Tweet of the Week #134: Student Asking For Milk Told ‘Go to Kindergarten’

The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on all of us. But the effects are devastating for students living in dormitories. In Japan, students under quarantine due to the state of emergency have little freedom to go out and about.

At one prestigious boarding medical school, the Jichi Medical University in Tokyo, over 700 students living on school grounds are under stringent measures. Recently, five positive coronavirus cases led the entire school to go under a two-week lockdown. Students can only leave their room once a day for a quick shower.

Food rations are delivered only in the morning and consist of a bento meal, cup noodles, some bread and rice balls. Unable to venture outside for groceries, a student asked the dormitory administrator for milk and yogurt. Instead, the university emailed all students that unless they require milk and yogurt to live, they should grow up.

Got milk?

自治医科大学で医学生が監禁されてて草

大人しく学生が自粛してるんだがら牛乳とヨーグルトくらい支給したれよ…

決して安くない学費を取ってるだろう pic.twitter.com/s2tAxgr4ZS

— ゆるふわ怪電波☆埼玉 (@yuruhuwa_kdenpa) May 27, 2021

自治医科大学（じちいかだいがく）で医学生（いがくせい）が監禁（かんきん）されてて草（くさ）

大人（おとな）しく学生が自粛（じしゅく）してるんだがら牛乳（ぎゅうにゅう）とヨーグルトくらい支給（しきゅう）したれよ…

決（けっ）して安（やす）くない学費（がくひ）を取（と）ってるだろう

“Jichi Medical University students are locked up lol.

Why don’t they at least give them milk and yogurt since the students are refraining from going out?

It’s not like they’re charging cheap tuition.”

Go back to Kindergarten

Instead of milk and yogurt, the student received a somewhat passive-aggressive response.

The email the students received said:

• 先（さき）ほど「牛乳とヨーグルトが欲（ほ）しい」と学生課（がくせいか）へ連絡（れんらく）した学生へ”
  “To the student who called the student affairs office earlier to say they want milk and yogurt.”
• 病気（びょうき）によりこのような食（た）べ物（もの）を摂取（せっしゅ）する必要（ひつよう）があるのであれば、その旨（むね）改（あらた）めて連絡（れんらく）ください。
  “If your medical condition requires you to consume such food, please contact us again.
• そうでなければ、自治医学を退学（たいがく）して幼稚園（ようちえん）へ行（い）くことを強（つよ）く勧（すす）めます。
  “Otherwise, we strongly recommend withdrawing from Jichi Medical University and going to kindergarten.”

The news of the milk-deprived students quickly spread on social media, leading to review bombs and heavy criticism. However, the student affairs office didn’t budge. Their representative declared that they must be tough on students as a medical school.

Expressing ‘want’ with 欲しい

Whenever you want something, like a popular game or a new book from your favorite author, you use 欲しい. This adjective translates the verb “to want” and can only be used to express your own desire—not someone else’s. The phrase 欲しい also works with the particle が.

Whenever you want something concrete (an object), 欲しい is written with its kanji 欲. However, in other grammatical expressions, the adjective is written in hiragana only (ほしい).

Here are a few variations to help you get started with your practice:

• 牛乳とヨーグルトが欲しいです: “I want milk and yogurt.”
• この人気（にんき）なゲームが欲しいです: “I want that popular game.”
• 新（あたら）しいパソコンが欲しいです: “I want a new computer.”
• テレビが欲しかったです: “I wanted a TV.”
• 味噌（みそ）ラーメンが欲しかったですが、売（う）り切（き）れでした: “I wanted miso ramen, but it was sold out.”

Vocabulary

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