ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Hello everyone, let me introduce myself! My name is Elizabeth, and I'm one of the new teachers here at Gem School! Now that I've settled in, I'd like to tell you a bit more about myself. I've lived in many places in the United States, but this is the first time I've ever lived in another country, and I love it here! My hobbies include reading, baking, playing video games, watching movies, and traveling whenever I get the chance! I've loved getting to know all my new students, and I hope that I learn as much from them as they are learning from me.   

Hello! My name is Kat, and I’m a new teacher here at Gem school! This is my first blog.Since I have many interests, I had to think hard about on I want to write about. Finally, I decided to write about astronomical events!
What is an astronomical event?
The word Astro means star- it comes from the Greek word “Astron”. Astronomical events are special things you can see when you look up at the sky, like the stars, sun, moon, or asteroids.
Today, March 21st, is the spring Equinox!
What is an equinox?
In the summer, the days are long, and in the winter, the days are short. Somewhere in between, there is a day when the daytime and the nighttime are the same length. That day is called an equinox. The word equinox originally comes from the Latin language. Equi- means equal, meaning same. Nox means night. Many languages share similar words, like English, French, and German! Equinoxes happen twice every year: once in the spring, and once in the fall. In the southern hemiphere (the south half of the earth) today is the fall equinox.
Why is it special?
Cultures from many times and places celebrate holidays that fall close to the equinox, including Japan. It marks the "first day of spring". Close to the equinox, the sun sinks quickly below the horizon. If you look closely, you can see it move, like the minute hand of a clock. It also looks closer and brighter when it's low in the sky. If the weather clears up, hopefully we can see some interesting sunsets during the next week or two.



  

I would love to learn how to do archery. I think it looks very cool and requires a lot of focus. I noticed that there is a facility in Matsuyama where archery is done, but that is quite far away so I have not gone there yet. Instead, I am just watching archery training videos online to try to prepare for when I eventually do learn and practice.  

The other week me and my friends drove up into the hills of Shikokuchuo to visit Kiri no Mori. We had a great time, and at the end, one of the employees at the visitor center invited us outside to feed the birds. He gave us each a handful of sunflower seeds and instructed us to hold our hands out and wait. I honestly didn't think any of the birds would actually take the bait, but to my delight they started flitting to our palms after some patient waiting. It was pretty fun- and very cute!


  

We landed and we gave my parents and brother gifts from Emma's family. Each gift was a little piece of my wife's culture. My family loved the gifts, and it was cool to share each gifts meaning!


  

I saw this Pokémon manhole cover recently and loved it! Made me think of how lucky I am to live and work in Japan. Everything is so cute!  

In my recent trip to Osaka I stumbled upon some Dippin' Dots! They are just ice cream that is frozen up into little balls! They're delicious and I was very happy to find them!  

A very brief entry today about a poem titled The
Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams. I'll
let you decide about its significance:

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens  

Kendo, or the way of the sword, is a martial arts that developed in Japan around 400 years ago during the Edo Period. The training involves bamboo wood-style swords along with protective gear such as a face mask, chest protector, and gloves to keep the participants from serious injury.

The art of kendo is a fighting-type of martial arts, but the main purpose is to teach control, to train the mind to focus on skill development, and to focus on the task at hand. The training is long and rigorous.

Kendo is practiced all over Japan from school age children to adults. Both boys and girls participate. It takes a while to learn the foot work and basic body movements before you can actually get to use the bamboo sword. Then after that you must practice until you are allowed to compete against other students.

Competitions and tournaments are held regularly, and there is a ranking system that identifies your skill level. This is a unique and fun way to learn martial arts, as well as a good way to discipline both your mind and body.
  

Tomorrow in America is a holiday called St. Patrick's Day. On this day, you have to wear something green. If you don't, your friends will pinch you, and a leprechaun might steal your things! Leprechauns are little "fairy folk" who live in Ireland. People say they bury pots of gold, usually where the rainbow ends. If you can catch one, you can try to get him to tell you where his pot of gold is hidden! But leprechauns are very tricky. Usually if anyone catches a leprechaun, the leprechaun plays a trick on the person and the person never finds the gold.



People decorate for St. Patrick's Day with lots of green clovers. It's my favorite holiday because I love the color green! Have you ever celebrated St. Patrick's Day before?
  

My mom saw a bunch of deer in her backyard! It's a mix of emotions to see deer in Michigan. It's always surprising "hey! A deer!" and they can be pretty cute. But deer also like to mess up and eat gardens. Seeing deer in the winter is okay because the garden isn't growing anything. Mom said she saw 8 of them in her yard. That's a lot! When we drive, we have to be careful of deer too. They say "if you see one, there will be more." So if you see one deer near the road, you should come to a full stop because there are more after it.   

When I was young, my birthdays were fun and special. It was a day to do your thing, usually with a good friend or friends, or even with that someone special. Time seemed infinite.

In mid-life, my birthdays were less magical than when I was younger, but they were still a day in which you could find something special to enjoy about it, especially with close friends or loved ones. And time, well, it could still take care of things - those dreams still to be accomplished.

Now that I am 68 this March, the mantra is, Every year seems to take on more significance now. 'Don't waste them! Time is precious'. I think this year has been a great one with more to come, and a nice rebound after the two lost years of Covid.   

Hello!!

I had daifuku for the first time in Kyoto! Supposedly, daifuku in Kyoto is famous. I can see why as it was so good!! Bought four flavors: strawberry, matcha, red bean paste, and vanilla.
My favorite was strawberry.


Have you had daifuku in Kyoto?  

I think it is very important to adopt animals if you want a pet. My dog is back home in America and I adopted him from a shelter and I am very happy that I did. Many animals in the shelters make great pets and they also need help. It can often be tempting to go to a breeder or a pet store for a pet, but adopting from a shelter can save an animal's life. If you know someone who is looking for a new pet, maybe you can tell them about an animal shelter that you know of.  

When I was in Tokyo the other week, someone asked me where I was from, to which I replied that I'm from America but currently living in Ehime. When I told this to them, they asked me if mikan juice came out of my tap! We had a good laugh as he explained this is what people say about Ehime, and after going to Matsuyama a few weeks later I understood why: there, at the castle was an actual tap that had mikan juice flowing out of it! I literally could not say no, and it was the perfect refresher after the hike up to the castle.



  

I was so exciting landing in America. It was my wife's first time and it was a lot of work to get here. When we landed my wife had a final interview and was welcomed into Seattle. We had a four hour layover then we were off to Spokane Washington where we could drive to my home.


  

Don’t you just love a good cup of Joe? I had this at a cafe in Takamatsu. The coffee wasn’t so good but the cup was pretty! Made it taste better somehow!  

Part of my trip to Osaka involved a day trip to Nara! I got to pet and feed some very cute deer and was also able to see the great Buddha at Todaiji! It was great!  

I will make the next few posts about Joseph
Haydn. He was a contemporary of Mozart's
and is in someways an underrated classical
composer. One of my favorites of his is the
Farewell Symphony #45. Haydn brought an
orchestra to play for Prince Nikolaus of Esterhaza.
The stay in the prince's court dragged on too
long and the orchestra players wanted to return
home. Haydn had each musician snuff out
their music stand candles and leave the stage
consecutively before the last movement ended.
This was an indication to the prince that the
players wished to go home, and the prince took
the hint. More on Haydn later.


  

Lemons are a citrus fruit likely originating in the China and India regions over a 1,000 years ago. They made their way to the west and were used in Europe in places such as Italy where they are now a staple used in a variety of cooking dishes.

The taste of lemons is sour and it is used in everything from drinks to flavoring for many types of cooking. I love the taste of lemons – especially in drinks. It just explodes in your mouth and gives you a refreshing taste to savor when you are hungry of thirsty!