lanquage pronunciation struggle

[dick benbow]

Mike,
I knew when i saw your name posted that the comments were going to be good.
But mike you diddn't have a mustache!

[Mike T]

Dick:

You and the rest of the board are going to be sorry that you stirred my dormant memories:

When driving in Japan, one sure way to tell when the driver of another car is an American, just back from home leave, is to watch him make a left turn...The windshield wipers will go on, that's because the Japanese drive on the left side of the street so the turn signal and windshield wiper actuator handles are reversed...The Japanese also seem to know this, because when they see a car with the windshield wipers on, on a sunny day, they know the dummy is about to turn and they all slow down... :lol:

As my sons say, "Enough Already" Aloha! Mike

[B.Scott]

Driving on the "wrong" side is a treat, isn't it? In the UK I would tend to attempt to open the car door, every time I tried to shift gears. It wasn't too hard as long as there was traffic to follow. It went to a whole different level of difficultly whan driving on the streets late at night when nobody was about!
B.Scott

[dick benbow]

Thank-you Mike and scott! Great stories! I can relate to the right hand drive ( I never drove all the years I was in Japan). My son bought a mini cooper in the Uk and had it stripped and rebuilt from the ground up.
When he got it home to Seattle he naturally offered to give me a ride.
Felt odd to sit in the drivers seat as a passenger with nothing in the way of pedals or steering wheel. After he shirted out of second at 60 mph and into third i was ready to get out and walk back home!

[Mike T]

Dick:

When were you in Japan? Did we ever meet there? Your comment "But Mike you didn't have a mustace when you were in Japan" has me going...I actually had to look at some pictures to see if I did or not...

Hopefully if we did meet, I wasn't making a complete A** of myself as is usually the case...

Aloha! Mike

Scott: I really like your Avatar, what ever the hell that is, I think everyone should have to post thier picture so we have a better feel of who we're conversing with..

Aloha! Mike

[B.Scott]

No Avitar Mike, just my ugly mug!

[Mike T]

Hey!

Watch what you say about ugly... :lol: I have the same mustace and beard, although in lesser quantity and white, kinda like the KFC guy...
:shock:

Aloha! Mike

[dick benbow]

No Mike, unfortuanately we didn't meet there. I was just being a wise acre.
I was in japan for two years in 68 and 69. then later trips for a weeks duration to see the all japan show or go koi hunting in niigata in the fall.

Say Mike one more story,

Just to keep in practice i will use some japanese around the house in conversation with my spouse. Our favorite joke is she'll ask me if I want something from the kitchen and I'll reply "cohee dozo" to which she replies "hey, who you calling a dozo?". Maybe you had to be there but I still chuckle everytime she pulls it on me!

[Clay]

I write under the name of Clay on the web, my real first name is Rick in the real world. While in Japan and while working with the Japanese in the states I am often introduced as Lick San. Something about those R in the Japanese language. Many of my male and female friends in the states like to refer to me as Lick San as well. Once they start something it is hard to go back. Clay

[Mike T]

Hey Dick:

On last one: all right, all right quit the clapping.....

Before my sales career I worked on a line crew and our language got pretty salty at times...

Years later when I was working in Japan, part of my job was to work with our sales teams calling on the various line crews at Telco and Power Utility companies throughout the Asia Pacific Region...

There were times when I'd get on the phone that I'd revert to my lineman days in terms of language...Each time, because we had an open office, I'd have to look at my secretary and say Gomenasai...In an effort to curb my lack of decorum, I started paying 100 yen/swear word...One Friday, I expressed my shame, to my secretary for my foul mouth, and her reply was..."No Problem Mike san, there are no swear words in the Japanese Language, so all the secretaries in the office are learning a lot of new words, plus the money I'm collecting from you, pays for all the ice cream and treats at our snack times.... ops:

Needless to say, I grew up fast and became a model of PC...Gomenasai for putting you and the other readers through this...

Aloha! Mike