Totally Inappropriate

I had a student approach me after class today with a piece of paper with a few words scribbled on it in both Thai and English. He sort of looked embarrassed, and I didn't know what to expect. He said, "Ajaan Mia, I have to tell you something." Ok..... He said something in broken English very quickly, and I asked him to slow down and tell me again. He explained that his surname "might make me offend." Turns out his last name is the same as what we like to call the f'enheimer. He then quickly explained that in Thai it actually means "to hatch" or something like that. That is what his diagram was for. As if the diagram made it a more serious discussion and would keep me from wanting to laugh. So I just smiled and said with strange liberation, "So I can call you Mr. Fahk, then." "Yes. I'm Mr. Fahk." I won't call him that in class, as much as I want to, I can't do it. Totally inappropriate. Fahk.

After class I was able to make some extra cash by doing a voice recording for an advanced English class activity. Why they would want me and my Minnesotan accent? I don't know. (Although I chatted with some Canadian guys who live in my building today and decided my accent is not as bad as theirs dontchya know.) So this voice recording gig, they put the three of us in this tiny little recording studio with foam walls and fancy microphones and a glass window where the sound guy could look in and give us little signals on when to start, stop, etc. I don't know if I'm cut out for this type of job. I can't stand the sound of my voice being recorded. I laugh at inappropriate times. I make little changes to the script without thinking. Although after recording, I had to explain why what I said was grammatically correct as opposed to what was written on the page. I should get paid extra for that... The best part were the names of the characters that they chose for these activities. They take celebrity names and switch them around a little bit. Britney Sprays. Celine Dizzy. The best: Gloria Estacy. I about died when Amy read from her script in her breathy voice, "Ms. Gloria Estacy is the director of human resources..." I'm shaking uncontrollably, and Amy read through it like a champ. She had to re-record it though because my sniffling, wheezy little laugh could be heard in the background. Oops. Not like it's even that funny, but of course when you're not supposed to be laughing, it takes all the will power in the world not to. I've got a whole list of moments like that under my belt. Either I'm especially prone to those circumstances, or I'm just really immature.