ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

So last evening we had a pretty good storm, we even had a few claps of thunder and some lightning. This is very different from the weather in Texas. When it rains in Texas there is always near constant lightning and roaring thunder! It's a beautiful thing to watch! However while they are beautiful to see and hear those storms normally come with pretty intense tornadoes or winds, so as the trade off from Texas to here its not bad at all! So the picture in this blog is Dallas, my home city, and it is a time lapse photo. Time lapse photos are not fake they are simply pictures taken over a long period of time. This picture was taken over the length of a thunderstorm in Dallas and shows all of the lightning strikes that occurred in that area of the storm. So Pretty!  

So I went to see The Amazing Spiderman 2 movie. I have said before that movies don't come out in Japan on time...They come out soooooo late but this time Japan got Spiderman a week earlier than The United States. I have to say it was awesome. The new actor, Andrew Garfield, pulls off Spiderman's sarcastic attitude so well. There was even a part that made me cry (I get emotional sometimes ). But I give it two thumbs up. Check it out.


  

At a typical office building in the U.S. it is very common to see pictures like the one above sitting on desks. Office workers usually display photos of their family, friends, and/or hobbies on their desks at work. In fact, if you have children but don't have any pictures of them at your desk people will just assume you don't have any. I was surprised to learn that this is not the case in Japan. I learned recently that Japanese people are shy and don't usually display family photos at work. In America we do it because seeing our family reminds us why we're working hard every day and because it's a good conversation starter.   

I love going to the movies. Its one of my favorite activities. I like watching good movies and bad movies! Any movie can be a source of entertainment. In America, we Also have discount movie theaters that show older movies. For about four dollars you can see any of these old movies plus a small popcorn. Isn't that nice! Do you like going to the movies?

I love action movies as well as scifi! How about you ?
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I was looking at some of the pictures I took in Kerala, in south India this winter, and came across this one of a traditional dance called Katakali. The picture doesn't do justice to the movements, which though very very stylized, are fascinating to watch. As a matter of fact, there was a kind of introduction to the performance, showing step by step what each of these movements, and facial expressions are all about. Amazingly, as brief as it was, it put you in a position to understand what the dancer was saying through the gestures and movements. It's a kind of language. I was reminded of the many times I've been to the Noh performances, especially in Kyoto, where the highly stylized performance is communicating not just through language and music but through movements as well. It's a shame these things don't seem to have great appeal for young people. The theater in Kyoto is usually only full of senior citizens. I hope people don't ignore these traditions. They're an important part of your culture. They need to be cultivated.   

While I have been a fan of animated comics since I was a child (I still remember watching Batman:Mask of the Phantasm as a child), recently I haven't been watching many. This week I watched the animated Hellboy movies. Honestly, I am not a fan of the original movies, but I enjoyed both Sword of Storms and Blood & Iron. If you get a chance to watch them, please do.   

Friendship is a beautiful thing. It is as though you have a family that is not directly connected to your blood! I have had a few amazing friends in my life, one of which is this beautiful lady pictured above. We have been best friends for the past 3 years and it has truly been amazing knowing her. I love her with all my heart and that will never change! I truly hope that you have friends in your life that you love as much as I love this woman.


Thanks for reading!!!

Leigh  

Hey everyone!

More travel adventures from me. As shown above, are a few pictures of my hiking trip up the mountains to a city called Sagada in the Philippines. Sagada is just North of the capital Manila and is regarded as the safest city in the Philippines. During my time there I was able to explore absolute picture perfect rice fields. During my stay, that life can be as simple as you want it to be.  

I love babies. Babies are always so fun to play with. I especially enjoy the way they think. Their minds are so open and free to ponder normal problems in such different ways than I might normally think. I especially enjoy speaking with babies. Their banter is so amusing to me. It reminds me of how we all struggle and work hard to learn, understand, and use language. This little guy had learned just about enough for the day.

  

I have never really been big on flowers; to be honest, never really took much notice of them. At least, not back in America. But since coming to Japan, I can't help but notice them.

The flowers are beautiful to look at, for sure. But that's not what grabs my attention. It's the scent from the flowers. I don't know what it is about flowers in Japan, but their scent just floats in the wind, catching my nose long before I set my eyes on them.

It could be that most of the flowers I had encountered back in the states were generally in pots in stores, not growing naturally in bunches here and there. Regardless, Japan has given me a new appreciation for flowers.
  

Today I was sent a video about fighting for a dream. It was a very good video. When we are children we are pushed to choose a dream and then another and then if we don't like that one then we choose yet another later on. I never liked that system and I never chose a dream to pursue as a child. I believe that over our lives we find something that we want to fight for because we believe in it. Whether its being a parent or being an astronaut or something as simple as being in love, its a dream we find that we can fight for. Finding a dream is only the first step, the second is deciding you want to fight for it, the third step is the hardest, you actually have to start fighting for it and you have to keep fighting for it until you have won! Never let go of a dream because it feels to far away or too hard to get to. Keep trying to get there and keep fighting and one day you will have it!  

Ok so summer is coming up and coming fast. Spring seemed to have no time this year, but Saijo is prepared. We just had a 7-11 open and well this one has a Slurpee machine. What is a Slurpee you might ask? I will tell you. It's the most delicious summer drink around and it's frozen. In America there are many many different flavors from Strawberry to Coca Cola. The 7-11 near us has 2 but I won't complain and it's just in time for the blazing heat of summer.


  

Did you know that even though the U.S. is not a very old country, we have some of our own folktales? One famous folktale character is Paul Bunyan. Paul is a giant lumberjack. He's not scary, he's a very nice and helpful guy. One winter day he was walking through the woods and found a baby ox freezing in the snow. He took the ox home and nursed him back to health. It grew to be big like Paul, but stayed a blue color. Paul Bunyan and his partner Babe the Blue Ox are a famous pair. There are many statues of them all around the U.S.  

Gem school has the gem money for students. They get to buy different kinds of candies and snacks! I enjoy many different kinds of candy. My favorite candy are jelly beans. I like that they come in different flavors, but when I was a child, I really disliked them. Especially the root beer flavor! Yuck! What's your favorite candy? Do you prefer japanese candy or American? I prefer American chocolate!

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I was living in Sendai until just after the earthquake, when I left to work here in Shikoku, as many of you know. I've been thinking about my former students there, as I often do, wondering what they're doing, how much the younger ones have grown, hoping they're doing well. Some of them I of course keep in touch with, but not everyone - there were just so many of them after so many years. I was looking at some of the photographs I still have of school events, the good times we had there. The photo is of the Hirose river, just outside my apartment. The apartment itself was a simple studio, and a little run down, but the location was great, near Tohoku university, and the river. In fact, just a way up the road, the banks of the river are quite wild, at a certain point you can't even see the road, and you feel like you're really out in the wilderness. I used to go swimming around there. Swimming against the current, I pretty much stayed in the same place, that's how strong it was. I hope everyone is doing well there.   

As you all know, Golden Week has just ended. I hope everyone had an enjoyable time during their Golden Week Adventures. This year was a special year for my husband, Sam, and I. We decided to take our Japanese mom and Japanese little sister (Pictured above) to America for the adventure of a lifetime. On this trip we went to California. We went to California Disneyland and California Adventure, Seaworld (If you don't know what this is, it is a theme park that is based on the sea. You can see whales, and other animals of the sea and water. Pictured above.), Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament (Basically Dinner and a live show.), and to a pro bicycle shop in America. The entire trip was really enjoyable for everyone and it was nice that we were able to share our country and those experiences with our extended family in Japan! I can't wait for our next adventures!!!

I hope you enjoyed the read! Until next time, have a great week!!!

Leigh   

How is everyone today ? I hope everyone is having a great day . It is bright and sunny out. I am still in a great mood, however i feel like playing Dungeons and Dragons. In America , my boyfriend and i would play with our friends 2 or 3 times a week. I miss playing it. We would even dress up my cat Tenchi since he used to love sitting on the table by us as we played.







Well have a great weekend everyone.
-Zee-   

Just North of the capital of Malaysia, is a place called "Cameron Highlands." It is known for it's unique wild forests and Boh Tea Plantations.

During my time here, I was able to hike and experience absolutely beautiful landscape. I really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend this city to anyone who was travelling around Malaysia.  

In my class I love to have fun. I know my students love to have fun too. As a teacher I am a leader for my class. As a leader I expect all those I lead to follow my example. So, I always try my best because I expect my students to give their best too. Even if the work is physically challenging it is no match for the strength of Sam.

  

So, this is my first time living in Japan, and I have been blown away by what I have seen so far. One of the things that I have enjoyed the most so far was going to Kamogawa river. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, and definitely the most beautiful river I have seen.

The water is so clear! And very cold, I might add. I actually slipped and fell in. If I was sleepy before, I was definitely wide awake after.

I look forward to checking out more rivers, and well as everything else Japan has to offer.