Thursday, June 28, 2007

Now I just feel dirty

I’ve been swimming with my students every day for the past three weeks. I’m such a fixture at the school’s outdoor pool that the vice-principal unofficially promoted me to “Assistant PE Teacher.”

I love swimming with the kids. It’s just good clean wholesome fun. Or so I thought.

The bubble burst this morning after a conversation with one of the PE teachers.

“The students really enjoy swimming with you,” she said in Japanese. “You make them so happy.”

She said something else that I didn’t quite catch but I thought I understood the meaning behind her words.

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” I said, feeling all warm and fuzzy. “I feel exactly the same way about them.”

She shook her head and laughed. That wasn’t what she meant. She grabbed one of the Japanese English teachers and asked her to translate.

But when the PE teacher told her what she had said and what I had said in response, the Japanese English teacher started laughing hysterically. And then everyone else in the staff room wanted in on the joke and then they started laughing.

After the hilarity died down, the Japanese English teacher finally explained what the PE teacher had said to me.

“The boys said they really enjoy swimming with you because they like seeing you in a swimsuit.”

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