only if it is a woman’s naked body.
Come to think of it, I learned NOTHING in that class.
It should have been called “Takeshi’s Butt Day”
That child has a warped sense of humor. ROFLOL…Does he take after anyone in the family. LOL
Man, all we could choose from was Spanish or French. I chose French, because Spanish, what’s the point? We lived in a border town and everybody grew up speaking Spanish.
Japanese is cool.
Ahhhh Bonnie…if the don’t relate, they can’t equate. If it keeps his interest I suspect he will be challenged to learn more. Not that he sounds as if he needs a challenge!
Great post, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe because it reminds me of my own little “Squirt.” 🙂
Ciao…and thanks for the help. Hopefully I won’t have a repeat mac performance this week. Please let me know if I do. New post is up…in honor (or in spite) of Valentine’s Day.
Teri
You’re stealing that plot for the great american novel, right?
Bonnie if Squirt wants any extra carricular on line tutoring (LOL you could always threaten if he does poorly) i speak Japanese. Tell him to check out the size of Japanese keyboards…..back when i was learning, a keyboard was the size of a whole desk! It contained, Hiragana…Kanji and Katakana!