Are you a good sleeper?

今回のポッドキャストです。お聴き下さい。

 本日のSentence

I was knocked out with a cold and my voice is just starting to recover.

風邪でノックアウトされ、声が回復してきたところです。

 ボキャブラリー

• be knock out: to be unconscious or in a state of sleep　意識を失い、眠った状態になる。 
• take for granted: to forget to appreciate because something seems always available: いつでも手に入るように思えるものがあるため、感謝を忘れること。
• insomnia: a condition that prevents a person from being able to sleep　眠れない状態。
• get (something ) rolling: to get something started, moving forward, set in motion　何かを始める、前進させる、動き出させる。
• affirmative: positive, “yes”　肯定的な、"はい "という意味

 英文のスクリプトです

Hi Matt, hello friends.

I hope that you enjoyed the golden week break.Please forgive this late entry. I was knocked out with a cold and my voice is just starting to recover. That explains the husky voice. Apologies. Being sick was an important reminder that nothing matters more than health and it is not something that we should take for granted.

I hope that you enjoyed the golden week break.Please forgive this late entry. I was knocked out with a cold and my voice is just starting to recover. That explains the husky voice. Apologies. Being sick was an important reminder that nothing matters more than health and it is not something that we should take for granted.

This surprised me for two reasons. First, no one asked what I meant by “being good at sleep.” Secondly, and more interestingly, it was unprecedented to have, in some cases, entire groups of Japanese people admit that they are good at something. Typically, if you ask a Japanese person if they are good at something, even when it is obvious they are good at it, the default response is “not really.” So why were so many people willing to admit their prowess at sleep?

We did an in-class reflection on this question and it seems that sleep is something that people cannot judge others about. Therefore, people can confidently say that they are good at sleep, without fear of being judged. I thought this was an interesting fact and I was happy to see that Japanese people, generally regarded as some of the most humble people on the planet, can occasionally display pride. I’ll continue to ask questions to find out what other hidden “talents” Japanese people possess, ones that they can unapologetically admit to being good at.

Wishing you health and happiness always.

Mark Tofflemire

Tailor Made Inc.

mark-tailormade@gol.com or toffy@gol.com