Life of an addicted rider

The following are exerpts from a post at an internet forum for my riding buddies. Just a glimpse into the life of a teacher in Japan and what I’ve learned in my short time here:

Working has allowed me to understand a lot of things about people in Japan. One, they can’t say the word Vancouver. Can’t happen. Each person is different, yet the same. When you talk to a Japanese person, ask them to say Vancouver and they’ll say “Bancouba”. Many don’t know Canada from America, but that’s where education comes in. Lastly, the riders. A typical Japanese thing is that they take their time to learn. Practice involves riding around the city for a few hours for a year…. weekends only. They aren’t too happy with sportbikes, but they love their rat bikes and cruisers. They’ve also got a wierd sense of humour… then again, they probably say the same about us.

A tip for some of the guys: If you ever meet a girl from Japan, and she likes movies, 80% of the time she’ll say her favourite actor is Johnny Depp. Don’t ask why. They just do. Maybe it’s the wierd quirks or the funny style. As for the guys, they seem to like airplanes more than cars, but it could be the sample I meet. Keep in mind, most people are paper drivers. Liscence, but NEVER drive. Aside from getting their permit to drive, they never drove beyond the initial training. It’s also a Tokyo thing.

Lastly, some typical Japanese problems in speaking. Some fun words that Japanese people have problems with:

sit/seat: becomes shit or sheet
election: becomes erection
city: becomes shitty

All in all, teaching English can be done by anyone with a quick mind. Teaching the difference between should and could is hard at first, but the BS just rolls off the tongue. You also have to be part psychiatrist as well. Some people just bitch and moan about their boss. Seams like everyone does it. Not just us.