ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

I've been very busy the past few weeks, and I'm even busier now! I have been (and still am) preparing to go home to Canada to visit my family! I am so excited to see everyone, I have never been away from my family for this long! It hasn't been very cold this year, and it seems like we barely have any snow, so I am a bit indecisive on what to pack (it's a good thing I left most of my winter clothes in Canada!). I cannot wait to be at home, but I know I will miss everyone here while I am gone!
  

It all started five short years ago. My university career was coming to a close, Sam and I were in search of work, and I had a big dream that I never thought would come true until I found Gem School. I came to Japan to work for Gem School in 2011 and it has been a roller coaster ride and well worth it all. I have gained so much working here; from new skills, to new knowledge, and even relationships that will last a lifetime, my life here has been truly blessed and I couldn't be happier. I will miss so many of my students very much, but I am keeping my thoughts positive and I say "It's just for a little while. We will all see each other again!"

The most rewarding aspect of working at Gem School has been the relationship I have built with my students and their families. We all have so much fun learning together and I hope that you can continue to have fun learning. English is important and fun, so I urge you to continue learning. I am so excited for this new chapter in my life and I will spend every day working toward a better and brighter future, not only for myself, but for everyone. The world is big, but know that you can go anywhere and do anything that you put your mind to. Never give up on anything!

I am sorry to go, but I am happy and I hope that you can all be happy for me! I will miss each and every one of you!!! I already do!!! Let's all meet again in the future!!!

Thank you so much for everything! You all have made the last 5 years the most memorable in my entire life! I am very happy to know all of you! Big hugs!!!

Leigh   

One of my favorite things to do is find new places to go to. I like to call it adventuring. :)

In the picture below I am somewhere around Saijo in the mountains. It wasn't a very far drive, approximately 30 minutes from my home. Do you know where it is? Guess!




It is Shikogawa Dam! There were no other people there, it was so peaceful. It was also very beautiful. I can't wait to go back.

Do you like to adventure?

Thank you for reading,

Kristen  

This weekend is the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. If you aren't familiar with hockey or other sports versions of All-Star games, it's where the league stops the regular schedule and gets all the best players in the league to play together and do some fun skill competitions and also play a game that pits the east side of the league against the west side. It's a really fun thing to watch and it can be pretty funny at times because the players, who are normally serious and competitive are acting goofy and funny during this game. It's a lighthearted and fun.

If you ever get a chance to view some of it on the internet I highly suggest it! Hockey is a fun sport :)

- James Barbosa  

Last week we got some snow in Saijo! I headed up to Mt. Ishizuchi to enjoy the first snowfall of the winter and take some pictures.




It was really beautiful up there, but really cold too! Do you like the snow?  

Well, the time has come to say goodbye. I thank you all for your kindness and for trusting me all these years. I hope to see you all again and I'll miss you all. Kagawa has been a wonderful place. Such kind people and beautiful scenery. I'll be back to visit before long. Hopefully when it's warm. Next, I'll be going to Thailand. It's going to be an adventure. I'm looking forward to it.

  

Last Saturday night, me and a bunch of teachers went to Round 1 for some all night fun! There, I did something that I hadn't done in many years---went rollar skating!

When I was a student in Middle School, we used to have Friday night parties at the Rollarama. My classmates and I would don our skates, skate in circles, and eat terrible pizza. We would blow our money on useless things at the gift shop and hang out with our friends. It was a great time!

On Saturday I was pretty rusty on skates! I took a few spills but I found my balance. I seem to be pretty out of shape though, my legs and feet hurt after a few passes around the track. I'm glad I gave it a try though, it was fun to do again!   

I think I have only talked about half the time that I was in Tokyo, but the latter half ended up not very exciting (to talk about anyway) as we were all starting to feel drained from all t he exploring and partying. So I shall talk about two more things that happened on the trip. The first is very obviously New Year's. Now I bet you all believe that we went crazy, all out party to the wee hours of the morning. Well, like I said, we were getting tired by this point, so instead we ended up at this 24 hour izakaya near the hostel (it specialized in seafood), with some of the people we went to karaoke with. It was really lucky that this place was open, because everything else was closed (it being New Year's Eve and all). Pretty much we spent the night just drinking and hanging out in this izakaya, with people fro the group slowly heading back one by one after the New Year came. It wasn't very exciting, but I am still glad I was doing something instead of just sitting around at the hostel. I think it ended with maybe five of us still there until 3 or 4 am. Suffice to say, I slept in the next day, haha.
The other thing of significance that happened for me in Tokyo. It happened either in Akihabara or Shibuya, though I am inclined to believe that it was Shibuya. I was wandering around, and happened upon a game center. I decided to play around a bit here, and also to test my luck at a crane game. I have never won a crane game before. I didn't play often enough, so I don't think I was able to figure out the trick behind it. At this game center, I tried one game, just for the sake of giving it a shot. For whatever reason, I decided that I had to get the prize. I probably tossed away 2000 yen, and was about to give up, when my prize suddenly fell down in to the prize area. I was shocked. I had finally won something! And this is what I claimed as my prize:



It really made my day. I think I will try other crane games in the future (actually, there is one in the Niihama Aeon game center that I can't figure out, but really really want the prize from!). Here's hoping I can figure the other games that I try out!  

Back in America I used to have to speak in public pretty often. As a writer, you are expected to read your work in front of others, and when I was head of Jenny Magazine, I had to host all of the premiere parties. I used to be really nervous about speaking in front of large crowds. I'd do anything to avoid it. Then I became a teacher, and I had to do it every day. To get used to it, I used to sing karaoke. In America, when you sing karaoke you have to stand up on a stage and do it in front of a room full of strangers. It got me over my fear pretty quick, which is good. When I taught in America, I would have to speak in front of 25 to 50 people daily. Here are some pictures of me at poetry and fiction readings. Do I look scared? Are you afraid to speak in public?



  

My cousin delivered beautiful twin girls yesterday in Germany!!!! I am so excited! As soon as I got the news I was smiling nonstop! She is the first in my generation in the family to have a baby, and she had two! Well done! Their names are Abigail Florence and Annabelle Lillian! Aren't they cute! this makes me their cousin once removed! I am so happy! Twins run, hereditarily, in my family in every other generation but this is the first set of the same gender. Generally the twins in our family are a girl and a boy. I cannot wait to meet them!  

Hello!

Today, I’d like to write a little about a special event that happening now in my home province of Manitoba in Canada. As I’ve written before, it gets pretty cold in Canada during the winter, and one way that people get by in the cold is to express themselves creatively with it!

This expression takes place in lots of different ways. You can make snow angels, or build snow men, or get together with some friends and have a big snowball fight! One of the most beautiful expressions that people can use with their time in the winter is making ice sculptures. I don’t think this part of Japan sees many times that ice forms long enough to do anything with it, but in Canada, ice is an everyday thing during the winter. So much so, that some people take knives, chisels, and even chainsaws to blocks of ice, and create something beautiful from it!

Right now in Winnipeg, until the weather gets warmer and the ice all melts, there is a special exhibition going on called The Great Ice Show. 40 artists have spent weeks sculpting and creating an entire scale model of the city entirely out of ice! There are bridges, statues of both animals and people, and even a restaurant for people to eat and drink at made of ice! This link at the bottom will take you to the news page of the ice city, and shows some photos and video of the place. It’s pretty amazing, and I wish I was back home to go and see it in person!

Alex

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/great-ice-show-opens-at-the-forks-in-winnipeg-1.3418477
  

  

Hello, all!

Some of you know that I had to spend some time in the hospital recently. I'm very sorry for all the classes I couldn't teach! I'm recovering now, and the Japanese hospital experience was very interesting. I worked in two jobs in the medical field in the US, so I was struck by the many differences in our two systems. A few of the big ones are:

—Time: I had a very minor operation, but I had to stay in the hospital for one week. In America, they would have sent me home within 24 hours!
—Sterility: American hospitals have many, many, many rules for keeping the hospital "sterile." Every surface is frequently cleaned with antibacterial agents. Often nothing that could carry bacteria is allowed in the patients' rooms. The goal is to prevent infections from spreading, but many scientists think that this sterility actually helps stronger, more dangerous bacteria grow! In Japan, too, things are kept clean. But I saw many fewer antibacterial chemicals being used. I think this might actually be a better idea!
—Medication: In most American hospitals, nurses must watch patients take their medicine. They need to be sure how much medicine the patient is getting. In Japan, nurses usually just delivered my medicine to my bed, gave me instructions, and trusted me to take it!
—Food: Hospital food is supposed to taste bad, but mine wasn't too terrible. I was more surprised that everyone ate the same food. In an American hospital, one reason to keep patients is to control their diet. But here, everyone ate very normal food—onigiri for breakfast and delivery bento for lunch and dinner. In fact, the patients had to bring their own cups, bowls, and chopsticks! This was probably the strangest thing for me.

Finally, the biggest and most important thing is price. American medical care is infamously expensive (due to the nature of American politics). In Japan, you always have to pay for your hospital stay before you can leave, but in America,your insurance negotiates with the hospital. It can be very complicated. Often the cost without insurance for even relatively small procedures is more money than you can make in a year!

So by getting my surgery in Japan, I saved a lot of money. I estimate that the amount I paid here was between a thirtieth and a hundredth of the price I would have paid in America! I was able to go to the best place for my problem in Japan for a very affordable price. So... thank you, Japanese health care! And I'm happy to be back!

—Matthew  

It has snowed twice in the past two weeks in Takamatsu! I absolutely love snow! It's so pure and crisp and it makes the air smell clean! It gives the world a whole new level of color! One strange thing I have noticed though is that the plum trees are blooming. A month early. I'm not sure what that means for the rest of the year but I do think it will be an early spring and a long summer! One way or another it will be an adventure!  

Throughout our lives we are pounded by the word "Impossible". It pounds us down into a state of mind where things actually do become impossible for you to achieve. When I lived in the States, I was a mentor. I would go to the public schools in the lowest neighborhoods and guide and inspire students. One of my main purposes was to assist in students finding a school to go to. Sadly, many parents came to me and said this sad word "Impossible". They would say things like "My kid is stupid, so it's impossible for them to go to college." or "They are too weak, so it's impossible for them to leave home."; truly sad excuses from the parents of so much potential. This word had halted the growth of so many in the world and what has that accomplished? Literally nothing. It is countering all growth and is stopping the world from moving forward. What is, in this generation, instead of saying "Oh, that's impossible." we start saying "That IS possible." What would the world look like if we stopped discouraging the people around us and began encouraging them? All advancements in modern technology, medicine, and so much more have not come from someone saying "Oh, that's impossible." but rather by someone saying "Oh, that might be possible. We should try it." I believe that there is no such thing as an impossibility. Something may not be possible at the current time, but it is possible in the future. Nothing comes free, we have to work for those possibilities. By saying something is impossible, we put a stop to the possible and ultimately stop the possibility of new invention or further creation. What is the point in that? I challenge you to stop saying this word "Impossible" and start saying the word "Possible". See what happens to your mindset and also to the people who you begin encouraging instead of discouraging. It's possible to change the world.

Thank you for reading!

Leigh  

A few months ago I told you about going to make ceramics in Saijo!

Now they are finally finished. The shop we went to finished the cups and glazed them for me. I got to choose the colors. I choose a white color with brown spots and a black color with bronze spots.

I think they turned out very well! I am excited to use them.

If you made ceramics, what color would you choose?

Thank you for reading,

Kristen  

Hey all!

As you may have already guessed; I am a big fan of space and everything that comes with space. Sci-fi stories to telescopes; I love it all. This blog post is dedicated to a bit of space knowledge regarding our own solar system.

Now I know all of you are familiar with this beauty, Pluto.



Well before 2005 she was considered the ninth planet of our solar system. Pluto resides in a region of space called the Kuiper belt which is a vast area of asteroids and other small bodied "dwarf planets". In 2005 scientists discovered another object in that region of space which is similar to Pluto and named it Eris. Scientists then determined that Pluto should be considered a "dwarf planet" and not a planet in the same degree as the other 8, due to it's size. Pluto was then demoted and our solar system officially had only 8 planets.

I like Pluto, by the way.

So why this blog post? Well scientists have detected a true ninth planet that is 10 times the Earth's mass and it never gets closer than 200 times the Earth/sun distance.

Here's a picture of it's suspected orbit and distance.



Unfortunately we can't see the planet yet but we can detect that it IS there. And scientists are convinced that it IS a planet due to the regions behavior. It is suspected that it completes one solar orbit every 10,000 to 15,000 years.

I wish I had a picture of the planet to show you but I don't. We'll have to wait and see what scientists can tell us in the future.

This is my face when it comes to news about space:




- James Barbosa


  

It was a very rainy day in Osaka. I was on a bus and I was quite tired. I was laying down and looking out the window when I noticed the skyscrapers. They bent and twisted through the drippy window. I thought I might capture a photo. At first I thought it came out poorly, but when I looked closer, it looked very surreal. I thought it was a beautiful look at how the day felt. Dreary and distorted. It was a long day indeed.

  

I've been trying a few different ways to keep warm in my apartment. On Sunday, I decided to go to Nitori to look for a kotatsu. Since I don't have a car, that meant going by train. I didn't get out until after my delivery came (a beautiful Spring jacket) which had me on a train in the late afternoon.

I'd done this before. I had to go to Motoyama station (pretty far!) and walk to the YouMe town. It was cold and a little windy, but I walked to the mall with no problems. At the Nitori, I walked in circles a few times, not seeing any kotatsu displays. Turns out that they were only selling the tables! I found a small table for less than 6000 yen and timidly looked for a salesperson to help me. I had to use Japanese but I did alright. One lady helped me get a Nitori point card and sign up for a delivery. Sadly, I would not be warm and toasty this weekend. Delivery was scheduled for next Monday.

I had some Thai curry and nan and did some people watching. I went to GU and found some pants for Yosakoi practice this month. I also found some sakura jewelry that made me nostalgic for Spring weather.

I left the mall happily with my bags, but found it dark outside and raining! I used the Maps app on my phone to walk to the station but it died after 10 minutes. I was lost in the dark and the rain, wondering which way I should go. Such a situation would have terrified me in the past, but I was confident that I could find my way to some kind of store and ask for help. I walked in the direction where there seemed to be the most light and cars, and after a straight shot I found the station. Whew! The trains don't run very often to Motoyama though, so I had a bit of a wait until I got on a train.

What a day!  

On Tuesday, I decided to do a little exploring on my own (mainly because everyone else was so tired from the night before). I chose to check out Shibuya, mainly because I remembered that Hachiko was there (I only know about Hachiko due to a video game, haha). I ended up wandering over to the park right before Meiji Jingu, and I was glad for it, because the weather was absolutely gorgeous this day. I did also head over to Meiji Jingu itself, and checking out the park within (I think it's called Yoyogi?). While there, I came across a man who was feeding birds peanuts straight out of his hand. He handed me some to try, and what do ya know? I had at least ten birds come to take nuts from me. It was so fun!

After I left Meiji Jingu, I headed over to Harajuku, since it was so close. I didn't spend too much time here, as it was starting to get late, but I did end up getting dinner at this nice little place. I don't remember the name, nor the name of the dish itself, just that it was risotto. It was my first time actually trying risotto, and I can say that I wasn't disappointed. After dinner, I headed back to the hostel to meet up with the others, and began talking with some of the other guests at the hostel. At some point, it was decided that we should all go to karaoke. There were ten of us, and we ended up having to try a few different places, as one had no rooms availabel, and another was just a bit pricey. We ended up at this one place that was an izakaya on the first and third floor, and karaoke on the fifth. The karaoke room was a bit small for all of us, but we managed, and ended up singing until maybe 3 am. It was such a fun time with new friends. It makes me look forward to the next time I am in a hostel!