A Deadly Mistake

(I’m the unfortunately dense student in this situation. I’m an exchange student from the U.S., and it is Valentine’s Day. My class is very small, and to show them gratitude for them helping me through my classes, I buy vases and flowers and place them on my classmate’s desks. When class begins…)

Teacher: “[My Name]! You’re the only student without a vase and flower! Did you do this?”

Me: “Yes! It’s Valentine’s Day and I wanted to thank everyone for being so kind to me this year!”

(Silence.)

Classmate #1: “…Did you ever get a lesson on what placing a flower on a student’s desk means in Japan?”

Classmate #2: “You only do that if a classmate has died, and doing so if they’re still alive is basically giving them a death-wish”

Me: *realization* “Oh, my goodness!” *addresses whole class* “I’m SO sorry! I completely forgot that it was offensive to do that! Please forgive me!”

(Thankfully, everyone laughed it off and thanked me for the (somewhat) kind gesture. Next time, I’m just going to give out chocolates!)

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