ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

August is starting and the hottest week of summer has hit us this week! The summer flowers are feeling the pain! Even the sunflowers are turning brown and wilting. I wondered what would replace their color!?!

The tropical flowers! The kind I see in America in Florida or Georgia. The kind that grow in Thailand where I taught. I see the tropical trees in bloom all around Takamatsu in personal home gardens. They are beautiful!

I decided to go to Ritsurin Gardens to see what they were highlighting this month. The garden was the most lush green I have seen as all the bonsai were in their full growth and glory! Yes, it was full of tropical flowers, but the feature highlight were the most massive lilies I have ever seen!! The Gardens never disappointment me with their beauty and wonder. Their constant rebirth with new beautiful vegetation.

Again, I leave the Gardens, and just like them, I am renewed- but in spirit!


  

Hello Everybody! Just sending a friendly reminder to please stay hydrated outside. The days are getting hotter. It's to a point where I hope it rains a bit just to cool everything off.

Last year I saw a video of someone in Japan cooking an egg outside without fire. The video was amazing and a bit scary. I wonder if this heat is hot enough to cook an egg? I really hope not! Stay cool my friends! It's rough out there!

  

This week I celebrated my move to Niihama by going to hanabi. The fireworks were so beautiful. I really enjoyed siting in the grass and watching the show. This was my first time to watch fireworks in Japan and it was incredible. The finale was incredibly beautiful! After the fireworks, I got some festival food which was delicious. This was, without a doubt, one of my favorite experiences I've had in Japan, and a great way to celebrate moving!


  

Flowers make everything a little brighter, don't they? I love having flowers in the house and one day, I'd love to have a garden. I love all kinds of flowers. There are so many and they are all unique and magical. My mom really loves orchids. She has a lot of them at home. She has gotten really good at maintaining them. My favorite flower is a daisy. It has a yellow center and white petals. I like daisies because they're simple but beautiful. They also remind me of my childhood. We had a lot of daisies that would grow around my house. I remember being a kid playing outside and seeing them so content in the sun. Thankfully I don't have any allergies to pollen so I can really enjoy all the beautiful flowers life has to offer, especially daises!

  

Hello to everyone reading this! I am Bryce, a new teacher at Gem School and I suppose this will serve as my record of everything that is happening with me here in Japan. I wanted to take some time this week to just talk about my first impressions of living in here in Japan. So far, I have nothing but good things to say! Apart from some first week jet lag and illness, I've fully recovered and am hoping to get out and explore my new home of Shikokuchuo. I still have a lot of adjusting to do though. For instance: Garbage. Sorting garbage, as they do here in Japan is a completely foreign concept to me. Every time I have to throw something away now, I have to diligently check to see where each different piece of trash goes. The other big adjustment is driving. I actually feel like I've already gotten pretty used to this one though. Driving on the left side did have me a bit worried at first but now I feel as if I've truly got a good grasp on it (though when getting in my car, I do often go to the wrong side first).

Alright everyone, thanks for reading and I suppose next week I will talk about my trip to the city office (which I am about to do right now!)  

Look, we've all done it haven't we?

You can read a little Japanese, sure. You study and study but you look at the menu, and you're not quite sure.
"I think I know about this is. It's ramen I think?"


Ok. So, this isn't soup! But, WOW, it's really good.
souke soumen is absolutely delicious. I'm not quite sure what to call this in English. What would you call it?

Have you ever had a mistake like mine at a restaurant? Something else?
tell me your food misadventures!

Joe o/  

Heading to a different train station can be a task unto itself at first but after awhile it become second nature. Japan is so convenient.   

Awhile ago I was craving one specific brand of coffee named Cafe Bustelo. Cafe Bustelo is a well-known coffee brand sold in my hometown of South Florida, U.S.A. Now I can't stop thinking about one particular fast food place back home.

My favorite fast food restaurant back home is Pollo Tropical. It's best known for selling Cuban food. A lot of Americans in Florida adore Pollo Tropical. I can get fresh rice, beans, sweet plantains, a salad, and a guava cheesecake very cheap there. Safe to say, I'll be stopping by Pollo Tropical next visit.
  

There is a strange thing that happens in the world of movies; you can be very famous, have a successful career spanning decades, but people can still struggle to name more than a few of your movies.

Rutger Hauer was one such actor. If you were to ask, many people in America (he was Dutch) know his name, and could tell you at least one movie he was in. But could they tell you a movie that he received top billing? Doubtful.

No matter if the movie was bad or good, or if the writing was uninspired, he was always cool on the screen.  

One of the most enjoyable things about living in Japan is sampling the different types of beverages -unique to the Japanese experience. One such beverage--Calpis--was introduced to me by a co-worker. This drink comes in both carbonated and non-carbonated forms. I immediately began my search and found Calpis Soda. I was pleasantly surprised! I then tried the non-carbonated version and was smitten with its soothing, tangy flavor. This simple, yet complex little beverage tickled my taste buds with delight and wonder; is it "yogurt-y", "citrus-y", "milk-y ? Is there a hint of lemon-lime flavor? Is it similar to anything in the U.S.? After my quest for answers, I am resolved just to chill it and enjoy cold.


Cherie  

"Katie, what are your plans in Michigan?"

"To eat!"

I was dead serious. While I was on vacation, I spent a lot of money on food. Pictured above is American-Chinese food, fried appetizers, homemade marshmallows for smores, party meatballs and chicken, BBQ chicken pizza, and pie with ice cream.

I felt like there was a ticking time clock to eat everything. I am pretty sure that I went out to eat everyday. On the fourth of July, I walked around downtown but it was too hot. I went to a Baskin Robbin's (known in Japan as 31) and tried to decide what to eat.
One fun aspect about my trip, is that I could take medicine that enabled me to have milk again. I hadn't had ice cream in 2 years! So in Baskin Robbin's, I didn't know what to order.

I asked for a cone, not realizing it was super big. Then, they asked me how many scoops of ice cream I wanted. I said "Uh, I don't know. What do you think?" I thought the scoop would be the same size as my ice cream scooper (spoon) at home.

The boy looked embarrassed. "Uh, sorry, this might be too much." But I had already paid. He handed me a giant ice cream cone.


It was too big!
  

I know camping in Japan is very popular, especially with children here starting their summer break. It is the same in America! And when you have a big family with 5 children, like my daughter's family, you need a big "tent" called a motor home!! I haven't seen any of these here in Japan yet!! I think it is because you need a BIG road- especially the back roads here are not known to be very wide. I have posted a picture of my daughter's motor home so you can see what I mean!!

America is a large country and they are now traveling across it, camping and visiting family all along the way- from Colorado to New York!! The first picture is the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where we are from. And the last picture is Lake Michigan in Michigan, where I was born and spent the first 30 years of my life. The Great Lakes surround Michigan and you would think you are on a beach on an ocean. The lakes are so Big you can not see the other side! What gives it away is that the water is fresh water, not salt. So when you go swimming you feel FRESH! Not salty!!

I hope all our GEM students enjoy their summer breaks!! Whatever they may end up doing!




  

In the last month my international driver's licence expired. So I've had to rely on either taking the train or biking to work. And I've been really enjoying biking to work. I can feel my legs are getting stronger and my stamina is increasing. The down side to biking to work is that it's so hot out so I'm sweaty when I reach work. I have to bring a change of clothes or else I'm teaching all gross like. But I like it...maybe a little more than driving...maybe...  

The days are getting hotter and hotter. Yet I still prefer to have a nice hot bowl of udon instead of a cold one. Do you prefer your food cold or hot? Eating cold noodles is something I had to get use to in Asia. Even though I have no problem eating a cold bowl of cereal in the morning or cold pizza after a night of fun. I still prefer a nice hot plate of food.


What about drinks? I like ice cold drinks over hot ones. Lately I've been having lots of iced lattes. I love the iced latte brands sold in convenience stores. I do enjoy hot tea, cocoa, and coffee, but I also really like my cold drinks during the summer.
  

I've been living in Kanonji for a year now, and I have exciting news. This week I moved to Nihama! I'm ready to experience a new city and have new adventures. I haven't spent much time in Ehime, So it will be nice to be able to explore this prefecture. Is there anywhere I should visit? What are the best places to see in the city?


  

I noticed this bike on the way home one day. I don't remember seeing ones like this back in the US. The uniqueness and diversity here continue to amaze me!  

My hair is getting fairly long. I haven't cut it in about 2 years. I like having long hair, but I almost always wear my hair up in a ponytail or bun, especially when I'm teaching. I don't like to have hair in my face and now that it's hot, I wear it up so it doesn't make me feel hotter. My natural hair is also wavy or curly. I love my natural hair, but sometimes it's difficult to maintain, so the curls don't always look their best. In the end, I still love my natural hair and I won't cut it even though I don't wear it down often.

  

Mexican beans!

Mexican meat!
A mex
A lot of cool people. I learned so much today about Mexican food. It's fun learning things while speaking Japanese.

I met up this month to cook food from Mexico. It really made me miss my home town and the people from there. Eating cornmeal reminds me of my hometown. I know some people really love Mochi, and I just feel that way about corn and flour tortillas. We all have that child-hood flavor, don't we?

I'm so happy to cook while living here.
Tell what makes you happy
Joe o/

  

Even though I talk to her practically everyday... I miss my mom terribly! Every time I see a new TV show she'd like, see a view she'd appreciate, eat something new that I know she'd love, etc, I wish she was here to experience it with me. My mother and I talk about anything and everything. She makes me laugh, gives me solid advice, and has the best recipes.

I treasure every message or gift she's given me. In fact I still have this tiny card she once bought for me. It is about the size of a business card with a drawing of three little butterflies on it. Across the card are the words: "To My Beautiful Daughter, I love you and I am so very proud of you!" I've had this keepsake for over 10 years now and I'll never throw it away! The card has to accompany me everywhere!

I'm counting down the days till she visits. I can't wait to show her around! I have met so many wonderful people here that I'd love for her to meet!
  

There seem to be an excessive amount of spiders this year. And with spiders come webs. Unfortunately, they like to build them in high places... about the same height as my head. You can probably guess where this is going.

Whoever is in charge of clearing out the webs at my apartment building has been stopping 10 centimeters short of where I need them too. I walked into three webs last night.