from South Africa

My speaking partner named Kim has come to osaka! She is from South Africa which has never had snow so far. On Jan. 23rd, much snow came down unusually. Luckily, she was able to see this snow, so I guess she is welcomed by Osaka very much!!

Because south Africa is along the sea side, she is good at surfing as she brings the surf board to Japan! If we have opportunity, I wanna to be taught how to surf from her next year since I’ve been interested in it for a long time.

I’m really looking forward to seeing her in the near future.

mother begin working again

My mother was a nurse who is trained to look after young children for about thirty years, and quit it three years ago because of her old age. Since then, she has worked for a helper of elderly people as a part timer.

However, she started working again as a regular employee from this winter. That is because we don’t have enough money to pay for my and my younger sister’s school expenses. I’ve appreciate her much effort and kindness recently. She is not young any longer (though I cannot tell her exact age…), but she is still working. I’m really respectful toward her!!

my new part time job

i got regular part time job for the first time in my college life. that is, the person who manage the sound at bridal party. i handle all the music during wedding receptions, which is very responsible work. however, i’ve wanted to do these kind of job for a long time and now, i got it!

i’ll work at the wedding ceremony hall near the USJ, the biggest theme park in kansai area. the building is so cute and looks like a western church. i want to improve my ability to manage the sound system as soon as possible. additionally, i’m sure i can have a good time there with many new married couples!

a rose in Versailles

Last Sunday, I went to watch a play of a rose in the Versailles performed by Takarazuka, one of the most famous theatrical companies in Japan, with my mother. It’s too difficult to get this ticket since so many people want to see, but our neighbor gave us them because they won a prize (the probability was 1300/60000)! How lucky we are!! I really appreciate their kindness.

The dram was sooooooo flowery. The costumes were decollated with lots of spark and they shined with large amount of light. The most interesting parts for me were this costume and the stage effects (not the play….humm). I did understand that this company spent much money on the stage set.

Since I love watching plays, I hope I have another opportunity to see these rare dramas again!

this winter vacation

Hi everyone! Long time no see…. How was your holiday?
Mine was terrible. I worked too much during this winter vacation at the one of the most famous hotel in Japan. It was too hard and I really don’t want to do same job in the future. Many big parties like new-year party are held during near the Jan.1 because the day is the most important holiday in Japan to cerebrate the beginning of a year. So I couldn’t rest even on such a great day and had to work from 7 am to 6 pm. Eleven hours!!! I’ve never spent long hours like this on my work place so it was too hard for me to endure. Earning money is very difficult.
The only thing I can dream is how much money I earned with too much stress. I’m looking forward to go to the bank next month.

HW for Scott

Now The United States is the strongest country in the world, and they seem to try to press their beliefs on other countries all over the world. The most remarkable example is that they are exporting their ideology of democracy. Americans believe democracy is universal. I also think it is easier for us to adjust and accept that idea than any other belief because it expresses the freedom and equal opportunities for everyone. For instance, after the World War Ⅱ, Japan adapted to the concept of democracy in short time, and now, it is the most common thought for Japanese since we think former concept, the Emperor’s system is much less adaptable.
However, is it possible that every person who has different religions agree with the democracy? This is absolutely impossible. The U.S. has tried to expand that ideology from the Cold War, and killed a large number of people who wouldn’t accept it in South East Asia and South America. And now, the targets are the country in the Middle East. America beat the Islamic State of Afghanistan and went ahead with democratic election. What’s more, Iraqi people are being forced to change their ideology. I think this time the U.S. cannot do it well since they are the Muslims who against the America.
The more America try to control the Middle East, the more people in that area oppose democracy. I’m not sure how the U.S. government can withdraw from Iraq as the matter stands, but I hope they give up expanding their own belief as fast as possible.

HW for Adam

Generally speaking, we can judge whether men or women are talking through hearing the contents and the ways of communication. This is because each gender has different speech patterns, gestures, or questionary processes. One of the most significant conversational distinctions between Japanese men and women is what subjects they tend to talk about.

Whereas most of the Japanese men just tell the conclusion, women express more details in the conversations. Since ladies cannot stand being alone, they are anxious to share their feelings and experiences, and try to draw out talking. One female teenager often talks about why, what, when, where, and how something happened to her, and friends of hers ask her other different aspects of that event. On the other hand, men see their partners as rival in society, their purpose of having a communication is sometimes just to gather information, for instance, how to get the goal or which method is better than the other. They are likely to change useful ideas and insides for their task or work, not their feelings and useless details. As a rule in Japan, women are good at giving a full account of objects, while men are clever in interrupting others’ styles into owns. Hence, according to Deborah Tannen, women need longer process to reach the consequences, but men tend to go to the main point at once.

HW for Scott

Do you think homosexuality is against the Bible or morality, or do you think it is normal that someone love others of same gender?

“30 days: Straight/Gay” showed me an innovative point of view about love. As most of you may think, I may not have been able to accept if one of my female friends opened her mind that she loved me. Ryan, a hard-core-Christian, also couldn’t forgive the concept of Gay because the Bible doesn’t approve the sexual relationship between same genders. He decided to live in Castro, San Francisco, which is the only city admitted as the Gay town in the U.S. Although he had much experience with a gay man called Ed, for instance, went to a gay bar and took part in the softball game with gays, his thought against the concept of homosexuality has not converted. Me neither. I had persisted the feeling of unpleasant with homosexual love until a statement was given by a doctor. That was, “homosexuality is one of the very characters by nature and it cannot be altered easily as straight people don’t love same sexes easily.” Then, I really see the perspective of gays for the first time.

Homosexuality is the quality which is same as everyone has one by one. It is natural that people have different nature, and we need to live with others as try to understand and accept each other. Although Ryan couldn’t totally agree to the idea of love relationship between same genders because of the pious Christian, he became a good friend of Ed. I think Ryan has myopic view, I believe he will keep asking about homosexuality, one of the biggest social problems in the America.

want artistic life??

recently, i’ve read many books cause i love reading!
i’d like to introduce on of them, a book about how you enjoy life with art.

there are many tips of arts in this world, and as you know, i’ve been enthusiastic for dancing. i’ve wondered how i can participate in art for a long time. the book says that art is the way we express ourselves and who we are. although art seems to be the one which only some experts can accomplish, it is opened to human beings in the world.

that book makes me feel like involved in not only dancing but also other kinds of art including drawing pictures, singing songs, writing something about my interests. i want to be a parson who is not able to live without art!

my ironical story

This story is nonfiction. When I was small, I did the laundry instead of my mother. We use remaining water from the bathtub for washing clothes so I had to draw water with the washbasin from it. One day I spilled water by accident, but I didn’t tell that to my mother for fear of being scolded. After a while, she called me and I anticipated that she blame me for keeping the thing secret. Yet she asked me to help her wipe the floor since water leaked out from the washing machine. I was surprised! She thought water escaped from the machine, and it really did in addition to the water I dropped. Thanks to my sneaking ness, we found the damage of the machine, and could stop it before the room was flooded. It IS irony, isn’t it?

Super Size Me

A thought came to my mind during watching this movie. That is the different cultural back grounds between the U.S. and Japan affects on the difference of their dietary habits considerably. In spite of the fact that the 60% of U.S. citizens are obese, they don’t try to exercise and cut down the amount of fat, cholesterol, or sugar. Therefore the number of those who suffer from diabetes in the United States will definitely grow more and more because of the lack of will to get lose weight. On the other hand, Japanese, most of who don’t overweight, seem nervous about their posture and engage in reduce their weight by exercising at sports clubs or taking some medicines.

The way of thinking is related to food culture of both countries. Japanese people are generally so shy that they consider how they are thought. So they are always anxious about their appearance. Many young people in Japan desire to have a graceful figure and research how to get to be like models in magazines or TV shows. This is perfectly because they want to be regarded as a cool person by friends of them. Americans, on the other hand, are said not to care for how other people think of them. They insist their opinion or idea distinctly in front of a large number of people, which gives sounds like difficult for Japanese due to shyness. For that reason, the people in the U.S. don’t feel uneasy their figure very much though they have potbelly.

I have no idea which is good or which is bad. But in regard to the risk of life, the U.S. citizen has to take less amount of harmful substance such as sugar or grease, and take care of their precious body more. And Morgan argues through “Super Size Me” that the most effective way to do this is reducing the first food.

Japanese Connotation

“Babaa!!” This is the most negative word in Japanese when you call a woman, and “Jijii” is the same for man. We sometimes call an adolescent like that if you are attacked by stranger, what’s more, we may say these words even to parents when you have quarrel or fight with them.
The neutral way you call an adult is “ojisan” for a man and “obasan” for a woman. When you speak to your parents, however, these words can be disrespectful way in any situation.

HW for Adam

#9 what is emotional intelligence?

The emotional intelligence is the ability to putting yourself in a person’s place. This is different from the capacity to just understand the feeling, but to think something about or get into action for the person. For instance, if you watch people injured in a war in TV program and feel something sadness, that is not the emotional intelligence. Intelligent people are expected to do something to help the wounded or appeal to stop the war.
And I think the skill of this intelligence makes progress rapidly by reading various kinds of novels because you can experience different life in them.

HW for Adam

#4 how has your education affected your intelligence?

Most of the Japanese students have to choose if they’re going to learn liberal arts or science in college, at the begging of the second grade of high school. Then, the students who isn’t good at math or science tend to stop study them at that time. On the other hand, those who hate English of classical Japanese don’t have to learn more, and they apt to devote to scientific subjects.
I was one of the former so I gave up mastering math after the first grade of high school. But now, I really want to study math and physics, and regret having chosen the literal side. Although it was my fault to have decided not to learn more math, this Japanese educational system cannot be welcomed when I think of it now. I think this method fix our capacity to broaden the view of world. Only high school students are not able to conclude which subject suits them.

HW for Adam

#2 why is society interested in your intelligence and schooling?

Academic achievement is generally in portion to economic level of the country. The entire industrialized nation emphasizes the education so that children in those countries are highly literate, while the developing nations cannot afford to train the youth because they have to pay attention to how they live, not how they live comfortably.
Because our intelligence influence directly on the future of the county, the government concern with our scholarly level. It can be said that the deeply students can consider many issues, the more rich the nation will be. I wonder if Japanese economic power is going to be weaker because of the drop of their intelligence and the falling birthrate.

funny book

About a week ago, I found an interesting book: it says “let’s train your brain only for a month by listening CD in which Japanese famous novels are recorded at three times as fast as normal speed, and reading along it.” It didn’t need much time for me to decide to buy the book since I’d never seen that kind of drill exercises and since the book also maintained our reading speed will definitely rise.

From next day, I started training my brain. At first, though my reading speed was twelve words per second, yesterday (ten days from the beginning), the speed moved up fourteen words per minute!! I was so happy and now I’m looking forward how fast I can read three weeks from now. Well, if you’re interested in this book, please let me know!

difficult to teach

Once a week, I teach dance to elementary school students, and every time I do, I learn new things from them. Those schoolchildren see world through different filter from ours, so I often worry about how I can convey the pleasure of dancing.
They are honest to show their feeling. They become lazy soon when they feel bored. What is more, they start playing if they get tired of dancing. On the other hand, when they think they’re enjoying dance, their concentration on dancing is terrific! I become the happiest person at this moment. So my wish is to make the students like dancing, and I know I have to learn more to grant this. Teaching something is very difficult!

FOR SCHOOL FESTIVAL

Come to Kansai Gaidai on Nov. 3 to 6 to enjoy school festival!! I'm playing the KOTO, a Japanese traditional instrument, in a classroom (I don't know where exactly!), so pelease come to listen my play, eat Japanese sweets, and have a great time!!
Recentry, we've practice often for this big event. I've gone to the club room almost all day althoug I had plracticed only one day a week before. I come to like playing Koto, and now, I'm enjoying it! So you guys must enjoy listening our playing. More, enjoy Gaidai Festival with lots of foreign students!

"50 First Dates"

“Hi, I’m Lucy!”
“Hi, I’m Roth!”
This is the love story of the most limited future and the most full of promise. One fateful day, Roth, who is an animal doctor of an aquarium in Hawaii, and Lucy, who is a local girl of Hawaii, meet in a café. Although Roth always associates with many tourists, they seem to fall in love like lots of other movies. Indicated a puzzled expression of the café’s host mother, however, Lucy doesn’t remember this young guy on the next morning! What happens? According to the host of the café, she has lost short-term memory because of the car accident on October 13 on which she was going to hold the birthday party for her father. Every day is same to her. She reads newspaper of October 13, has a breakfast at the café, paints a room of her house, and watches the same videotapes with her brother and father.
Roth decides to bring something different to Lucy, and meets her every day as a stranger by means of pretending to be illiterate, to be a traffic police officer, and to be beaten. At last, Roth is able to have personal relations with Lucy. Since she has been forgetful yet, they record everyday life on videotapes and make a first kiss for Lucy every day.
Yet one day, she sees him to break up their relationship because she thinks there is no future between them. They burn her dairy which she has written down her life with Roth. From then on, Roth seems never to exist in her mind. But Lucy dreams him every night! She remembers him unconsciously! Then they get married and have a child. Every morning Lucy gets up, she watches a video that explains her life, and sees her husband and daughter for the first time.

The seal called Jacko which Roth takes care of is often asked Roth’s advices what he should do to Lucy. He is very clever and cute to imitate man’s gestures. He is also an important character in this movie to show the direction or future the unusual couple will experience. I think he brings Roth and Lucy to the happy end. The most impress scene is when Jacko agrees with Lucy’s having the love relationship with his host, Roth. I think this judgment decide the very long future of the two.

At the last scene of “50 First Dates”, Roth and Lucy live on the broaden sea. This is the same with my ambitious! I really want to stay inside the huge nature like mountains, ocean, or land with a real partner in the future!!

Ai

i'd like to introduce one of my best friend, AI! i met her in Germany this summer and did the volunteer work together. she is a university student in Tokyo, and loves reading books very much!

in germany, we talked lots of things, about school, life, nature, animal, Hitler, the world war Ⅱ...... lots of lots of kind of things!! because she was good at express her feelings, i was always impressed with her words. the subject i was most moved was about art. i've danced from i was in elementery school and she has also liked painting for a long time. we talked about our own thought which we had have. i was able to explain a great amount of my view toward dance for the first time. moreover, i got her tought of fine art which inspired me with very new idea.

thanks for her, i saw many ways of thinking. i really wanna see her again in the near future!

the mystery of comunisum

we've read the 'animal farm' and I have had a big question about its theme: communisum. That is, WHY have most of the communist countries like Soviet destroyed?????

I see that people are discouraged if different tasks give same rewards. Ultimate eaquality reduce people's motivation, and because of that, they definitely come not to willing to work. As a result, efficieny of making products is decleased.

BUT! Is it only the reason that capitalism don't like communism? Personaly I don't think so. Some countries such as China, Cuba, and Vietnam are making a good job as the communism. Moreover, some of the nothern Europeian countries combine capitalism with communism, and their living standard are pretty well.

Well, I really want to understand the system and both weak and strong aspects of communism. Please make any comments you think of that.

japanese non-verbal communication

Generally speaking, Japanese tend to apologize much and so, we have a few different ways to apologize. One unique posture to express sorry is called “Dogeza.” To make it, you kneel on the Tatami which is a common Japanese floor made of straw, and make your feet flat. Then, you sit on your legs directly, so your behind touches your feet. Next put your hands flatt on the floor, bend your upper half of the body by your waist.

We don’t do “Dogeza” in ordinal situation but do when you want to apologize terribly. For example, if you cannot return a large amount of money by the time you promised, you have to make “Dogeza” in front of the boss. This may not be accepted by the boss, but you should do it really because you made a huge mistake.

“Dogeza” includes the meaning of shamefulness so people don’t want to do. If you would like to be forgiven in serious situation, however, the longer you make “Dogeza” or the nearer your head to the Tatami, the deeper your apology is. So when you behave very badly by accident in Japan, do “Dogeza”.

If I am in...

We live with ordinal amount of air in Japan, then, if I were forced to stay 30days on the high land of the Himalaya Mountains, what the life would be like???
First, of cource it would be difficult even to breathe. I may be able to move little because action need much energy, of I may get sick. And, I think I counldn't communicate with people for the lack of air.
I cannnot imagine more what is happning, but I really want to go around the world, someday I'm going to the South America and climbing the Himalayas!

30DAYS gave me WHAT!?

As you know, most of the Japanese are in the middle class and we possess things equally compared to other countries. I have lived in comfort: I've been able to put on many clothes, had enough food, and gone to school.
"If my family has little money..." I've never thought like this. "30DAYS" indicated to me what the life in poverty in the debeloped country like. On one side of the America, there are many rich people who live with lots of luxury, but on the other side, people are troubled with everyday food and this side tend to be hidden. Medias always inform the rich part of the America.
I have thought that the U.S. is the country everyone can have chance to achieve, but in reality, many people have no right to be sucessful. This is not fare. The government should help them by cutting their salary. Then the country is being a real attractive nation.

What did rise from the Hurricane Katrina?

I think the fast reason why the disaster led bigger damages is the gap between rich and poor people in the state. I had not known the fact that two of three people in New Orleans are black, and that they are quite poor as they cannot afford to buy a car to get out of the region. If they have ways to escape or if they have places to go, they must have leave as fast as they could. What all the American, or even people in other countries, have to perceive from the tragedy is there are a lot of hidden poverty on the glob.

Finish my last summer in teens

This is all the members of the volunteer work in Germany. They come from Spain, Germany, Russia, Austria, Italy, France, Koria, Serbia, Poland, and Japan. The village called Lindberg where we worked has great nature and I come to love contryside better than city! The people in the village were so cheerful and love beer the best in this world (they always drink alchol from the morning!!).
Our work was painting small houses, cleaning the factory, putting tails on the roof, and restoration a cemetery. They were not so hard, but we lived the full life! I wish that I can come back to Lindberg and see them all again.
I wanna talk about my trip more in the class, and wanna listen to your summer too!! See you soon.

HAPPINESS of my own

#1 How important is money to your happiness? What would you want to buy??

I need more money! The reason is not to satisfy myself with luxury such as expensive clothes, jeweley or boots, but to improve myself by studying more, learning dance and reading books. First, I'm planning to go to U.S. university the year after next year. It costs me about a million to live there, so I have to earn them by the end of next year. Next, I need much money to learn dance. One lesson at a studio take 2000yen, and I usually go to lessons two times a week, so that I pay at least 16000yen a month. Finally, I want to read more books. I think reading them is the best way to widen my knowledge.


#5 How can a long-term romantic relationship contribute to your happiness?

Actually, I have never had so called romantic relationship, but I think it must lead more influence to your life than you live alone. If the person is the one who you can really believe and respect, you will tell him or her what you think and what you feel, and then, they'll answer what they trully think about your opinion. This way of comunication is so important to broden your view of the world. You'll get much different thinking from different aspect. So I've been serching such a person recentry.


#11 What else will it take to make you happy ten years from now?

The confidence of who I am and what I do will make me feel happy. At the present time, I don't have self-confidence because I don't see myself, in other words, I don't know what I really want to do. I'm nor sure if I can find the solution, and there may not be a clear answer. Now, however, I'm trying to find something I can consent. At least in ten years from now, I'm meeting the real apperance of my own. I'm looking forword to the time.

starting the longest vacation""

How is the start of your summer vacation? Mine has been good.
I've prepared for my volunteer work in Germay. From July 30 to 31, i went to Wazuka-cho, a country in Kyoto making famous green tea, to have experience of volunteer. We were carried to the places we work by small trucks, and we felt wind and the scent of nature. We cleaned up most of the weeds around the Kintai Temle on the first day. On the second day, we had a game relating to green tea which was very difficult, we must to answer the name of five kinds of green tea with the hints of only smelling, tasting, and color of the tea. Suprisingly, however, I won the second prize! and get Shin-cha, a green tea.
I made friends all of who will go to vulunteer to Canada, Indnesia, and Kyrgyzstan. We had a nice conversation or discussion about our thinking, and will contact each other for a long time.
It was the first time I experienced a volunteer work. I think I'm different from me before this work. I'm more looking forward to go to Germany!!

MY PLAN FOR SUMMER

I'm planning lots of things to do for this summer. On August 6th, the dance concert will be held in Sakai, Osaka. Until then, we're placticing every day. I'll go to German for volunteer since August 10th. It's first time for me to make a long trip to foreign country by myself, so I'm so excited from now on!! Then, I wanna visit my sick grandmother in Kochi prefecture and go surfing in a sea with my cousin. In addition, I'll visit my grandfather in Hirosima too. This my summer vacation will be full!

great change hair for the first time

I've changed hair style on a great scale for the first time in my life. My junior high school had too strict rules as we are not able to cut our eyebrow or to extend our front hair under the eyebrow. In addion, my high schook also kepyt severe regulation all the time. It forbid us to make up and dye hair.
Now that I'm an university student who may be the freest in the world, I decided to change my hair greatly. Last Sunday, I visited a beauty salon and had my hair permed. The first impression when I saw myself, I felt I became older. Yet now, I like the hair style and wish this hair is kept until the end of this summer.

KABUKI for the first time

The other day, I and my mother went to kyoto to see a Kabuki, a Japanese traditional art. It was the first time when I visited Kyoto even I've been in Osaka whrer is next to it. The first impression of the place was just too hot becase we have no time to walk around. So I'm sure that next time I go there, I definiterly visit many famous place like shrines or Japanese traditional yard.
Anyway, the Kabuki we saw was so interesting! Watcing a Kabuki playing was also first experience on my life. Do you know Bando Tamasaburou?? He is the most well-known acter in Kabuki world, and I was moved very much with his playing! His motion was not like a human, just like real doll. I became a fan of him in a moment. From now on, I already long for see him again!!

cultural exhibition

On June 18, we had a big exhibition in this university. It was the biggest event for cultural clubs or circles to be known their activities. As you kyow I'm a member of Koto club, I played the Koto in the event. It was the first time to play it in front of many people wearing kimono. Although I was a little nervous and made some mistakes, it was more interesting than I expected. Many kinds of cook like Takoyaki, tacos or udon were sold, and I ate tacos, ice cream and rice vermicelli. They were so good but not cheap.
At the event, I saw Yoshiko! She was also playing Mandrin which has sooo beautiful tone! I was moned how she play. You guys should look her playing at least one time!

my night time

These days, I have dance pradtice at Namba every night from 12:00 till 5:00 AM for three events I will have in July. I'm taught dance from my instructors and impressed with the way they dance. Yet, the problem is that I cannot have bedtime and am always sleepy recently. Only I can sleep is in the trains and in breaktimes between classes. I also don't have time to do too much assighnment! These life will have gone on until the and of July. I'm sure I will be the busiest person in the world till then. I want to tell my teachers not to increse the amount of homework!

Where are they

Far away.....Nozomi's goals aren't seen.

There're just a thick road and hundreds of path in front of me.

Big forests, complex cities, broden seas, I drop in different regions every day.

Huge dragons, tiny insects and various kinds of people, I meet on the street.

They sometimes encourage me, sometimes hurt me, sometimes tempt me.

Thank goodness for this world, I encounter numerous things.

But THE goals haven't show up their shape.

No problem! It's my style.

I just elbow my way through the crowd.

They will be somewhere far away from here.

DaDaDaDaDance

You all already know that I'm dancing. I have a dance group with Tomo, Aki, Yukari, Mai, but no fixd name of this clue. We've been dancing for more than five years, and recentry we bigan take part in some stages together.
This summer, we'll have a big contest for college student, and I wish we win a prize! It'll the first time that we five members enter a huge event altogher, so I'm really looking forward to it. And, we'll make a show in the recital of our dance school. I wanna make this summer one of great advance period in my dance life!