28 March, 2010

Unusual conversation opener

Today's classic conversation opener:

(After looking me up and down) a lady addressed me with, "You wouldn't have much trouble buying clothes in Japan, would you?"

She had me speechless for a short while. She obviously had inside knowledge. Just recently she'd met friends of her son, who've been missionaries in Japan for 17 years. One of their difficulties is buying clothes in Japan. I'm only 156cm (about 5"2') and not large in proportions. This family is much taller(and broader?), so they struggle to find clothes. I find that I'm looking on the upper size level (LL for t-shirts, for example, when I buy about loose 12 here), so I'm not surprised.

Funnily enough it turns out that we've met this family. Their daughter and our son were in the same kindergarten for 1.3 years in Sapporo in 2003-4. Small world?

In addition to this, I was greeted at the church door by a Scottish gentleman in his kilt and started the morning with a short conversation about how good Japanese pipers are!

After the service I had conversations with a Japanese man who grew up in Canada but has now settled in Australia with his Australian wife. A Korean lady doing her PhD on something like Westerners in Korea early last century. She's also married to an Australian.

I refreshed the memory of a man whose learning to count to 10 in as many languages as he can - including Vietnamese from his green grocer. Not bad from someone who appeared to have some limitations in his intellectual and physical abilities, but none whatsoever in his social skills (he was incredibly polite).

A nicely multicultural experience for the fine city of Canberra.

Tonight we present something of a cross between of our informal Japan evenings and an informal church service. It'll be interesting. The Japanese man's wife is making sushi for the bring and share meal beforehand - something to look forward to.

1 comment:

Barbara said...

Guess for my hubby it would be easier to find clothes in Japan, too, he is 149cm. The only problem could be his shape - he is not as slim as I suppose most Japanese are.