Mongolia and the Kama Sutra Scribble

After learning about Mongolian culture last year, I gave my 2nd year students (8th grade in the US) short composition sheets with different images of Mongolia and asked them to describe what they would do there using the future tense. Afterwards we made a big bulletin board outside the English classroom my JTE and I had begged the Kocho Sensei (Principal) for. Usually, in Japan, teachers change rooms while students stay in their homeroom.

I rediscovered this gem today in a pile of old papers.

*****

This is Mongolian Wrestlers. I don't like this.

Because I don't like naked men.

I won't see Mongolian Wrestlers.

Of course I won't play Mongolian Wrestlers

But, I will go to Mongolia.

*****

Shortly thereafter, I discovered this on one of the students desks while we were in the midst of a conversation lesson...

And speaking of naked men...

This comes only a week after one of the sweetest 3rd grade (9th in the US) boys in the whole school invited me to the library during hiru yasumi (recess) to show me the school collection of Disney's books in Engish. Of course it was right about then that the crew that I usually play basketball with came looking for me, and finding me in the library, quickly set to work searching through a shelf of books. I was so impressed that they were giving up their beloved b-ball time to read, until one of them tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a certain nether region on Michealangelo's famous statue of David in an art encyclopedia.

*****

"Melissa, what's this?"

"Hmm...Yabai." I said, trying to think of a plan of escape. The rest of the crew gathered around, waiting anxiously for my reply.

"Melissa..." he said reassuringly, sensing my fear "Ok, Ok. Doctor's word Ok."

"Doctor's word is Ok?" I asked, still stalling and hoping for a reprieve. " Ok. What is the doctor's word in Japanese?"

"Dansei!" He calmy answered, and then sensing a bit of reverse pedegogy on my part, smiled and tried to translate it into Enlglish himslef.

"Dan nan no de...Man! No no! Man- ZU! Man-zu sei...Sei...Sei..PART! Man's part!"

*****

By now, all the boys in the library were gathered around us in anticipation. We all bust out laughing. The sense of accomplishment on his face was priceless.

Eventually I told them the "doctor's word," which has and promises to lead to even more interesting eikaiwas (english conversations)...