In my statistics class the other day, my teacher set a ceramic frog (toad?) on the table we all meet around for class (there are only 8 of us in the class). He proudly announced his 9-year-old daughter had painted it for him in her ceramics class. It was one of those wide-open-mouthed frogs you would use to hold a sponge or a bar of soap next to your sink. But, there it sat, stoicly and proudly on the table at the front of our class.
A few minutes later a classmate, an Asian student whose name I do not know, walked in a bit late and took his place at the table near the teacher. After a few minutes he reached out, took the frog in his hands and turned it so it was facing him which caused my teacher to abruptly stop his lecture. Without saying a word, the teacher looked at him imploringly as if to ask, "Why the heck are you touching my stuff?"
In a halting voice the student replied, “I’m allergic to the spots on your frog.”
As we all sat there puzzled, I think he realized his English lexicon was not satisfactorally explaining himself. This is what I assume he meant to say: "Excuse me, but the light is glaring off of the glazed finish on this beautiful ceramic frog and I'm finding it quite distracting. Don't mind me as I simply turn the frog around so that the light is not shining off the surface so annoyingly."
But, alas, he didn't have the words. Frankly, I like his version better. It has made me wonder what things I could say I was "allergic" to.
I'm allergic to that parking ticket, officer.
I'm allergic to hairy chests.
I'm allergic to stinky feet.
I'm allergic to mean people.
What are you allergic to?
3 comments:
CHISTOSO!!! Gotta love the language barrier that we sometimes can't cross when we're trying to explain ourselves :o)
I'd have to say that I'm allergic to School and it's monotonous homework and senseless quizzes that you'll never remember after you've done your best to stuff your head full of the required non-sense to even pass the class!!
Don't know about me, but if you ask your nephew, he SWEARS he's allergic yogurt. Deathly allergic, as in head will swell up and pop off his body-allergic. Never mind that he used to love it...
Post a Comment