ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

It's Halloween, and it has me thinking back to how I spent my Halloweens as a kid. We used to go trick or treating with pillow cases. We would end up getting an giant pile of candy by the end of the night. My favorite time to go was when it was getting late. This was because everyone wanted to go to bed, so they would just dump the remaining candy from their house in my bag. It was always a great feeling when people left early and then in the next block I doubled the candy i had made that night.
(Not my photo)  

Since it is Halloween I thought I'd share some ghost stories from my family. My Grandmother's house, on my dad's side, has been in the family for several generations. Many people who have stayed there overnight have experienced things that are difficult to explain. It has become known as a haunted house in our family, here are a few of the stories:

My great grandmother had a young man try to help fix her mother's grandfather clock. He worked on it for sometime but was unable to fix it before being sent off to fight in World War II. When he was killed on the battlefield, the clock started ringing again.

My grandfather saw a sailor that looked like he was made from yellow wax appear at the foot of his bed. It disappeared quickly, but he couldn't fall asleep the rest of the night because he was so scared.

My mom saw my grandfather (on my dad's side) sitting on my bed watching me sleep. She closed her eyes, and then he was gone. He had died several years before I was born.

My dad, brother, and I were sleeping on the second floor of the house. My dad and brother were sleeping on one side of the staircase and I was sleeping on the other side of it. My dad heard someone running up and down the stairs. they would go down, stop, then run back up. He thought it was me and was annoyed because he wanted to sleep and I was being too noisy. So he opened the door and said "Be quiet! We're trying to sleep!" But there was no one in the stairs, and when he opened the door to my room I was sleeping. He went back into his room and it stayed quiet.

There are many other ghost stories from this house, but I don't have time to write them all. Have a Happy Haloween everyone!  

After spending about three months here in Japan and experiencing the food here (which I love by the way), I've come to realize that this country doesn't do big, hearty steaks. Sure you can find hambaga and hambagu steak but its not the same. What I'm talking about is big, thick cuts off the cow that you cook up in a big iron skillet.




A nice thick cut of meat that you get fresh from a deli is something magical. I love cooking and steak is up there at one of my top favorite things to both eat and cook. Sadly I haven't found a nice cut of beef here in Japan yet that I can cook.



To sum up, I like beef.
  

I don't know how it is here but in America black cats are said to be "bad luck." I'm not sure there is any proof to that. I've always found black cats to be adorable! There is this old superstition that if you walk across a black cat you'll get bad luck. Well that can't be true because I have walked past plenty of black cats. I've even petted them! I do believe I've even once cut a deal with a black cat. I said to the black cat that I will provide even more cat food than usual... as long as we become friends. Maybe I'm just a pest or "bad luck" to the black cats!

  

One day, I was certain my mom’s crazy idea would kill us all. She insisted we would be fine. As we wound back and forth on a one-lane dirt road thousands of feet in the air, I wasn’t so sure. Being so high up was bad enough, but every minute or so we would make an impossibly sharp turn which forced us to get even closer to the edge. Yet, as petrified as I was, my mom was completely calm. She even seemed to be enjoying herself! I however, got grumpier and grumpier the higher we went. Even once we reached the top (safely, as my mom had predicted) I wasn’t ready to forgive her for frightening me. In fact, I was grumpier than ever when I discovered that a nice, wide, paved road existed on the other side of the mountain! We took this route down. Looking back, I'm still not sure how my mom could be so calm while driving on such a crazy road but I am glad I got to experience it at least once in my life!  

One of my most memorable vacations was when I visited Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska is by far the largest of all the U.S. states. It's best known for it's beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities. Interestingly enough, though it is a part of America, one can find it bordered by Canada.



Another thing Alaska is best known for is its wildlife. Alaska is a haven for moose, deer and lots of bears. While taking in the snow capped scenery, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. From a distance I saw a scraggly looking ball of fur walking around. At first I thought it was my eyes playing a trick on me. Then I realized it was a bear! I was lucky to be a good distance from it and it was between a flimsy fence and a mountain.


So instead of carefully walking away I decided I should use my camera and zoom in on it to get the best shot. I probably would not have been as bold knowing what I know now about bears. I quickly took the picture without leaving the safety of the fence. It ended up being one of my favorite photos from my experience in Alaska. After everything was said and done I left Alaska feeling a whole lot braver and ready for the next adventure!
  

I got a really cool souvenir from one of my students! This is the second time their family has gotten me an awesome present. (Last Christmas I got personalized chopsticks from them.)

I wish I knew how to reciprocate. It is hard to get any kind of gift for a student, because everyone else would feel left out. Anyway it is still an awesome gift!  

I found myself in Sakaide recently, and went into the Aeon for a few things. Walking around the fruit section, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head! A...pumpkin?

Yes! A good-sized, ripe orange pumpkin for sale! As if there was any doubt, I also saw step by step directions on how to carve it into a jack-o-lantern. I never saw an orange, western style pumpkin in Japan before, so I was terribly shocked.

I stared at it....and time was running out (I had to leave for class) but it was SO expensive!! The pumpkin was the American equivalent of $13. Back in Michigan, I could get it for less than one dollar.

In the end, I bought it and put it in my backpack. I let my students hold it and talked about it in class. Halloween is coming up soon but I haven't carved into it yet. I'm a little afraid that it will be too hard to do or that I'll mess up. If I don't carve it, then I can keep it as an autumn decoration for about a month.

Should I?  

Recently, Michael and I bought a nice kotatsu for ourselves. I have never experienced a real kotatsu so I was wondering if it really was as nice as anime makes it look. We tested it out last night and it was great! I loved how cozy I felt. I had dinner at the kotatsu and it had the same level of comfort and luxury as eating in bed, without the downside of crumbs in your sleeping area.

The heating function was wonderful as well. I was worried about burning my legs on accident, but it kept me nice and toasty instead. I'm really looking forward to using it more as winter approaches!


  

Much like a lot of readers on this blog are practicing their reading skill, I too am practicing my reading skills. Last week I ventured down towards the McDonald's found the GEO Hyper Media Shop. I went inside and found that you could rent manga for a fairly cheep price. Problem was that I had to apply for a membership card and I can neither read or write Kanji so it was tricky. Luckily there was an example form near by so I took a lot of guesses and must have written everything close enough to correct cause I managed to get a membership card. I rented the first issues of My Hero Academia and took it home to read. Once home I opened the book and slowly made my way through the first page reading the hiragana, katakana and furigana translating what I could into English. Its slow, difficult and exhausting but also exciting. The rental period lasts a maximum of a week so I had to return the book. But I really enjoyed reading something that was familiar to me in another language that I went out and bought some used manga so I would have more time to read and go back and translate it.

So I guess if I were to give some advice to anyone struggling with learning a different language it would be this: read or watch something you know really well in another language without any subtitles or a dictionary right next to you. That way you already know what is going on so you can focus more on the individual words and not worry about understanding what is happening.  

My new favorite treat is chocolate and lemon squares! It's the best thing I never knew I needed! Everywhere I turn there is a new snack to try! Japan has lots of tasty pastries. I appreciate the fact that their sweets aren't super sweet. The last time I visited America I realized just how too sweet my old favorite candies were. I took a bite of a candy bar and flinched at how sugary it was. Instantly, I tried to find snacks with less sugar back home. Upon returning to Japan, I quickly grabbed a bunch of Pocky and ate it in peace knowing I wouldn't be drowned in sugar.

  

While returning home from running errands, I saw my wife mixing ingredients into a bowl. I put the television on but I quickly found my eyes distracted by my cheerful wife. After mixing the ingredients she puts the liquid into a small metal pan. She then puts the pan in the oven to heat up. The house quickly smells like a bakery. The aroma of cinnamon and apples continues to distract me from the TV. I peek at the oven to see the contents in the pan expand. My wife stares at me amused by my curiosity. "Are you baking a cake?" I said. She gleefully responds "Yes I am." "What is the cake for, Candice?" "It's for a celebration." "A celebration? What are we celebrating?" "Life! The good things in life, the challenges... we must show our gratitude to it all." I at first was taken back by such a statement. I never heard of just celebrating to celebrate. After a moment of being stuck in thought, I realized it was a great idea! We don't always need a birthday or holiday to be thankful for what we have. Let's eat cake and enjoy every day!  

When I was a kid I loved to ride four-wheeler's with my family. We would get up early and go riding all day. I loved seeing the top of a mountain. The view from a peak on a hot summer day is beautiful. We would usually stop once we reached the peak and have some lunch. Then we would make our way down. We would reach camp later in the evening, start a fire, and have some dinner. These rides are some of my favorite memories from when I was a kid. I still remember ending my days riding by staring at the stars from the camp fire, talking with family, and enjoying nature.







  

I have always loved sipping a good cup of tea while munching on some little snacks or pastries. When I was little, I would often have tea parties with my friends, my family, or just with my toys if no one else was around. I had a little tea set with matching cups and saucers, complete with a teapot and a tiny pitcher for the cream. I usually drank herbal tea with plenty of milk and sugar. Now that I’m older, I often skip the sugar and sometimes leave out the milk as well. I have also expanded my tea collection. Some mornings, I feel like choosing a British style black tea to have with toast. Other times, I go for some green tea and tiny confectionaries. Now that I live in Japan, green tea is the hot drink I have the most. In fact, I currently have 3 different types of green tea to choose from! I was given one of them yesterday along with some new sweets to try! I am eating them while I write this and very much enjoying myself. The tea and adorable sweets are definitely the reason for my happiness because I hate mornings. This just goes to show, one is never to old for tea parties!  

I enjoy exploring. The other day I went for a walk. My goal? To find a path that leads to the top of a mountain. I left pretty late, but I do believe I found a path that will lead up the mountain. I'm hoping to try out the path soon. It is a very beautiful walk way surrounded by trees. I believe the hike will be a day long trip, I will need leave early in the morning and will probably get home late in the evening. Since it was getting late when I found the trail, and I wasn't prepared for a long hike, I decided not to hike very high. But I'm looking forward to seeing where this trail leads.


  

In America we have a saying: "less is more." I didn't realize the importance of those words till years ago. I remembered being a high school student and just buried in knickknacks. I just couldn't part with the teddy bears, posters, fashion magazines, etc.
It wasn't until I got older and had to move that I realized that I was just clinging to my possessions rather than appreciating them. The posters I kept were picking up dust. So instead of having twenty unused posters, I just kept two and put them in a lovely frame to be displayed. All my old fashion magazines were quickly donated to the library. Maybe someone else could read them and find enjoyment in them? The teddy bears could be given to charity except for a small few. I'm sure someone would love receiving a teddy bear as a gift!
As I slowly but surely started getting rid of things I found myself creating space in my room. My humble abode started to look bigger and bigger! Also just having less stuff made me feel weightless. You would think I got a new haircut the way I just felt renewed! I certainly learned that day that less can be more!
  

Saijo Matsuri was fun. It didn't rain this year, so you could really appreciate the artwork of the danjiri. I'm certain that the decorations tell important or amusing stories, but I don't know what they are. Without context, all I know is that this guy is wrestling a wild boar.

I wish I knew all the legends surrounding the panels. It isn't important to enjoy the event, but those are the things which interest me.  

I did a day trip in Kyoto while my friends were traveling with me. We couldn't find the first place that was recommended to us, so we got on a different bus line and visited Nijo castle. It was an interesting, quiet sort of museum, and I appreciated the beautiful architecture. We tried to jump on the bus to Kiyomizu-dera next, but missed the time or something, so we went to Kingaku-ji temple.

We were extremely lucky to show up at the time when the sun was in the best light. I took a photo so stunning, it's right out of a postcard!


My friends were a bit too eager to push their luck. They jumped on the wrong bus and rode it till the end of a stop in the middle of nowhere. I stopped myself from saying "I told you so."

Exploring with people who have never been to Japan can be interesting. They often have a newbie perspective that I just don't remember having myself. (I first came to Japan in 2004). Alex got annoyed with seeing ice cream everywhere and was confused by Japanese fashion. Shane felt that he was too tall for lots of places. They drank green tea and calpis everyday and liked to buy random things at bakeries.   

This month, I was able to travel to Kobe with Michael. It was fun seeing the city life and all the big department stores. My favorite part about it was probably that it is very obvious that it was a big international port back in the day. There are so many different architecture styles and foods. It is so much fun to walk around in. It was the end of music week in Kobe when I went, so there were many people singing or playing musical instruments. It was charming, I felt like I was in a different world.

I also got to experience my first cat cafe. I loved it! I had so much fun hanging out with the cats and relaxing.

At the end of our trip we went to a cafe to have a drink and dessert. I was so surprised at the portion sizes at the cafe! Especially the cream soda!

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Kobe and I would like to go back and visit again.


  

It's really funny how we end up picking up habits from our parents. My dad use to greet the day with a cup of hot coffee. Now I find myself craving black coffee top of the morning. Another thing I've noticed is that my mom use to always pride herself on keeping a pristine kitchen. Before bed all the dishes in the sink needed to be washed and the kitchen had to sparkle! Now I can't help but be awestruck by an immaculate kitchen. My wife and I do a good job of keeping our kitchen looking regal. I think my parents would chuckle if they knew how much good habits they have rubbed off on me!