Amusing Observations

There is one woman who’s always late in our group. Yesterday, on our way to school in the morning, the guide asked another middle-aged blond woman a question that was obviously intended for the “late” woman. We all giggled, and the guide realized she had posed the question to the wrong woman. But, the woman, always ready with a sense of humor, said, “Well, we all look alike to you anyway. Our guide responded, “You know that? How did you know that?” I still can’t stop laughing thinking about that. Our guide is hilarious, and has now started calling them The Twins. Then at the school today, one of the administrators asked if they were sisters. The similarities stop at middle-aged and blond and relatively thin, and after the previous day’s faux pas, it was extra funny (and probably culturally-insensitive to laugh although our guide was laughing as she explained the "joke" to the administrators.)
Another funny tidbit - the children love saying “Pomma” over and over. I asked if it had another meaning in Japan, but our translator said no. She said they probably just like how it sounds. So, I was a little slow on the uptake when talking to these high school girls who were asking about my hair. “Perm?” We ended up with quite a bit of laughing and hair petting and pulling. I guess there aren’t that many people with red, naturally-curly hair in Japan.

I also found out why people laugh whenever I show them my business card. First off, I want to thank Dave for finding me someone who could translate the card into Japanese. The woman offered several options for translating Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. It seems that the one we picked isn’t wrong, per se, but it translates into “Saint Stephen’s Divinity School” or more accurately, “Stephen’s School for Future Episcopal Priests.” I had a good laugh with the translator over that; she fixed it on the card I was giving at that moment, and I switched over to the cards without the translations on the back!

Any odd stories from your own travels?

(my name panel for one of the school meetings. It's Christina Pommer in Japanese.)

*Here's my PS for today. I'm leaving the hotel with free Internet and heading on to my homestay (including the radio interview!) and a traditional Japanese inn. Then I fly back to Tokyo on Monday. I probably won't be checking this quite as frequently since I'll most likely have to pay for Internet. I have some blog posts already drafted, so keep reading then site and commenting. But it might take me a little longer to comment back. Miss you!**