"Evacuation Training": Language Barriers can Kill!
Okay so it's 11:30 am and I'm told in a few minutes we'll have an "evacuation training." When told this I thought cool and told the messenger to just let me know where it's going to be. He replied, "I don't know." Boy I wish I could get him for that one.
Given that he said "evacuation trainig," I thought okay it's probably going to be some lecture on the route that should be taken and what explanation to give to the kids. I had no idea that his "evacuation training" was a translation for something else. Boy was I surprised at what was coming. Not only was it actually a fire drill, but it was a full fledged one. Therefore, when I finally arrived at the location of the "evacuation training" I realized that it would be OUTSIDE!!! I was so unprepared for that. I only had my suit jacket on and I suffered mesierably as they went on and on with the demonstrations. They started off with an opening ceremony (as they always do). Then a sliding off the side of the building demonstration (a bit surreal if you ask me, it resembles what you see on planes, but it actually happened in real life). And then the extinguishing of controlled fire (SEVERAL times, too many times if you ask me). By the end of it all I stopped being amused by the differences in the fire drills between the States and Japan and started thinking about the quickest route back to the teacher's room.
Now I'm sitting in front of the computer with full fledged winter gear on. Everything from the coat to the gloves. I must look ridiculous....
Given that he said "evacuation trainig," I thought okay it's probably going to be some lecture on the route that should be taken and what explanation to give to the kids. I had no idea that his "evacuation training" was a translation for something else. Boy was I surprised at what was coming. Not only was it actually a fire drill, but it was a full fledged one. Therefore, when I finally arrived at the location of the "evacuation training" I realized that it would be OUTSIDE!!! I was so unprepared for that. I only had my suit jacket on and I suffered mesierably as they went on and on with the demonstrations. They started off with an opening ceremony (as they always do). Then a sliding off the side of the building demonstration (a bit surreal if you ask me, it resembles what you see on planes, but it actually happened in real life). And then the extinguishing of controlled fire (SEVERAL times, too many times if you ask me). By the end of it all I stopped being amused by the differences in the fire drills between the States and Japan and started thinking about the quickest route back to the teacher's room.
Now I'm sitting in front of the computer with full fledged winter gear on. Everything from the coat to the gloves. I must look ridiculous....
posted by Shrls at 12:00 PM
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