The Tani, The Guchi, The Taniguchi

Curious boops and clicks serenade me.

By way of explanation, Taniguchi sensei is my tantosha, aka supervisor or the teacher who is directly responsible for me at my school. Nick sensei and I concur: she is not a pleasant individual.

Today was a mixture of triumphs and defeats with the beast that is Taniguchi. It began when I entered the classroom to "team-teach" with her. This name is an irony which will soon be appreciated. I walked in and saw her standing at the desk, looking at a textbook. There were four girls in the class. I said "Hi!" to her with some enthusiasm. No response. With less enthusiasm, I said "hi" again. She didn't even look up. I was standing right next to her. So, feeling like I shouldn't be there, like I've come in at some crucial moment in the covent's meeting, I ask her quite honestly "Do you want me to leave?".
She looks at me for a moment. "No. It's ok." Nose returns to book.
The class was off to a good start. Before each class begins the two teachers greet the students with a formula:
Japanese Teacher: "Good morning class."
Class: "Good morning ___."
Anthony: "Good morning class."
Class: "Good morning Nick, garble garble uh Anthony"
JT: "How are you?"
Class: "I'm-fine-thanks-and-you?"
JT: "I'm fine. How are you Mr. Anthony?"
Anthony: "I'm a-ok, thanks." or "I'm superb." etc.
With the Taniguchi, this formula is corrupted to the point that I am not addressed by the class. After she greets the class and asks how they are and they have a nice little chat, maybe some tea and crumpets, then, oh yeah, you can say hello Anthony. So today I asked her "Today is it okay if I say good morning class right after you?".
She grimaced and mumbled "anything is ok". Which is not strictly true, as yesterday when I corrected her ("What do you mean vegetable? What do you mean fire truck?") mode of questioning, she gave me a serious talking to after class. I must not interrupt the flow of the class. Even if that flow is a brown river of poop, apparently.
I am a human tape-recorder. I am told when to speak. Generally I read sentences from the "tekistbook" or off giant flash cards. I am not allowed to hold these flashcards. Other teachers let me hold the flashcards godammit! I want that! She speaks in Japanese to the class pretty much all the time. Then there is a pause. People look expectantly at me. OH! I'm supposed to read something now. It would be nice if she told me when to speak or what to read, instead of making me look like a foreign devil in front of the class.
But the triumph came today after lunch. I was in class again with the Taniguchi, and I had had a particularly filling lunch. She asked me to read a passage. The class grew quiet, and at that moment a long, low burp escaped me, relatively quietly, but not unlike the call of a distant bullfrog. Burping in Japan is like farting in North America. I wasn't sure who heard it, and I started to giggle. Then I started reading, but as I read I just started laughing. Soon the whole class was laughing, and even the Taniguchi. I still don't know who heard it.