almost famous

When Steve and I visited the climbing gym in Yokogawa a few weeks ago, it was quite funny to have another climber asking me out of the blue if I knew Steve. She then raved on about his abilities for a few moments until I had a chance to point towards Steve around the corner. This phenomenon of being Almost Famous has recently washed over me. Ian warned me that it can work against you, especially in a small town like Kudamatsu. But hey, I'm in the big smoke here.

Late last week one of my students recognised me while I was shopping in the convenience store. I easily remembered her name, so it wasn't embarrasing, and it's a good thing for the students to realise English teachers aren't gods, but we are real people... Actually maybe that's a bad thing?

Then on Saturday I arrived in the elevator lobby with my shoes half-full of rain, ready for work. While standing there waiting for the next snail elevator to arrive, a young jail-bait girl just started chatting to me. Talking about shopping and other stuff as if we were friends from way back. You only need to take one glance, it's not hard to guess that I speak English (Australian actually is different). I put it down to just somebody wanting to practice a bit of English.

Round 3: yesterday while hunting for much needed cleaning supplies, a complete stranger who, not only new my name but also several other things about me, started a conversation with me. I didn't recognise her face whatsoever. I covered my mouth and expressed embarrasment in my eyes, while thinking Who on earth is this? She was making a tofu steak dinner, and as much as I would love that, it would be rude to invite myself!

Rock stars, English teachers, and gods - What do they have in common?