People should look up more often.

So I went to the big used shop yesterday to look at...stuff. I was browsing the Nintendo DS games. Sometimes they have American games, too -- I don't know where they get them. I hadn't bothered to get any of them until yesterday, when I saw that they had an American copy of Pokemon Diamond for really really cheap. (I have the Japanese version, but still...)

(Yeah, yeah I know, Pokemon?!? It's something to do in my copious amounts of free-time -- and it impresses the elementary schoolers.)

Anyway, I took it up to the front and handed it to the cashier. “これ、お願いします。”*

The clerk, not looking up at me, noticed the stickers on the box proclaiming, “外国版ですから、英語だけありますよ！”** and felt that he had to check with me. “ああ、すみません、これは英語版です。大丈夫ですか。。。？”***

I boggled for a moment, then said “ぼくはアメリカ人だ。日本語版がとても難しい！”**** It was only at this point that he noticed that I wasn't Japanese.

I didn't laugh. His co-workers might have, though.

What?

Oh, right, hang on.

*"This one, please."
**"FOREIGN VERSION! ENGLISH LANGUAGE ONLY!"
***"Ah, excuse me, this is the English version. Is that all right...?"
****"I'm an American. The Japanese-language version is very difficult for me!"