Shortly after I arrived in Thailand, I performed in an orchestra concert that included a lot of exposed solos for me. It went well, and all of my students were in the audience to scope out the new teacher.
After the concert, I was approached by one of my students, who couldn't speak English at all at the time (he's conversant now). Before he got comfortable speaking English, he would often ask his bilingual friends how to say "Hello" or "How are you" so that he could greet me in the hallway or before his lesson. This time he came up and said, "Teacher, you are very beautiful."
I was a little taken aback--I'm not used to this kind of compliment, especially from a student. I smiled and thanked him in Thai, but was still feeling just a bit confused.
Until I looked beyond him.
Three or four of his buddies were standing in a little group, barely able to contain their laughter. They were turning red, punching each other, and giggling like crazy. Could it be that they were having a little fun with their monoglot friend?
I wonder what my student really wanted to tell me.
I wonder if they ever told him what he did tell me.
Poor guy.
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