Not Me Monday: Not Art-gate and Not in English

While driving to the lake last Friday to take photographs to reference for painting (like Degas), Wilbur (the budding artist in the family) did not ask the following question….

Mom, are all artists rich like Degas?

After explaining to him that most artists are indeed NOT rich and that he should prepare for another line of work to be able to support his family (encouraging him to paint on the side, of course), I did not hear the following conversation:

Wilbur: I don't want my family to starve so I guess I will find other work to do, but if I can sell some paintings, I would really like that.

Orville: Don't worry brother. When I return from the mission field in Japan and become President, I'll have plenty of money. You can paint and sell your work to me. I'll pay you a really good price for your paintings, too. Then your family can eat, and the White House will look really nice.

I did not know whether to be pleased with Orville's generosity or concerned that our family legacy could be something called "Art-gate"!

Upon our return from the lake, Orville began work on his Japanese lesson. Soon thereafter, Michael arrived and watched Orville complete it. He did not discover the following:

1. Orville's lesson for the day covered parts of the car.
   
2. Orville did not know what most of these car parts are called in English.
   

Michael then pointed to the pictures of the car parts in the curriculum and asked Orville to name them. He did not say the Japanese words for these items effortlessly while making up names for them in English. These are not the names he came up with, really…. He would know something so basic and common.

License Plate
Japanese: nam-bah
English: thing on the back of a car

Emergency brake
Japanese: ak-say-roo-boo-rak-ee
English: the foot thing that doesn't work in Mom's car

Hood
Japanese: yah-nay
English: thing that holds the engine in

Gas tank
Japanese: quoog-you-no-ri-cha
English: gas container

Glove Box
Japanese: ko-mo-noy-ree-ray
English: the thing Mom puts all her stuff in

Spark Plugs
Japanese: tain-ka-pooh-rah-goo
English: fuel pegs

I guess he will be better equipped to care for his car in Japan than in America!