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Essay :A Memory of Discovery Week

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    A Memory of Discovery Week   During my secondary school’s Discovery Week, we ventured deep into the Devon countryside. The itinerary promised athletic games followed by dinner, and then an unconventional night spent sleeping on the hillside.   Each of us was handed a large nylon sack, the kind that offered some insulation against the chill of the night. We were to spend the night nestled within them on the gently sloping ground of the campsite. The incline presented a mild challenge—throughout the night, I found myself slipping toward the bottom of the sack, though I managed to catch some sleep nonetheless.   At dawn, I stirred to the sight of my teacher chatting with one of my classmates. Dragging my nylon sack behind me, I shuffled over to join them. The teacher, as teachers often do, began firing questions. “Did you sleep well? How was yesterday’s athletic activity?”   I admitted that while the group games had been fun, the night ha...
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Essay : Why “Oh My God” is a Difficult Expression

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  Allow me, as someone of an older generation, to offer a reflection. This is a story from nearly 40 years ago.   When I had been attending an international school in London for about a year, at the age of 15, I developed a small ritual: a monthly visit to the nearby McDonald’s with my classmates. It was one of the few indulgences we allowed ourselves.   It was a bitterly cold winter, and despite the weather, we all ordered milkshakes. Naturally, holding the icy cup chilled my hands to the bone.   “ Oh my God, my hands are freezing!” I exclaimed without a second thought.   Suddenly, an adult passing by—a Black man—grabbed my elbow and asked sternly, “Who are you? Why are you, someone who doesn’t seem Christian at all, saying ‘Oh my God’?”   What a lookism.I was bewildered, left staring at him in silence, unsure what was happening. At that moment, another man, who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, joined in.   “ Are you...
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Zophia University Trilogy (2) : Short novel : Chasing Dreams, Counting on Others

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  “Heyyy, Inaba san! So, like, you’re not going to the University of South Australia or what? "   Oh, here we go again. With just a month to go until the exchange programme interviews, my club junior, Wakana Motegi, has once again cornered me with the question. It’s like clockwork at this point. Rumour has it she’s keen on going to the same university as me. Honestly, she’s not exactly subtle about it. “Not there!” I reply breezily. “It’s the University of Sydney.” But then she tilts her head and says, “O"But, like, the study-abroad office says you’re totally going to the University of South Australia, Inaba-senpai!" Great. So much for confidentiality. It sounds like my plans have leaked everywhere.   It was clear my plans weren’t exactly under wraps anymore.   My first encounter with Wakana Motegi had been two years ago, back in 1989, when she was a first-year student. We were both part of the English Conversation Club, though in different subgroups—she was in ...
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