学生：先生、レポートのための参考書、何か貸していただけませんか。
先生：今から本を読むの？それでは泥縄ね。
Doronawa
Gakusei: Sensei, repooto no tame no sankoo-sho, nani ka kashite itadakemasen ka?
Sensei: Imakara hon wo yomu no? Sore de wa doronawa ne.
Student: Could I borrow some reference books to help me out with the report?
Teacher: You're just starting to read books now? That's what I call waiting to the 11th hour.
* * *
Doronawa is a shortened form of the saying doroboo wo mite (or toraete) kara nawa wo nau (locking the garage after the car has been stolen). It's an expression used to ridicule or taunt someone who has forgotten or failed to do something until the last moment when it is probably too late.
January and February is the season for final exams at Japanese colleges; a time when students suddenly begin to look serious. Because I don't take attendance in my classes I usually don't get many students turning out each week. Come January and February, however, the usually empty classroom gets packed until we run out of chairs.
And then, shiken no tame ni gakusei-tachi wa doronawa de benkyoo wo hajimeru (the students begin a last minute job of studying for the examination).
Though students who try to cram into one or two days a year's worth of study are still students, one wonders if classes which students are able to pass in such a way are really proper classes? Professor A says, "Students can pass my class even if they begin studying at the llth hour." If I were a student I'm not sure I'd want to take such a class.
Let's look at the reports my students wrote. The general theme I had assigned was, "Differences in the way Japanese students and exchange students look at Japanese culture." Unless the students had participated in the weekly class discussions, however, they couldn't write the report. Kesshite doronawa de wa kakeru mono de wa nai (This is definitely not something one will be able to jot off at the last moment). One of the specific themes we had talked about was "uniforms" or seifuku. Hisham from Egypt where the gap between rich and poor is quite wide said, "Uniforms are good because they keep the gap between the rich and poor from getting wider." A student from Malaysia where there are many different peoples living together under one government also said, "With uniforms, different cultural groups are able to develop a shared sense of unity." Most of the Japanese students, on the other hand, felt that, "With uniforms, one doesn't have to worry about getting dressed up; one doesn't have to worry about what one wears," or "Uniforms are good because then one doesn't stand out." Their opinions showed just how keen Japanese are to do things in groups. Is this way of thinking and living really OK?