Friday 20 January 2012

Life-altering. Part 1

There are some times when you teach English in Japan, when you just want to take the nearest heavy object, and smack yourself in the head until you’re unconscious. We’ve all had those students; the ones that don’t like structured lessons but won’t even try to attempt making conversation. It makes an hour lesson not only painful but suicidal-thought inducing. I have a few students like this, however running my own school has it’s perks, I can do whatever I want in terms of lesson content, working at a McEikaiwa it’s impossible so I am very thankful.
Of course there are the students on the opposite end of the spectrum that are great conversational participants, they answer questions in detail and ask questions in return. And the funny thing, it has nothing to do with language level, I firmly believe that those who succeed the most at other languages are those who try to make conversation, not those who study the most. It’s these students that make me feel guilty for taking their money, at least if they bore the fuck out of me I have no problem with charging them for my pain, but when they are genuinely interesting people who I would talk to an hour for free if we were at a party, makes me feel bad. Just a teeny bit mind you, we all gotta make a living somehow!

One of these great students asked me a question the other day that really got me thinking, his question was:

“What is the moment that changed your life the most?”

 Of course he asked it more like “Corinne-sensei, ahhh number 1, ahh, shocking… eh, shocking okashii ya na… shocking only bad ne? Shocking ka super good time wa when??”

Once I’d taught him ‘life-altering moment’ and told him not to pepper Japanese so much in his sentences, I thought about it.
My response was when I found out I was pregnant with Ash, and to be fair it was a pretty damn close second, but I couldn’t really reveal my real one because it was just too…personal? Inappropriate? Although the student had just proudly told me that his was when he discovered he was infertile at age 23 and then made the decision to divorce his wife on good terms because he knew she wanted kids. The paper I’d used to correct him was hilarious, little pictures of sperm with big crosses through them! His was pretty personal so maybe I should have revealed, but there was something about a tale of near-molestation that would have put a dampener on the lesson, even more so than male infertility if that was even possible!

So does anyone care to share their most life-altering moment?? I’m working on writing mine so will post it next post!

18 comments:

  1. Finding out I was pregnant was definitely one of mine too. And, I think, deciding to do a couple of Japanese lessons before going on hols!

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  2. Running away from home at 16 and never going back.
    Moving to Japan.
    Buying a boat.
    Discovering 'bullet' vibrators.

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  3. LOVE the english and Japanese he used to ask you. My number one shocking event was witnessing murder without a doubt. Fucked me up and changed whole outlook on life. That and watching dad actually take his last breath. Close second. Wish I had something positive ...

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  4. At the age of 12, deciding that Japanese might b the best language to do at high school. Now here I am, married to J guy with two kids and plotting escape to Oz. What if I'd chosen German instead...

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  5. GW
    That's terrible. I can't believe you saw something like that.
    How awful.
    No wonder you enjoy your wine.
    ;)

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  6. 222- fuck I have to stop accepting comments on my phone, my pudgy finger pushed delete instead of publish on your 'Germans in bed' comment! Sorry!!!!

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  7. My top life-changing event has to be be reading an advert for a Christian with editorial skills and a commitment to peace and justice, noticing that the small print said that the job was in Japan, and deciding to go for it anyway. (20 years later, I'm no longer a practicing Christian, but still here.)

    Second was finding out I was pregnant. I wandered round Tokyo in a blue funk for days, and at that point still had no idea how much it was going to change my life. No regrets, though.

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  8. ;) K - Just said that Germans are better in bed.

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  9. "His was pretty personal so maybe I should have revealed,"

    You shoulda. Do you know the site with the tons of questions? If not I'll mail it to you....very awesome resource:)

    Discovering all men do not automatically lick women to orgasm before intercourse by taking your sweet time and enjoying the power. I thought all men did that until the 10th girl in a row said she was in love with my tongue.
    Some of them liked "me" too I think ;)

    Ask a lady kindly to wash that funky love hole...I rub some banana tasting lotion on that heats when you rub/lick or blow on it and let the night begin. Realizing your among an apparently very small group and you enjoy it too was quite a shock.

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  10. I just published my most "Life Altering" moment. I was sitting on it for a few days afraid to share but your post seemed like too much of a coincidence.

    Thanks for the unknowing shove :)

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  11. What was that, Chris?
    When you realised that the other Chris gave the BEST blow jobs EVER?!
    ;)

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  12. I gather your a Christine and you give out of this world blow jobs ;)

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  13. I have absolutely no idea. Probably finding out I was pregnant with Shion since HOLY FUCK that was not meant to happen so soon :D

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  14. almost dying one time gave me some perspective. Seeing my most precious one almost dying gave me some more. Life is a bit of struggle these days for me, and I am looking hard for some answers.

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  15. February 24, 2010, the day my sister died. November 24, 2011, the day my brother-in-law died. January 20, 2012, the day I became permanent guardian to my nephews, age 13 & 7.

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  16. Crazy Rita
    That's pretty life changing.

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  17. wow!! lotsa wows in this post! first of all, can't believe he told you that about him! second, it's pretty goddamn selfless of him to divorce his wife for that (and dude, like there are other options... but i guess not in Japan...) and wow for him to ask a question like that!

    interesting post!

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  18. You may read a story when you are young that is memorable without realizing how much of the story you missed. After a few years of sitting on the shelf, you pick up the book, dust off the cover and read it again. And think "Oh fuck."

    Life-altering moments as of late seem to come about when ‘going back there' and having some of 'those' conversations. And realizing that right now is no less important than any other time.

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