The Spider's Thread

A few weeks ago Gunch witnessed me trying valiantly to teach Keisuke The Lion King, and thought I deserved a taste of my own kusuri. Since, he has been having me learn ( with the intention of reciting) a famous Japanese story called 'Kumo no Ito' - The Spider's Thread. Well, it started out as just a bit of fun, he would read to me and have me repeat the onomatopoeia and easy stuff. I didnt realise things were going to get serious...

Last week was when things took a turn for the worse when, during our lesson, Gunch produced a 'simplified' copy for me. to read. out loud!! Kanji and all!! If you look at the picture above you will have some indication of the Herculean nature of this. We battled through it with me growing ever frustrated and him getting so excited not because I was making any headway but because he so loves the story and the nuances of the words and the satisfaction of translating. He's a dedicated thinker, a real teacher. He would come every day with an updated glossary of new verbs or adjectives or a story that explained a certain turn of phrase. I was in agony because I didn't understand a bloody thing and I wasn't retaining a word he said. The harder I tried, the less successful I became. And my brave face just made it worse because any glimpse of enthusiasm on my part just fuelled him into a greater frenzy of explanation and research. Reading the folio over time became harder, not easier because he was scribbling all over my it with pencil, referencing meaning and pronunciation - obscuring the words I couldn't read with even more words I couldn't read!!

I was feeling guilty and angry, Jesus, did he honestly think I was capable of learning the goddam thing! It was all his fault. It was all my fault. He wouldn't give up and I couldn't give up. It felt to me like this project could be the end of our strange and delicate friendship. To make matters worse he would always absentmindedly end up going home with my pencil.

Today he arrived at my desk with a fresh new copy of the folio that he had reprinted - free from scribbles. He expected that I, like him, had been working on the story all weekend. Handing me the new copy benevolently he asked me to read. I cursed myself for having been so rude about his pencil scribbles.. Without them I had to remember pronunciation all by myself. Now, I was sure, I would be exposed for the revolting fraud I am, I had done NO work at all. He would be hurt and I would be ashamed...grimly I began reading.

Much to our combined suprise and delight, I did it!! Sure, I butchered the thing, but I got through it and even remembered a dozen or so kanjii without prompting!! It was a glorious endorsement of my capability to learn the taal. Somehow, his lessons had managed to get stuff to stick. He knew what he was doing all right. I was so proud of myself and so grateful I teared up. Most of all I was so happy to have pleased my teacher. Its motivated me to make him even happier so I just spent the afternoon working on The Spider's Thread...when I should have been making lesson plans.

I still have a long way to go with the story and Japanese in general, 99 percent I'd say. But I had thought I was nowhere.

Actually I'm one percent of the way there! I hope Gunch will never suspect how resentful I was of him last week and that one day he will have some idea of how grateful I am.