I have really embarrassing stories regarding the use of wrong English words by a slip of the tongue.
One of them was when I went snorkeling with my friends on an island in Thailand. Because I had never done snorkeling, I was very excited about the trip. The snorkeling trip was arranged for 8 members. Naomi, the boat owner, was a really entertaining person. She had dark skin, heavy make-up, and high cheek bones. We were told Billy, Naomi’s English husband, met her while traveling in Thailand and decided not to go back to his country so he could live with her. However, she treated her husband like her servant.
“It’s time for music! Hello, everybody, Billy!!! What are you doing! Turn on the music louder!”
She was the leader on the boat and everybody was controlled by her direction.
She ordered, “Everybody! Fishing time! Come and get fishing rod and try to catch it for our lunch!” We all followed and tried to catch fish.
When she said, “Come everybody, lunch time!” and we ate the food she brought.
Sooner or later, I felt seasick and realized that I didn’t bring any pill for it. While all of my other friends were enjoying swimming and seeing beautiful corals, I had to be on the boat alone lying down on my back.
Naomi approached me, “take these, it’ll be ok soon” I was never reluctant to put them in my mouth without any suspicion, as I was supposed to do whatever she said.
Soon I felt total weakness. I felt my body was flying into the clouds. Everything looked not clear and friends’ laughter sounded like it was coming from far distance. I thought I was dying.
I was very embarrassed to show my weakness to my other friends who were all Canadian English teachers. I tried to pretend it was ok. Joanne came up to the boat and asked, “Hey, how come you are not doing snorkeling? Come! Let’s go!” I answered, “Joanne, I am having morning sickness now”
Later when we came back to Korea, Joanne always teased me with imitating my voice.
A few years later, I went to the island again with my students and tried to find Naomi.
I was told that she left the island and was living in somewhere in Bangkok.
I’m still wondering if the pills she gave me were real medicine for motion sickness or some kind of drug?
