How would you like to be my guinea pig?
written by Lilian Ndongmo. ESL Teacher
Yesterday in class, I nearly got my head bitten off. I was telling Habiba, my student, about something I was planning to do, and I wanted her to try it and give me some feedback.
“So”, I said, leaning forward in my chair, “How would you like to be my guinea pig?”
“What!” She exclaimed. “What did you say?” Surprise and laughter on her face.
“I said I would like you to be my….,” leaving my seat to write GUINEA PIG on the board.
Looking at the word, she said in French, “Un cochon guinéen? What is that?”
“It’s an animal”
“I’m an animal!” She exclaimed. At this point, we were both laughing very hard.
“It’s a cute little animal; this big,” putting out both hands to indicate the size. “It’s like a rat.”
“Now, I’m a rat!”
“No, wait. If you see it, you’d like it. It’s really cute,” I said, still shaking with laughter.
“Like a hamster?”
“Yes. It looks like a hamster, but it’s not a hamster; it’s a guinea pig. A guinea pig is an animal which scientists use in laboratories for experiments.”
“Ahhh,” she sighed; the meaning finally settling in.
“Uh huh,” I agreed, relieved. “So, if you try something new, say for example a new recipe, and you want your husband to taste the food and give you feedback, you can ask him to be your guinea pig.”
“Good idea,” she said, and we both burst into laughter.
Recap and Takeaway Lesson
- A guinea pig is not a pig, and it doesn’t come from Guinea.
- It’s a small animal that is usually used for experiments in laboratories.
- For some people, they can be a nice family pet.
- If you call someone a guinea pig, then you’d like to try something new on them.
- Don’t go around calling people guinea pigs. Some people may take offense, especially if they don’t know what the word means. You’d want to take some time to get to know them first, as is my case with Habiba.
Click to hear the pronunciation of guinea pig:
Photo: .scarlet