The erasure

I was arrived in Raleigh (North Caroline) the day before. The flight had been as long as I had supposed but however, I felt very happy; I felt like changing my so worried life. The alarm rang at five o'clock but at that time I was already awake. The family with which I had to live, had been excellent with me since my arrival. The shower, my clothes, the breakfast, my school bag, everything in each place, everything ready to start and my impetus, on the top of the hill, I was excited. I arrived in the school as soon as possible, I was the first, and I had to wait for a long time, but it doesn't matter because my mind was in the sky; ¡I was dreamed so many times in that opportunity!; I was anxious to begin.

The other students begun to arrive, nobody spoke to me but everybody, looked at me curiously.

We walked in and we did it quietly, with another discipline different than I ussed to have. I sat on the desk, in the corner of the class, in the special place for the new students. The day began with drawing class, the professor gave us a sheet with the model that we should copy, It didn't seem difficult. I took my pencils and I looked around me. A redhead and long curly hair girl caught my eye. I watched her for a few seconds and then began to copy the drawing. I wanted to be excellent , I wanted they realized I was a normal kid and even a bright guy. When I looked up the sheet of paper to look back at that red hair, a line of my drawing was out of his place. Unfortunately, he had no eraser, I had to ask about one of them. Yes, I think “Rubber” was the keyword, I thought to myself. And without thinking, I told the girl:

• Please, can I borrow a rubber?, the thing is that I have lost it.

The girl turned and looked at me somewhat surprised and immediately he turned aloud to the class:

• Hey guys, the new student asked me about a condom, What a surprise with this Spanish.

While she looked at me, she reached her hand in her bag and when she had that she wanted, she gave me a small packet that it was familiar to me; it was a condom.

All my classmates started to laugh and the professor came up to me and asked me about the meaning of those packet in my desk. I tried to explain him in my best English and luckily he understood what was happening. He, laughing me and speaking slowly, explained me that the meaning of word “rubber” in USA was “condom” whereas in other countries like UK, was “eraser”.