ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

I remember so many cherry blossom celebrations in Sendai, the cherry orchard in Nishi Koen, one of the most popular places in town. The trees were all uprooted though. There was also an outdoor Olympic size pool (50 meters) which was nice, though no one seemed to use it much. It's all gone now, and half the park filled with shopping and parking lots. The new subway line seems to require destroying half the park. Who knows who makes these decisions, and why. Anyway this year's cherry blossom time was pretty cold, wasn't it? A good excuse to warm up with a bit more sake I guess.   

How 'bout them Heat? Man they have been tearing the NBA up for the past two months. For those who don't follow basketball or the NBA, the Miami Heat, the defending champions and most scrutinized team in the history of sports, recently embarked on a 27 game winning streak. To put that in perspective, it is both the second longest winning streak in the history of the NBA and the second longest winning streak of the four major North American sports, falling short to the 33 game win streak of the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. I just want to take this chance to remind people that when it comes to excellence on a basketball court, there have been few who have performed as well as the Heat have this season. Congrats. Next step is the championship.  

Since I arrived in Japan I haven't had much time to experience Japan fully. I have been to a few festivals, watched some fireworks, gone to a temple for the New Year, but that was pretty much it for a long time. This past week, I was able to add another Japanese cultural experience under my belt. "Ohanami", which translates to "Cherry-blossom (Sakura) viewing". I knew that there were many cherry-blossoms during the spring time in Japan, but I did not know that there was a type of celebration that went with the season. This really made me happy. In the photographs, you will see a few different scenes with the cherry-blossoms that I was able to take at the viewing. Please enjoy!

Thank you for reading!

Leigh




  

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many animals everywhere in India. They live in the city. I’m talking about cows, pigs, monkeys, dogs, camels, and elephants. These animals roam the streets while the people and cars move around them. Indian people treat animals very well because of their religion. I had a bag of peanuts and a monkey came over to me and stretched out its hand, asking for a peanut. I happily gave it one! When I turned my head, the monkey grabbed my whole bag of peanuts and ran off to eat all of them. It sat just out of my reach! Cheeky little monkey! I really enjoyed seeing camels. Camels are a symbol of Love in India. Horses are a symbol of Power. Elephants are the symbol of Luck.









  

I may have mentioned it before but I like to make digital music on my computer. This is my MIDI controller that I use to make music on my computer. A MIDI controller is a piece of hardware that I can connect to my computer to help me make music. This MIDI controller can provide an incredible amount of functionality for one device. I often make digital music and I think it's a lot of fun. Do any of you make music?

  

Yummy! My father just sent me a package. Inside were a few of my favorite things. One of my favorite desserts is my father's tapioca pudding. Unfortunately, that can't be sent in the mail. However he did send me some mini tapioca pearls so I could make it myself. It is actually very easy to make tapioca pudding. The ingredients are simple, and it only takes about 10 to 15 minutes. But no matter how many times I make it or how closely I follow my father's instructions, it never tastes quite like his. Which isn't to say mine tastes bad; it's just not as good as his.  

On Friday we had the Saijo Easter Event. My students Billy and Grace helped me hide the Easter eggs. They thought of some pretty creative hiding spots. All of the kids had a fun time finding the eggs. After our picnic lunch I challenged my students to walk the length of the track carrying a plastic egg with a chopstick in each hand. It was very difficult! We had a great day, be sure to join us next year if you couldn't make it this year!  

MMMMMmmmmm... Do you smell that? Now that spring is officially here, the warm weather has returned. It is the perfect time to clean off the grill. There is nothing better than barbecue. It is simple, but it is also the most universal and quintessential type of cooking. Fire, meat and sauce. What more do you need? What more do you want? Well, unless of course you are a vegetarian. I am looking forward to another year filled delicious barbecues.  

I speak Italian pretty well, since I lived in Italy for a time. One day for some reason, I was watching a Woody Allen movie in English but with Italian subtitles, and found myself reading the subtitles, without thinking. Here I am an American, watching an American movie in English, and out of force of habit, I find myself reading a translation, and wondering why the humor was so flat. It's like reading the ads on the bus, even about products you're not interested in. Which all goes to show, if you want to learn the language really, turn off the subtitles. You stop listening unless you do. If you really think you need them, watch it once with the subtitles, and then after a while without, so you really concentrate on what's being said. After all you already know what it's all about.