Funny!

One adjustment that I have had to make while teaching English to Japanese students is to learn how to t-a-l-k m-o-r-e s-l-o-w-l-y!! Having taught children in kindergarten and first grade...and being a generally energetic person (with lots to say!)...this has been quite a task for me! Anyway, I was sitting on the train the other day and talking to Naomi. She speaks English very well, so I can pretty much talk at a normal (native speaking) pace with her. We were sitting next to an older couple and they said a few things back and forth to Naomi (in Japanese) during our two hour train ride. Naomi and I talked for most of the rest of the ride. At the end, the man leaned over to me and in pretty good English said..."I don't speak English very well, but I tried to listen to you and understand what you were saying...It was very difficult for me because you talk like a bullet train." (those are the trains here that go over 200 miles per hour!) Maybe it was one of those "you had to be there" kind of things....but I thought it was very endearing and funny too!