Well, that was a laugh!
One of my former students, Hiroshima's BMX Queen ( @hirohurl/a-chance-encounter-with-a-bmx-queen ), revisited college a few days ago and wanted to join one of my classes for old times' sake. I suggested she sit in on my crazy first-year class, which was in the very classroom where I used to teach her class back in 2016-17.
Her class was full of engaging characters, and my current first year class has a good crop of fun-loving students too, especially the four who sit right at the front. The BIG boy is a great joker. I call his classmate, the girl in black "Miss Back-of-Head," since she spends a lot of time talking to the two girls sat behind her, so all I see is indeed, the back of her head. As soon as I coined that nickname - "Miss Back-of-Head" - the BIG boy roared with laugher because he's quick to get double-entendre jokes. The joke here is that "back-of head" sounds like "baka head" and "baka" [馬鹿 = horse-deer] is the common Japanese word for "fool."
The BMX Queen thoroughly enjoyed her time in the class and it was great fun to see her laughing with the best of them. BIG Boy wanted to know how old she was so she made him guess, and he guessed a ridiculously low age either out of coyness or in an attempt to flatter her, the young rogue.
Incidentally, I have just found out that BIG Boy has become inspired by the idea of taking part in overseas voluntary work with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and after doing voluntary work overseas he wants to cross over to a university in the USA (with links to our college) to complete his degree in overseas development.
Anyway, our class finished at ten past twelve, and so Hiroshima BMX Queen and I headed off for lunch together, she pushing her trusty "boyfriend" - her BMX bike - and me trudging along like a mad-dog or (as I am, an) Englishman in the still baking hot midday sun.
When we got to one of our potential restaurants and BMX Queen had padlocked her bike, we discovered that the restaurant was shut. However, immediately across the road was an acceptable alternative, and restaurant called "14." (This place has an excellent grilled meat bar at the front that is a good place to hang out in the evening.)
We got in the first cleansing beer of the day, and the BMX Queen ordered some sort of cold noodle dish while I went for the diced grilled steak.
Over lunch, I learnt some more about the BMX Queen's plans to move to Paris next month. She's been studying French quite intensively - reading a pro BMXer's autobiography in French and translating it into English between the lines - and often breaks into French when talking to Old Sensei. I'm no good at speaking French, but I can understand a fair bit and we got on fine mixing up French, English and Japanese, oiled with a lunchtime beer or two...
We did the High-Five when we parted, and I felt the sting of her BMX-hardened palm as it crashed against my soft and delicate chess-player's palm.
Bonne chance, BMX Queen!
Cheers!