Three Words
...written on 2000-12-30, @ 00:51:37
Tales of Kim's Life in Japan
Fri December 29, 2000
Ok, so maybe you read my little essay on the two most important words to the Japanese educational system, "Dustless chalk". Now I am here to revolutionize the Japanese corporate workplace with three words, "Self-adhesive envelopes".
I have finished teaching classes until the winter break ends on Jan 10th. What I am doing now at work is preparing for the eleven lessons I will give to the Japanese college students going to Georgia in February. As I was doing this today, over the top of my computer, I saw two of the Office Ladies stuffing large green school stationery envelopes. There were about 500 of them. I got to a good stopping point and went out to offer my assistance. I thought it would be a good "bonding" experience, me and the Office Ladies, 500 envelopes and chit-chat. Why, maybe I could get them to teach me some Japanese while we were at it.
By that time they had finished stuffing the envelopes and were about to start sealing them with glue sticks as the envelopes had no adhesive on them whatsoever. As they were thanking me for volunteering and making me a place to sit down, I asked one of the Office Ladies if there was such a thing in Japan as an envelope with adhesive on it, that we had them in America and that they were darn right handy. She said that there indeed were such animals, but that she thought that the plain envelopes were a cost saving measure by the company. Ah, I replied as I sat down in the seat that they had prepared for me.
I grabbed a handful of envelopes, swiped the first one with the glue stick and turned to start a conversation and realized that all my Office Ladies, my potential Japanese language instructors, as well as my plans for a real "bonding" experience with them, had disappeared. My volunteering to help had freed them up to do other work. I was happy though to provide them with such relief and bent down to my now solitary task, humming to myself as I made note of the time.
Exactly one hour later I had finished applying the glue and sealing the 500 envelopes. The Office Ladies gathered around me and the columns and mountains of green envelopes and cooed their appreciation. "Asameshi mae", (a piece of cake) I said, and they all tittered and said that my Japanese was getting very good.
I went to the restroom to wash the black glue residue off of my hands and when I returned to the office, I found a wonderful cake treat on my desk. Well, maybe I did bond with them after all.