Apple and Orange
Schoolwork was easy. English was added to the curriculum, and arithmetic was upgraded to mathematics. I had started learning English at the church two years before, so the English class in junior high school was utterly beneath me.
We repeated after the English teacher.
Teacher: “apple.”
Us: “apple.”
Teacher: “apple.”
Us: “apple.”
Teacher: “apple.”
Us: “apple.”
Teacher: “orange.”
Us: “orange.”
Teacher: “orange.”
Us: “orange.”
Teacher: “orange.”
Us: “orange.”
We all knew what apple and orange were because many beverage manufacturers named their fruit drinks apple and orange juice. Only the pronunciation was different. We pronounced “appuru” and “orengi,” with no distinction between L and R.
But if we spent half an hour chanting apples and oranges, when do we learn how to describe what they taste like?
Fortunately, I was able to advance my learning at the church. The progressive reverend let me learn at my pace, which was much faster than that of school.