Not just famous, but I'm the most popular guy in town. Girls have crushes on me. The guys all think I'm cooler than a genetically created cross of Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Ed Norton. Nevermind that there are only 550 of them, and they're all between the ages of 11 and 14. But damn I feel cool when I'm eating school lunch and teaching kids how to say "fart" and "booger" in English.
Why couldn't it have been like this when I was a student myself? Nevermind the fact that I was a small nerdy kid who rushed home after school every day to try and get past the next level of Doom on my computer. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that I couldn't grow facial hair when I was 12.
Everyday a few of the same kids have their own little rituals they've formed with me. Every time a 6th grader sees me he wants to do techou, which is doing a handshake, but squeezing as hard as you can as a type of game. (I always win. Damn I feel masculine being able to crush an 11 yr old's hand!). A 7th grade girl sees me, greets me, and proceeds to start petting my hair. This usually prompts all of her other girl friends to start playing with my hair, until I have about 10 tiny Japanese hands tugging, stroking, and touching my curls. Another girl always asks me sensei, hima? (are you bored sensei?). Still haven't figured that one out yet. Last Friday I answered cho hima!, "I'm really freakin' bored!", to which she replied casually yappari, "I thought so".
Now I just need to figure out how to make this fame and girls touching my hair transcend into the rest of my life.
Everyday a few of the same kids have their own little rituals they've formed with me. Every time a 6th grader sees me he wants to do techou, which is doing a handshake, but squeezing as hard as you can as a type of game. (I always win. Damn I feel masculine being able to crush an 11 yr old's hand!). A 7th grade girl sees me, greets me, and proceeds to start petting my hair. This usually prompts all of her other girl friends to start playing with my hair, until I have about 10 tiny Japanese hands tugging, stroking, and touching my curls. Another girl always asks me sensei, hima? (are you bored sensei?). Still haven't figured that one out yet. Last Friday I answered cho hima!, "I'm really freakin' bored!", to which she replied casually yappari, "I thought so".
Now I just need to figure out how to make this fame and girls touching my hair transcend into the rest of my life.
