Nostalgia

Rummaging through some memorabilia I brought with me from Japan, I came across a few of my students' essays from an old writing test. The exhaustive prompt described a situation in which a college student must write a letter in email format to his professor, apologizing for being absent from a final; the student was admitted to the hospital because of a bike accident that occurred on the morning of the final.

Before grading the 200 or so essays I used to salivate with excitement: my students were unaware of their expert ability to thoroughly massage the organ in my body that is responsible for the perception of good-natured Japanese to English translation humor. I found these three responses that I personally inscribed on a scrap of paper I tucked away neatly into one of my books, with the purpose of finding it at some time far removed from my experience. They're short, but oh so sweet..


1. Oniki Yudai

I had a traffic accident this morning and I went to hospital. Don't worry. My body is good.
Bye.

2. Nakamura Hiroko

I couldn't have the math examination because I had been run over by a bike on Monday morning and i went to the hospital then.
Thank you.

3. Honda Ryuuji

I didn't take a math exam because when I ride a bike, a car attacked me.
PS - you are a great man