shoes subtitle: why it takes forever to do anything in a room rull of 11 year olds

"Miss! Amr Mostafa* called me shoes!" Fady says breathlessly as he runs to the front of the room.

"He called you what?"

"Shoes."

"Shoes like those things?" I point to his feet.

"Yes." He says after looking down to make sure.

"Is that an insult?"

"What is the meaning of insult?"

"Insult, like donkey is an insult."

"Yes like this."

"Amr Mostafa!"

"Yes miss?" Amr Mostafa runs up to the front.

"Did you call Fady shoes?"

"He hit me!"

I look at Fady. "I hit him because he took my pen!"

I look at Amr. "But he say to me take it."

"Told me to take it. Not say to me."

"Yes."

"Say, 'He told me to take it.'"

"He told me to take it."

"Fady don't hit. Amr don't call people shoes. And bring a pen to school. Use your brains. Go sit." This satisfies them, and they happily hit and kick each other as they go back to their seats.






*Names have been changed for the sake of the children.

"chaina" means "no" in nepali, apparently subtitle: international who's on first

"Where are you from?" We ask.
"Korea," answers he.
"China?" says the Nepali hostel owner-guy.
"Chaina. Korea," So-and-So responds.
"Wait, you're from China? "
"No, Korea."
"Oh."
"China," says hostel guy again.
"Chaina. Korea."
"Wait. What?" I lean over to Abby. "Seriously where the hell is this guy from?"