izumo158

2007!!

2007-01-16T01:37:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year!!

Do you Know the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac? Twelve signs are twelve animals; mouse, cattle,tiger,rabit, dragon,snake,horse,sheep, monkey, bird, dog,and boar. This year's animal is a boar and a mouse will come around next year.

This is a boar's picture which was printed on New Year's Card one of my friends gave me.
I hope this new year will be wonderful one for everbody!!

"More men want wives to work"

2006-10-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Second semester started. I have a new English class. Last Monday, I read one interesting article in that class. The title is “ More men want wives to work”. According to that, the number of single men who want their future spouses to continue to work after childbirth is increasing. It made me surprised because I thought the traditional climate that wives should stay home was still incorrigible in Japan. However, it seems to depend on ages. In another English class, (We have six different English classes a week! Then, why is my English so strange..? ^^;) I read another newspaper. It said that more and more single women want to marry younger men. The older men hope that future wives quite their job, so women hate it. In my opinion, many young men hope so too because I hardly hear young men say that they want their future wives to continue to work.
I don’t know whether I quite my job after marriage or not. but I’m glad that the social status of women has advanced. I have an image that the social status of women in America is much higher than in Japan. Is this misunderstanding?

By the way, some people met Laura and ate kaitennzusi( it is sushi which was conveyed through belt conveyer) last Sunday. We had a very nice time. I was glad to meet Laura after a long separation. This is a picture I took then. I'm sorry a picture is fuzzy!!I am a bad photographer...

I succeeded in signing in Google Group at least!!

2006-09-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry everyone!（Especially Nina） Because I failed to sign in　Google Group first time I tried, I had trouble trying to sign in again. But! I finally did! I will be able to join the chat on 11 October!!
The massages from Kevin and Tim in Google Group made me happy since I didn’t have the way to connect with them so far. Now that I am a member of Google Group, I can connect with everyone more smoothly.
I will send a message right now to announce I posted new one. (I was surprised at Nina's comment since I didn't know about messages .)

P.S. I put the picture I took from the roof of my dorm. I'm sorry this view is simple and far from beautiful but I wanted to show you the place I live in.

Second semester is comming soon....

2006-09-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

I 'm getting darker and darker.I miss this summer vacation!!!!!! Come baaaaaaack!!!!
I had a lot of nice experiences in this summer.( Of course the most precious memory is the life in Maryland!) But some plans remain because I didn't have enough time. Time flies!

Yesterday ,I made a very good and last memory in this summer. I went to Tokyo Disney Land with Yuiko, Miki and Hiromi( female~)!!

This is my first time to go to TDL,　so I had been looking forword to it. But sadly, I wasn't full of energy yesterday morning. The reason is that I went back to Yokohama the day before yesterday and I had been still tired. I' m sory my behavior made my friends care.
However, I recovered the power while I enjoyed attractions. (corkscrew which were very very fast) While I don't remember the long names of them, I can' t forget the thrills of riding on them.

There were many souvenir shops.We enjoyed shopping! But the accident happened. In certain shop, a very cute cup which had a lid caught my eye. I took the cup from the shelf. The next instant, the lid fell and crashed!! It looked as if the time stopped. The mind went blank. Most people in the shop looked at me and one boy bothered to come near to me. I felt great shame. The clerk went up to me and said ,"Are you OK? Don't worry about the cup" and cleaned up. She seemed an angel.

After we left from TDL, I and Miki decided go to karaoke all night because the time was over the curfew of my dormitory. I appreciate Miki accompanying me.

I'm sorry I have no picture!

Hot Spring

2006-09-02T04:21:00.000-07:00

Three days ago, I went to Kurokawa Onsen(hot springs) with my friend. Kurokawa is very famous as a hot-spring town.Kurokawa has more than fifteen hot springs. Do you konw Aso?( I think Aso is most famous place inKumamoto.) Kurokawa is in Aso. Japan has many hot springs and most Japanese like them.

We took many hot springs.
At first we went to the hot-spring of a cave. As you see, water wells through rocks in the cave. The landload of this hot spring holed this cave himself!! (phto;www.doratomo.com/sinmeikan.html/) After that,we went to the open-air bath which was famous for beautiful view. But as soon as we soaked,it started to rain and thundered and lightened! So we got out quickly.

And we went back to the inn whose name is Ikoi ryokann. We were able to stay at the inn far cheaper than the ordinary price through connection! (But it was a very very distant connection. My mother's friend's husband's friend,who was a teacher, taught a girl who is a daughter of the owner of the inn. So the teacher asked her to take in us.) The inn relaxed us, and what's more, the meal was very very delicious! My face is getting bigger and bigger...

We soaked in various water;bijinyu(you can become beauty!) ,white water, tachiyu(The depth was 1.5 meters.) Of cource we had a good time, but we were tooooo exhausted to enjoy enough. I learned a lesson that we must not take a bath more than twice a day from this trip...

I went back my hometown Kumamoto!

2006-08-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

I went back my hometown Kumamoto a week ago. Kumamoto is in the Kyusyu district.
There is no place like home!! However I'm gaining weight day by day!
There are six people and one dog in my family. I have four sisters as you know. Now that I and two sisters each live in another Prefecture, three people are in Kumamoto.
Our dog's name is Maru. We got her from the storekeeper of the restaurant where we went by chance. the shopkeeper had looked for someone who taked care of the puppies bacause he was too busy to feed them. She is very cute! (I could'nt take a picture of her well because she never kept still!)

The day before yesterday, I went to Fukuoka to meet my friends and a sister.
two friends in the picture and I belong to the same club ( rhyhmic gymnastics) at high school. After a long separation, we enjoyed talking for loooong time . When I talked with them, I noticed I spoke with strong accent and in dialect. In Kanagawa, I don't speak in dialect very much unconsciously. One friend studies hard to become a veterinarian and the other leads a full college life. Chatting with them made me think about myself.

I stayed at my sister's home at night. I'm glad she is fine! She is tidy and methodical person. I want to be methodical like her.

August 20 (Japan)

2006-08-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm curing a jet lag.
Thank you so much everyone!! I learned many things. this experience is my precious treasure.I'm happy to join this program.

Yesterday, I cooked miso soup. Though I felt homesick for Japanese food, I didn't feel happy very much after eating . The reason was that I ate the meal by myself. I felt very lonely, for I ate meals with my friends and I enjoyed it in America.I spent all day long with someone, not alone. Now that I came home, I started again to live alone.I think it is very important that we live with someone who we talk with about casual things face to face.

I tried to see pictures Kevin took. But I can't somehow. Is the reason that my computer is Windows?

August15

2006-08-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to have a class. I wish I could stay here longer!
Yesterday, we went to Fair. I rode a Ferris wheel with Hiromi. I love a Ferris wheel. I was surprised it had no wall.I was scared every time it waved. But the view from the top of a Ferris wheel made me happy and refreshing. It was very good! I'm sorry I didn't have enough time to see animals. I like the scent of domestic animals. In Japan, we don't have pastures very much because Japan has many mountains and doen't have enough wide flat lands.
After the Fair, I went to karaoke. All mentors were very good singers! Their songs moved me.

August 14

2006-08-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

August13
We went to Alexandria and Washington's Mount Vernon. It was so beautiful. Tim told me every American likes George Washington. I don't think we have a special hero like him in Japan. Of course,we have the emperor, but most people except elderly one don't consider him as a hero but only a symbol.
On the boat to go back, I talked with a mentor about studying abroad. His story broadened my horizons. though I don't know what I really want to do now, I want to keep my view broadening to get as many possibility as possible.

August 11

2006-08-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, six people talked us about the life of American student. I found some differences between America and Japan.
In Japan, we don't have many dormitories like America. A few students can live in the dormitory, so we live with our family as long as the house is near University or live alone in the apartment.

August 10

2006-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I heard intersting stories about cultures. Kevin told us about not only American and Japanese culture but also Russian. It is often said that the difference of culutures occured because of that of climates. I learned Japanese are afraid of the nature and follow it while Western European try to control it. How about America?
We went to China town and Adams Morgan and U street. Multicultural town made me excited!I had a very valuable time. Thank you for taking us there!!

August 9

2006-08-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, It was a family day. teachers and mentors talked us about their family. these stories were very very interesting. I felt the difference of cultuters.
After that,we went to the Pentagon city. there were many nice shops. However, I didn't buy anything because I didn't have enough time. I regretted getting nothing.But the beautiful building made me happy. I want to buy something I like when we go to another shopping mall.
By the way, I was surprised that most American bought a large number of clothes at a time.

2006-08-08T06:23:00.001-07:00

I didn't sleep very well last night. I don't know the reason. I hope I will sleep well tonight. If not, I would become like a dead person. writing this, I feel inability of myEnglish skill keenly, so I want to study English harder after going back Japan.

2006-08-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

My name is Eriko. I have been in America for five days. This is my first trip to America. I got excited. I'm glad to come here.