Home » Archives » 11. May 2008
I can’t think of a title
May 11, 2008More than a year of teaching Koreans and a kick of culture difference zaps my humor center to haywire. I have our “laugh at anything” culture to thank for when I deal with the foreigners. Our comical incidents could be from the mundane to the wacky.
Recently, my 25 year old female student whom we shall call, Medusa (No, she’s not vile nor does she posses cursed eyeballs. It’s plainly a whim) asked me a most common question guys receive on a daily basis: “Where can I get tampons?” “Excuse me?”, I cleared. I was hoping my ears went to censored mode and her speech became Jaworski-like on TV. “Tampons. We use it when we have marstrition.”, she added. “Maybe you’re trying to say menstruation?” I clarified. “Yes, menstruation”. She maintained a tone of trivialness while conversing. Apparently, I deduced, that sanitary protection and menstrual cycles are part of guy-gal conversation. Culture, you gotta love it.
This conversation drove on to virginity issues, sanitary conditions, and even odor. I found it very uncomfortable; but since she made the topic frivolous, I maintained my own bored composure. Medusa added the information that tampons are more sanitary. “Hmm.. very useful information, if ever I get a period, which would be never!” Why did I put up with the topic? Simple, Medusa paid me to converse. Beat that.
She voiced her dilemma however that she couldn’t find tampons anywhere here. So, the mind boggling million peso question is: where the heck are tampons in Davao? Beats me. But, if anyone knows where Medusa can get them, post a comment. Seriously.
