"You Make Future Boat"

Here's a little anecdote from last week that I forgot to mention.

So it's last friday (day after Thanksgiving) and we're all a little tired from the feast the night before. We're hanging out in the office (I was actually napping on the floor as I didn't have first period) when Sandra, a Burmese English teacher came to the door. We told her to come in and she said she just got done talking to Dr. Absorn and that she was told to come to us for help in making Future Boats. Yes, that's what she kept saying over and over and over. "You help make future boat. You make future boat"

Excuse me? You want us to make a boat? "Yes a boat" For what? "For school fair, Dec 10" Ohhhh? We have a school fair on the 10th and we had no idea we were supposed to make a boat, let alone one from the future and really had no idea what the heck that entails. Do we make a future boat out of wood or metal or plastic or paper? Is it supposed to float? Where are we launching the boats?

"Dr. Absorn want you to make 1 boat Math, 1 boat Science. So two future boats." So we have to make 2 boats and they have to be for Math and Science? "Yes 2 boat. I make 1 boat for my crass." Oh okay sure we can do that. 2 boats by the 10th. Thanks Sandra. After she left we all looked at eachother blankly (much the same way we had been staring at Sandra for the last 10 min trying to figure out what she was saying). After debating for a while we concluded she was talking about a Feature Board for the different subjects; something to display the kids' work/what they've been doing this semester for the Fair. At least we hope that's what it means (we still have yet to see the board to make these features on) or else we might not be able to set sail next week.

Cultural confusion: (Burmese English) Future Boat
Translation: (American English) Feature Board