Foreign Countries ― to the WORLD!

To visit foreign countries is very interesting! It is because there are different atmospheres, streets, languages, smells, foods,and meetings with various people.

I have been to foreign countries, and visit those in Europe five times, those in Asia three times, Hawaii once, Saipan once, and Canada once.

However, in the most of these travels, I enjoyed only sightseeing with my family. I regret it now, and I wish I had spoken to people there more, and then I must have had more interesting experiences. I am determined to try it next time!

I am a student of this English department, so I must try it! Don't you think so? I really appreciate that I came to this department in this university!

[123 words ― total 7773 words]
Image: http://www.rivet-jp.com/store/zakka/interior/poster/img/lbtd/2008/worldmap.gif

中文上課！

Good Evening! I had a private Chinese lesson in this afternoon and enjoyed it. I started it last Wednesday.

My teacher is a native Chinese, and she is very pretty and well-mannered. The lesson spends an hour a week, but it is very substantial time. I felt that a review of the last lesson before every lesson in order to remember what I learned in lessons.

Now, as the starting, I study a Chinese textbook in the lesson, that I used in the class of university last year.

The pronunciations in Chinese are difficult and exhaust muscles around mouth. My teacher praise me frequently, then I think I must make much more effort.

I want to say to myself, 加油！

[120 words ― total 7650 words]

My other classes — Korean???

This year, I took a Korean class. This is my first time that I study Korean. Many Koreans visit Japan today, and I have seen some of them, so I got interested in the language.

Some words in Korean are similar to Japanese words, and the word order is like that of Japanese. However, the Hangul, Korean alphabet is so difficult for me to memorize.

Of course, I can not learn so many languages at the same time, and Korean is not the prior or most important language for me, but I hope that I will learn how to greet briefly in Korean.

The languages are wonderful and interesting! Don't you think so?

[114 words ― total 7530 words]

Mango!

Last week, my mother visited Taiwan with tow of her friends. She says her trip was great! She told a story of her travels and showed me a lot of pictures. Besides, she had bought various things in Taiwan, and she give me souvenirs.

Talking of Taiwan, there are many mangoes. People eat a mango as is and on a shaved ice. It is a very tropical fruit, and it has a sweet scent all its own. The color of peel is red, but that of inside is bright yellow! How tropical! It is very delicious. Please try if you have a chance.

[103 words ― total 7416 words]

What kind of presents?

Last week, I got a practical present from my friend.

She said to me to have it as meal. It was a couple of lasagna. I became so happy. We had it for dinner, and my father enjoy it with red wine.

The present was so helpful for me, because my mother had been on a trip, and I had to make our meals. And she gave the lasagna, because she knew that. I felt her kindness and care. she could not do it without care.

Although cute and beautiful things must be also pleasant presents of course, I think that giving a practical present is very welcome to someone who need it. In order to do so, I have to think of needs of others. I have learned that from her present.

[133 words ― total 7313 words]

Study of English

To build up my vocabulary in English, I often try to use various expression from a dictionary when I make a presentation and write essays.

Unfortunately, I do not like reading, so I read books which are easy for me to read, not difficult ones. I think that it is important in order to keep trying to read.

I feel that reading aloud and listening to English CDs on the wat to and from school are also helpful for me. Recently, I do not have so much time to study English, but I think what I should do now is to utter and listen English every day, even for a little time.

[112 words ― total 7180 words]

Essay: University Life

It has already passed more than one year since I entered this university. Now, I think that it is good for me to talk about my university life. I want to focus on an aspect this time. It is also relevant to my aim which I had had when I entered this university. It is the language study.

I am majoring in English, so I have many English classes every week. At first, I got very nervous whenever I have to give my opinion and make a presentation in class, because I had not had such experiences before. However, I think that it is the valuable exercises to get accustomed to express my own opinions and feelings. Besides, I am challenging to get a high score in TOEIC. It is also an important target.

My second foreign language is Spanish. I feel that all of European languages are very difficult in grammar and paradigms. I like Spanish, however, because it has a cheerful mood. However, I think my true second foreign language is Chinese. It is also spoken by so many people. I have Taiwanese friends and got interested in it. I took Chinese lessons last year. This year, I am planning to start a private lesson by a native Chinese next week. I think that I can make such an effort because I got incentive to study Chinese from the meeting with my Taiwanese friends. By experience, I learned that the language study needs an incentive.

A pleasant part of university life is long vacations. It is very good to consider a plan. I am considering about staying in Australia in next summer vacation, and I also hope to stay in Taiwan in next spring vacation. I think it will be an enjoyable vacation and an opportunity for me to get an incentive for the language study. I should have such unforgettable experiences in my university life. It is a great use of vacations, isn’t it?

However, I have sometimes lost my original aim in my university life. In my curriculum, there are not only languages but also other various subjects such as social subjects and sciences. I have to take those classes too. When I am plowed under with homework for the classes and work to the deadline of reports, I often failed to attend to studying of languages. I was content with only finishing those assignments in time. In order not to waste the lesson, I am trying to set the order of priority this year, so that I can get satisfied when I graduate. My aim is not to write reports for sociology and history. I came to this school to improve my English, study other languages, and become able to orient myself to life in other countries.

As a conclusion, I am determined to enjoy learning foreign languages. I really appreciate I can do so. I think that my university life will be fruitful, no, I will make it meaningful. Of course, I do not have to become a perfectionalist. As long as I came to this university, I want to achieve my original aim. I really hope that I can enumerate what I gain in my university life, when I am asked, “What have you got in four years?”


[546 words ― total 7068 words]

BR1-07: The Outing!

Today, I will introduce one story which I read recently.

The school kids were looking forward a school trip to the zoo, but some troubles happened. To cap it all, it began to rain when they arrived at the zoo. I thought it was funny. The class teacher, Mrs.May got in trouble, because she had not check the weather report! As a result, they decided to go to a museum by a suggestion of a kid and see dinasaurs. They could had a good time on the trip.

I like this series of stories. They are from "Oxford Reading Tree". Please try! And what is your recommendation?

[108 words ― total 6522 words]

Rose Garden → Rosy View！

Recently, I watered the garden instead for my mother. The season of mosquitos will come in summer, and there were a few mosquitos already.

When I did it with a watering pot, however, I had a great opportunity to see the roses that burst into bloom and are in full bloom now. How beautiful! I really felt the beauty of the roses.

There are three kinds of roses in our garden. I will introduce them with pictures(↑). One of them has blooms whose color are the mixture of pink and ivory. Another rose has light pink blooms, and the blooms are big and looks so heavy. The other has white blooms, which is called "ice-burg". They are so pure, clean and beautiful, and I do never get weary of them.

I think that it is good to make flower arrangement with roses, because it will last long. However, I feel that the roses look the most bright in the gardens. They are so beautiful! You must think so too, don't you?

In English, there is an expression that "take a rosy view". I feel that it is a good and lovely words. When I face troubles, I sometimes (or often) get negative in thinking, and it is my bad point. It will never benefit me. It will only make matters worse, never better. I think that I must think of things and matters in a rosy view. "No rose without a thorn", but when I see a rose, I do never see only the thorn of it. Of course, I see a beautiful bloom, and my impression of the rose will be about the bloom, not the thorn. This words is very meaningful expression, I think. I got encouraged by the rosy words!

[295 words ― total 6414 words]

'Ra-men'

We had 'ra-men', which is called Chinese noodles soup. We like very much noodles of "Hoku-yuu(北熊)". They serve their ra-men at lower price once a month on 15th, and today is May 15th. The soup is very thick, and the yellow noodles are very chewy(?). Anyway, it is very delicious! Please try it, everyone!

I am sorry that my recent posts are filled with the stories of FOOD! By the way, I think that eating is the great pleasant for a human. What do you think about it?

[91 words ― total 6119 words]

BR1-06: Victorian Adventure

I would like to introduce "Victorian Adventure", which I read recently.

In this time, the heroes, Biff, Chip and Kipper, visit to Britain in the era of the Queen Victoria. They meet Jack and Vicky in the era. Vicky is called the name after the Queen Victoria, and she looks different from them. Jack and Vicky are the friends of three grandchildren of Queen Victoria! Biff, Chip and Kipper experience things in the old era.

It is a good and interesting story. I wish I could have visited there in the old era too. I would see a lot of things, which are different from those now and which we will not experience today.

[114 words ― total 6028 words]

My Wednesday ♪

I like Wednesday most in five week days. Some week days are very long school days, but Wednesday is a shortest school day, and I have only two classes on Wednesday in my schedule for this year.

On every Wednesday, I come home at about one o'clock and have a lunch. After that, I have a free time! I relaxed at home and have a coffee and biscuits and watch TV. Although it annoys me to think how little I have advanced lately, I usually make effort to do my homework for the week and make a preparation of lessons for the following days. I think that it is a good use of time for me.

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道草~michikusa~

The words "michi-kusa" is written "道草" with Japanese Kanji. '道' means roads, and '草' means grass. This expression means to loiter around or trail home, but I associate this words with the children trailing home. They pick flowers and grass by the roadside on the way to home.

I did it on my way from the school to home today. There were wild strawberries which bear fruit well. They were so red and nice. The wild strawberries there were big and looked clean, I ate one, and my friend also tried another one. It smelled good. I felt the benefit of the sun.

I really liked "michikusa" since my childhood. I like it now, too.

[113 words ― total 5797 words]

~my eating circle~

I really love eating!
I never fail to have a breakfast every day. In every morning, we have delicious bread, which is baked by a home bakery machine. I think that I will never get the energy for a day without having a breakfast.
I usually bring my lunch to the school. It is my mother's made, and it is also an enjoyment for me.
I go home, and then I usually enjoy some snacks and one cup or two cups of coffee. Besides, after my father comes home, we have a dinner together.
We usually have a breakfast and dinner together every day. I think that it is a good habit.

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◎ Dinner ◎

I got back home from the school at about 8 o'clock. I attended the courses for becoming a teacher of Japanese. After I came home, I had a dinner with my mother. Of course, it was my mother's made.

A parcel had arrived yesterday. It was from my grandparents. They have grown vegetables for a long time, and I think that their technique is professional. They are hard workers, so they grow many kinds of vegetables hard and send those vegetables to us. I really thank them. In this time, a parcel from them contained some kinds of beans, of course there were other vegetables. The beans seem to be in season now. They were broad beans, green peas and snap beans.

Today's dinner is a enumeration of beans. The beans is in the rice, in a soup, and on a salad, but we do not go off them. I think that the menu was very healthy.

[160 words ― total 5571 words]

A good use of time!

I took a nap in the afternoon, and it was three hours later when I woke up. Oh, too long! I have a lot of things to do!

I am really tired recently. I think it is because I did not go to bed late into the night everyday.

I think about myself in a use of my time. I should learn the more effective use of my time. For example, I will get down to my homework more earlier without taking too much rest. I usually do my assignments early, before the deadlines for them approach. But, sometimes I am pushed for time and a little panicked, so I get down, and the efficiency goes down without a margin for time. It is a vicious circle.

When I get a job in the future, it is inevitable that I will be more and more busy. So now, I want to switch to a positive way of thinking of finishing one by one. Today, after I finish writing this blog, I will do a typing homework and a movie review a little.

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Lunch for pleasure ♪

I usually bring my lunch in a lunch box to school. It is my mother's made. She makes it every time in the morning. It is really delicious every day, and I get never tired of it.

However, I sometimes buy something for lunch as she can relax in the morning, and it was today. On campus, there are a convenience store, a student's cafeteria and a bakery. I wanted to enjoy this for a change, and I did not intend to go to the convenience store. It spent a time to make a selection from a fried chicken lunch pack of the student's cafeteria and breads of the bakery. My friend was also puzzled which to choose, the cafeteria or bakery.

As a result, we chose the bakery, and enjoy the breads. I had a loaf of powdered green tea, a sand with broil chicken and a loaf of tuna. Besides, I bought a bag of the rusk for snack. It was only fifty yen. It tasted really good, and it was very fragrant.

You know, lately I have really enjoyed eating! I will never suffer from summer heat!

[193 words ― total 5229 words]

Cherry ●●

Today, my friend gave me a lot of cherries with a massage card. The card says that a cherry tree in her garden bore fruit. They are so mature and sweet. She also gave me some cherries with a branch. I think that is so nice.

I felt that the summer is coming.

In summer, the fruits will get in season, for example, watermelons, grapes, peaches, mangoes, Chinese citron! Besides, the vegetables will get in season. I like litchis, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, corns, green pepper, and so on. My father likes sweet bazils very much, and he uses them when he makes pizza by himself. There are three bazils in our back garden.

I am really looking forward to eating them in this summer!

[124 words ― total 5036 words]

◎ By bicycle ◎

When I go to the university, I use the various means of transport. I go to school by bicycle and on foot, and I also use public transport.

As to "by bicycle", I commute from my home to the station by bicycle.There is up and down on the way. On my way to the station, the road dips and climbs, but the road dips and climbs again on my way from the station. I always get out of my breath, because I want to go up a steep hill without dismounting from a bicycle! Lately, it is getting humid and hot, I think that I need to develop my strength!

Riding a bicycle may be a good exercise for me.

[121 words ― total 4912 words]

Swimming training ：- (

I am making a effort to go swimming about once a week.

During this Golden week, I went to swimming. Lately, I am getting used to swimming, so I do not get a pain (muscular rheumatism) in my legs or arms.

Today, I swam for one kilometer on my chest slowly and walked in the pool for hundreds of meter. I want to set up my numerical target and go over it each time.

A practice is important and very helpful.

[81 words ― total 4791 words]

First Watermelon ▲

Recently, it has became so hot and humid gradually. The summer is coming this year too...

That reminds me. Talking of summer, I ate a watermelon for the first time in this year. It was so red and sweet and ... juicy! You must think of it to be tempting. I was so happy!

My dog likes the watermelon so much. She always ponies up for it, when we eat. She always eat remnants of the watermelon, especially of the red parts, making a good noise. She looks so happily. The first watermelon brought smiles to all members of my family :-)

[100 words ― total 4710 words]

Cake・Cake・Cake

We ate three pieces of cake for dessert after lunch!

One of them is "katori-nu" in Japanese. This is a decoration cake with a flavor of caramel decorated with white chocolates.
Another one is 'chocolat araguani'. It is a chocolate cake, and has very rich odors of cocoa. It also contains a big wad of chocolate inside of it, and it is decorated with a macaron and chocolates on the top. This is exact enumeration of chocolates!
The other one is 'mille-feuille'. This is a popular one, isn't it? This name in French seems to mean a thousand of leaf. It is so aromatic and its custard cream is sweet to a turn.

Those cakes made me happy, and they are so beautiful and slightly. A cake gives me joy.

[133 words ― total 4610 words]

Piles of Papers

I took a nap in this afternoon. I felt very comfortable...

But! After I woke up, I had to read newspapers. On next Thursday, I am to have a quiz test again in the reading class, so I need to know about current affairs by reading the newspapers. It is not easy to understand those news topics, but it is useful practically for me, I think. Lately, I am getting used to reading them. In this week, the top news was about a provisional tax rate of gasoline and ballooning oil prices. On May 1st, the prices of gasoline rose to the 150 level by about 30 yen per litter in many gas stations. It must be a main topic.

The newspapers to read kept piling up until today, but I have finished reading them. I reach my goal for today's study. I will keep reading the newspaper tomorrow too.

[151 words ― total 4477 words]

BK1-05: Dog in School

I read "Dog in School" today. It is a story of a dog.

The dog was called 'Mystery' by a student. Mystery followed her and got in the school. A teacher tried to catch and ran after the Mystery, but Mystery ran away. "Mystery ran from one classroom to another, barking and jumping and wagging its tail", the story says. Mystery upset all the paint in a cupboard and becomes a colorful dog. Mystery brought the terrible mess to the school. At last, Mystery got taken back to its masters. They were looking for it and 'glad to get their dog back'. What was the real name of this dog? Its master answered, "He isn't called Mystery. His name is Trouble!"

Trouble! I think that it is related that the child who is not clever is also precious to his parents. They know well that their dog makes troubles, but they cannot help cherishing their dog, Trouble. I can understand it, because my dog is so sweet to us, even if she makes mistakes.

[175 words total ― 4326 words]

I can't eat ANY MORE!

We (my father, mother, and me) have a lunch at a restrant. I could eat as much as I like! There were a lot of kinds of dishes, for example, pizza, pasta, curry, pilaf, potage, jelly, cake...They also served various salads and meat dishes. Of course, we ate much more than usually until we were full. We have few at the suppertime today. It is not so good for health, but it is OK occasionally. What a good lunch we had!

[82 words total ― 4151 words]

MR1-1: How to built a good friendship

　I saw the movie “Shrek” and consider about one point that how Shrek’s feelings change and a friendship is built.
　First of all, I would like to introduce the characters which appear in this story.
　Of course, the most important character in this story is Shrek. He is a green ogre and his life style (for example, his foods or taking bath) is so disgusting for others, so people who scare him try to catch him. However, they can never do that, because he is so strong. However, he has a very delicate feeling, which does not appear in his appearance. He is hurt by being called ‘monster’ by others. He thinks that others hate him, so he feels it difficult to accept someone who comes to him, and he always threatens and sweeps others away.
　The second character is Donkey. He is talkative and cheerful, and he likes singing, humming, and joking. He is kind and tenacious especially when he tries to make friends with Shrek. He never gives up, how strict Shrek tells to get away. He becomes a good friends and a partner of Shrek.

　The third is Fiona. She is afraid of the sunset, because her appearance changes then. In the daytime, she is a beautiful princess, but she becomes a green ogre like Shrek. She thinks that it is because she was put under a curse by a witch and believes that she will be free from it by a kiss of a man who is fated to marry her.
　The fourth is Dragon. She is a female dragon which emits fire. She confines Fiona in her castle.
　The fifth is a lord. (His name is Fawkward or something like that.) He rules over a country where Shrek lives, and wants to marry Fiona.
There are also minor characters, and they are a dragon, the gingerbread man, small men, Cinderella, and so on.
　I would like to refer to the plot too. One day, a lord ejects characters of fairy tale in his kingdom and makes them go to a swamp where Shrek lives. Shrek wants them to go back, so he decides to meet the lord, and Donkey follows him. Shrek demands of him that he should give their lands back to them. The lord admits it on condition that Shrek goes to the dragon’s castle in order to rescue the princess Fiona and bring her back. It is because he wants to marry her. Shrek and Donkey go to the castle together and cooperate to rescue Fiona from a dragon. On the return road, Shrek fraternizes with her and gives his heart to her. He decides to give a declaration of love to her, but accidentally, they misunderstand each other. However, the lord and Fiona begin to take an oath at their wedding; Shrek bursts into there and tells her that he loves her. Donkey advises him to do so out of kindness. In the end, Shrek marries her. He has become positive and cheerful by then.
　The main point that I noticed is that how to built a good friendship. Underlined sentences in the upper paragraphs are relative to this point.
　At first, he was a kindhearted internally, but he could not be kind to others and accept other’s kindness. He could not break with a view that it is impossible that someone likes him. When Donkey came to him and tried to become his friend, at least he must not have felt bad. At first, he rejected Donkey, but gradually a friendship was established. I think it is because he could feel that Donkey liked him. When a misunderstanding appeared between Shrek and Fiona, he got into his bad habit of thinking again. He thought Fiona must dislike him. Seeing Shrek through this story, I thought that it is very important to be positive in relationships with others, not negative. However from Donkey, I learned that I should come in contact with others in a friendly way, even when I am not in good with others. If I try to do so, it becomes usually possible that she feels good, at least not bad. I was encouraged to strive to built and improve friendships. I felt the frienship between Shrek and Donkey was a great one.


[718 words ― total 4069 words]

scared doggie...

My dog was in bad condition and out of blood. The lower part of her face, under her right eye, swelled yesterday. Her right eye was a little bloodshot. Besides, she seemed to want to eat her meal, crisp dog foods, but it seemed to be difficult. I thought that she had a pain in her teeth.

In this morning, she became a little lively, but we took her to veterinary clinic. There were a lot of dags, and she was barking at first. When she was put on a couch, however, she was very scared and clung to my arms. I think that it was because there was something like that smells of sick dogs. It turned out that her gum swelled. The doctor injected a antibiotic into her back and prescribed some medicines for ten days. After the ten days, she may go to the clinic again. When I remember scared her, I am really sorry of her, but now she looks very lively and calm.I hope her complete recovery.

However, I was relieved that the indication was not fatal at the present moment.
You know, she is my family.

[193 words ― total 3351 words]

What is Enjoyment for Golden Week?

The Golden week is coming! We will have holidays for four days from tomorrow to next Tuesday. It is not so long this year, but I intend to make good use of it!

On the first morning, I will sleep a little longer than a usual school day and take a rest. It is because I was busy with the everyday schedule, and I am very tired lately. I can get ready to enjoy this holidays by taking a rest on the first day.

We, which are all member of my family, are planning to go to a hot spring. The hot water will have a good effect on skins and ease our tiredness. The district near my city has a lot of hot springs. We will spend some days of this holidays in country, not city. It will make us feel refreshed.

We usually accompany each other when we stay home, go out for shopping or entertainment or sports on holidays, not only this Golden week. This holiday is to be good time for me and my family.

Have a good Golden week, everyone.

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