ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Today is one of my absolute favorite holidays!!! HALLOWEEN!!! Growing up, I never celebrated Halloween, but as an adult, I enjoy it greatly! There is so much you can do and enjoy! My favorite thing to do is give treats to trick-or-treaters and dress up in a fun costume! My friends usually have a gathering for Halloween and we enjoy time together! It's always so much fun!!!

What is your favorite holiday?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Leigh  

Last week, on some random night, I was in the mood to go on a little run. As I ran down some streets I noticed a medium sized delivery truck parked at a hotel. It caught my eye because it had a very interesting picture on it. It intrigued me so much that I had to get a closer look. I walked up to the truck to get a better look, and it was amazing! I asked the driver, who was busy loading up the truck, "Excuse me, can I take a picture of this truck? It looks really cool!" He replied, "Oh yeah go ahead." It may seem a little strange to be interested in stuff like this, but design in all forms is a strong passion of mine. And besides, the truck looked really cool.   

In the United States, there are two major political parties: the Democratic Party (e.g. Clinton, Obama) and the Republican Party (e.g. Reagan, Bush). American national elections are almost always about those two major parties.

But there are also many smaller political parties. We call them "third parties" because they are third in importance after the big two parties. Sometimes city or local elections might have a third party candidate, but they are almost never important on a national level. Some examples are: the Libertarian Party and the Green Party.

Because of COVID-19, many Americans are voting by mail for the first time. I registered to vote, requested a ballot by mail, and completed my ballot earlier in October. But when I filled out my form, I accidentally marked the box for Jerome Segal for President of the United States.

Who is Jerome Segal??? I don't know!

Because I am voting by mail, I can't make any corrections or request another ballot. So I accidentally voted for this guy instead of the person I wanted to vote for.

I did some research, and I found out that Mr. Segal is the candidate for an extremely minor local socialist party. There is a 0.00% chance he will win the election and become President.

But they will count my vote and say, "Look! People are voting for us!"

I don't know how I feel about that.




Thanks for reading!  

Apparently, these images represent what this word stands for. I feel it's another one of those native speaker words we use but don't have an accurate understanding of what it means in entirety. Let me attempt to explain!

This noun wherewithal by definition means “the means or supplies for a need, especially money,” is composed of the adverbs where and withal “with, by means of which.” The oblique sense “money” seems to be from a phrase such as “the X by means of which to do something,” the unexpressed X being money. Wherewithal entered English in the 16th century.

An example sentence could be:

"Most new nonprofits do not have the financial wherewithal to use direct mail, which is expensive, and thus rely on e-mail and other technology-based means of communication."

It explains why lawyers are more likely to use this word, but us normies can too. Happy studying!  

I've been away for just long enough that I forgot about a Halloween tradition. During October, people in America will decorate their front lawn for Halloween. I guess I thought that it wouldn't be done this year. My friends have been posting pictures of people's houses, and I just love it! My family put some things outside but we never had a full scene going on before.





  

I've recently noticed that I cook a lot of American food for my students, but I very rarely make American food for myself.

I cook a lot at home, but when I cook for myself I usually make a Japanese dish with a few alterations to my personal tastes.

It's not that I don't miss American food. It's just that I don't miss it enough to go through the hassle of finding all of the ingredients I need to make some of those dishes. In addition to that, because some of the ingredients have to be imported, it can be expensive sometimes.

It's probably for the best though. American food isn't always the healthiest. I suppose I will just enjoy it that much more whenever I find myself back in the States.

Like the old saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  

"Get Your Ducks in a Row"!! Is an old English idiom or expression which means to organize your tasks and schedule so that you are ready for the next step and then get it done!

However, with the cooler weather we have been having, this expression means something totally different to our ducks here in Takamatsu!! We put a jacket on now, they line up in a row in the warm sunshine!!   

Today, I wanted to share about something I started doing as a teacher. Before coming to Gem
school, I never really cared about drawing. But since becoming a teacher, I really enjoyed drawing things that the kids will find silly or funny!



  

I went hiking one night a few years ago. Everything seemed normal. The usual roads. The usual trees and stones. I couldn't find anyone on the path after a while and I was relaxing. Then things got weird.


What was this?


I kept pushing forward.


How did I get here? My phone's GPS stopped working at that point. Is this place real?


I'm not sure how I found it, but I hope I never get lost again.   

Regular Ramen Review

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a well designed ramen cup is worth at least...that much! This might be my favorite cup thus far. This ''Cup Noodle'' ramen package features numerous classic Japanese art images (some of which are redesigned with a modern look) including a woman in a traditional kimono with sashimi woven into her hair, a sumo wrestler DJing with turntables, an oni with very hip sneakers, and a heart covered 'good fortune' cat in front of a high speed train. In the middle of the cup is a drawing of Mt. Fuji with a setting sun behind it. As far as the meal goes, the combination of ingredients (more vegetables than a typical bowl) is excellent, giving a healthy green flavor to the traditional noodles taste. Overall, I'd recommend this instant ramen both for collecting the 'artstanding' (art + outstanding) cup and the delicious bowl.

A haiku for this ramen:

Classic images
Gives way to hip remixes
A blend of eras

Thank you very much!  

The holidays are upon us, which makes me so happy! I love this season. I enjoy giving people gifts and attention, so this season is extra special to me. I am also excited to spend Christmas with my family! I haven't seen my mother and sister in a little over a year, and I haven't seen my brothers or father in about 3 years! It's been way too long! After Christmas is over, I plan on spending New Year with my love, Bobby! I'm not sure what we will do, but even if we stay home and do nothing, I will be happy. I rarely get to see Bobby because my schedule is opposite his schedule, so it's pretty difficult. But he loves me, so he is happy.

Who will you spend the holidays with? What will you do?

Happy holiday season everyone!!

Thanks for reading!

Leigh  

Last weekend while I ventured to an art museum in Takamatsu I somehow made it in time to view the Hokusai art exhibit! I thought it had ended a couple of days before I arrived, but I arrived on the last day of the showing. I was so happy to view all of the works. I wanted to take pictures, but since no one else was I decided not to. One of my favorite artists, Mary Cassatt, was a fan of Hokusai and his style, so I started studying his works while I was in college. It's nice to study up on a piece of work, and then see it for yourself up close in person. I have been blessed by Japan.   

On Saturday I went with my family to the Maryland Corn Maze. Going to a corn maze every year has been an important fall tradition for our family.

This is the biggest and best corn maze we have been to, and it's considered one of the top 25 corn mazes in the USA. In addition to the corn maze, there was a petting zoo, playgrounds, carnival games, and food stalls. This year, the owners chose a Harry Potter theme, and a lot of guests were dressed in Happy Potter costumes and t-shirts.

We look forward to going again next year.

Thanks for reading!  

I can be extremely indecisive at times. When it comes to socializing this is where you can see it in me. I have a hard time deciding who or how I'm gonna be at any given time of the day. Some would call that temperamental, but I call it the distinct trait of being an ambivert.

This word descibes one whose personality type is intermediate between extrovert and introvert. The history of the word is based on Latin elements: the prefix ambi– “both, on both sides, around” (as in English ambient “surrounding, encompassing” and ambiguous “open to several interpretations”), and the suffix –vert, extracted from the verb vertere “to turn” (as in English convert “to turn completely,” and divert “to turn aside, deflect”). Ambivert, first recorded in 1927, is modeled on the somewhat earlier words introvert (1916) and extrovert (1918).

An example sentence could be:

"A well-developed ambivert, he [Abraham Lincoln] could hold complexity and contradiction to stand firmly behind words America desperately needed..."

No need to pick sides for your social personality, just be a bit of both! Happy studying!  

I am a huge fan of Mt. Rainer coffee. I can drink any kind, even with my sensitive stomach. I often get hooked on new flavors and I'm eager to try them. I love the mocha ones that tend to come out during the winter.

I've been surprised to enjoy several variations, so I picked up this one. Yes, I DID read it and knew it said "coffee and lime" but I had faith in the company. At least it would be interesting.




I took one sip and...it was disgusting. It tasted like lime juice with coffee after-taste. I poured the entire thing down the sink. Sorry Mt.Rainer, you missed the mark on this one.   

A long time ago, I bought this Eternity Cuff from an e-boutique called Dream Ornament. This metal cuff features embossed roman numerals going from 1 to 12.

I remember seeing it and falling in love with the aesthetic of it immediately. I loved it so much that I bought it in all three of the colors that they offered it in.

I wear this cuff practically everyday and while I initially bought it for mere vanity, the message behind it has grown on me throughout the years.

The cuff is meant to be a reminder to the wearer to be wary of how they spend their time. At the same time, the cuff is also a reminder that in the grand scope of eternity, there are many things that aren't nearly as important as we think they are.

What do you have to show for the time you spent in the past?

In the present are you productively working towards a better tomorrow?






  

Orange, reds, yellows and golds are the colors most often associated with autumn....especially orange. I think that is partly due to the color of a pumpkin and Halloween. But not a "seashell"!!

On my weekend holiday I always head on my bike to the mountains or the beach and I have written in my blog about my excursions...and my seashell collection! However, this past weekend I found the most unusual seashell. In fact, two of them, side by side!! They were orange inside! I have never seen this color before inside a seashell. The color is generally a hue of pink or purple. My first reaction was amazement. These seashells are definitely the "prize" of my collection. Then it occurred to me that I found them in October. This made the "find" even more exciting as they are the color of October and autumn!

There has to be a connection somehow, to my "find", with it's brilliant orange color, and the autumn in which I found my "treasure". I am betting on it being a "good luck" omen! I hope this is the case and not just my optimistic disposition!! I could use some "good luck"!!  

As it gets colder, many turn to Oden. Some make it in the home and others from bags at the supermarket. We all see the big soup pots at the front of the convenience store, but did you see the one that comes in a cup like this?

I'll pass on this one, but I would like to ask the person who buys this, "Are you ok?"

  

I absolutely love my university. This semester has been pretty difficult with Coronavirus, but I am making the best of it! In this picture, my teammates and I were working on correcting a rigging issue. The pilot of the airplane noticed that it was moving to one side when trying to fly straight. This was caused by the aileron lock rod being out of alignment. The process took about 6 or 7 hours to complete. In the end, we were able to fix everything for the pilot! It was an interesting project. I love working on airplanes!!!

Thanks for reading!

Leigh  

This week while I was walking up to the Fuji Grand entrance doors I looked up at the logo for the store. "That's an interesting symbol...I wonder what it means." But I quickly realized that the symbol is an F and a G put together. I probably should have figured it out a little sooner, but better late than never. I guess I was expecting something more kanji like...