Ron's MFWI Writing Class

Impressive People in the U. S.

2011-05-18T00:25:00.000-07:00

I have stayed in America since February. I have been here two times, but it is a my first time to spend for 4 months. During this abroad program, I have gotten to know many people. They are special people for me, so I will write about three relationships that impacted me the most.

Fabulous Writing Teacher

First of all, I appreciate my teachers. I had 5 classes, American Studies, Grammar, Writing, Reading and Conversation. My American Studies teacher, Anikke is wonderful. Honestly speaking, I usually don't like history. It confuses me, but I have gradually come to like it during this class. She always teaches American history politely. Also she is very kind and funny, so I liked to go to her office hour. My grammar teacher, Sarah is energetic. My grammar class always begins at 1 p.m. so many people feel sleepy at this time, but I don't sleep at this class because I wanted to listen to her lecture. Her class was very short time, so I wanted to learn more grammar. My writing teacher, Ron is fabulous. He is hyperactive. I liked his actions and his burst into laughter. He always brings us enjoyment. I also belong to " The I Love MFWI home page club." We write Japanese blogs. He also organizes it, so I had a lot of chance to see him. In addition, my writing class writes blogs on the Internet. At first I couldn't understand how to use the computer and how to write English blog, but finally, I could understand it. Probably, I think my most improved English skill is writing. I also like my reading teacher, Winnie. She is earnest. She always teaches me how to read English book kindly. She always puts on pretty clothes. I liked her fashion. We went to a book store and a tasty food store in class. Her suggestions are always exciting. My conversation teacher, Bridget is great. She always teaches me slang. It is living English, so I was happy to learn it. Her class is a little bit of hard, but I like it and I am not bored. We went to an elementary school and high school. It was a nice memory for me because I couldn't have gone there if I hadn't come to MFWI. As you can see, my teachers gave me a splendid time.

Superb Host Family

Secondly, I love my host family. My host mother, Terry used to teach English at MFWI, so she can understand Japanese student. I went to her house with my room mate, Yoko. Our host mother had to take care of two students as a volunteer, and she always treats us like her real daughters. We were prepared for warm bed and some tasty dinner by her. Also she took us to many places. We went to Mt. Spokane. The day was sunny, but there was some snow and deer. I was impressed by the view. We also saw a Spokane river at Riverfront Park. There were a lot of melting water, so it was powerful. My host mother taught me a lot of things about Spokane. Also, my host sister, Gelsey is very cute. She was 11 years old. She has beautiful eyes and hair, so she looks like a doll. She has a pet, and her dog's name was "Cocoa." I also have a pet in Japan, and my dog's name was "Coco." The name of our dogs have the same pronunciation, so we were surprised. Also she always looks at us carefully. If we didn't understand something, she taught us kindly. I like everything about my host mother. That's why my host family is my treasure.

Wonderful Dormitory Friends

The most importantly, my RA and dormitory friends couldn't be better. My RA's name is Ngoc. She is from Vietnam. She is 19 years old, so she is younger than us, but she is polite. She told everyone something every day, and she tried to understand our speaking carefully. Her talking was funny, and she always told us about her boy friend. She has a crash on him, and she looks happy. I envy her, but I like her as she is. I also like my dormitory friends. I didn't know them well before I came to America. I worried about quarring with them. Actually, I knew a lot of their good points, so I am happy to know them in America. My RA and dormitory friends do interesting activities at tutorial time. We play basket ball, cook American and Japanese food, dye white T- shirts and celebrate our birthday. In addition, we went downtown and North town. Everything was marvelous and fresh for me. I feel the bond of friendship. As you can see, I would not be able to live in our dormitory without my dormitory friends and RA.

My study abroad program is almost finished. It has been quite a precious experience for me. I learned not only English, but also how to live with other people. Probably, I grew up during this program, and it will be useful in my future. Frankly speaking, I want to stay longer. I will absolutely cry when I leave in America. I appreciate these people and my parents.

My Awesome American Life

2011-05-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

I had a very wonderful time here and I experienced many things I couldn't do in Japan, for example, classes, trips and home stay. They were very exciting to me. I was here for only four months but I could learn many things. There were three most valuable experiences for me.

My Lovely Penpal

First, I was impressed with classes. I didn't study in Japan, so I was very worried about my first class when I came here. I want to talk more in English, so I like conversation class here. We don't have sach a class in Japan, so I was happy. I couldn't understand English when my first class started but teachers were kind to me. Every teacher was very kind and friendly, so I came to understand English more than when I was in Japan. It was important to us. American classes are more active than Japanese classes, for instance, first thing was penpals in writing class. It was exchange letter many times with native American students that we met. This was my first opportunity to have conversation with native American students, so it was fresh and impressed me. Secondly, I went to an elementary school and had conversation with children, play together with them had lunch. American students are positive, cheerful and kind. If I couldn't understand English, they kindly taught me. These opportunities gave me many experiences. They became irreplaceable to me. At MFWI during classes I spoke in English all the time, so my English skill went up more than in my Japanese class. I think it was a wonderful way to study in here.

With My Friends

Second, I went on many wonderful trips. My first trip was the Seattle trip. It was very interesting to me. The street in Seattle was beautiful everywhere, so they impressed me. Above all, my best memory was the dinner cruise on the Seattle trip. I saw very beautiful Seattle view from the ship. Moreover, I could eat a delicious dinner. My second trip was the East Coast Trip. I could go to many famous places, for instance, Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. I wanted to see it While I was in Japan because, I watched the movie Night at the Museum. Another place was White House. It was like a dream and really impressed me when I saw White House in Washington D.C. I'll never forget the view. It was super beautiful. I want to go to East Coast Trip with my friends again. It was really really enjoyable to me. I could have valuable a great experiences on these trips.

Finally, I had a great time with my host family. It was a very valuable experience to me. I had to speak English all day with my host family, it improved my English skill. I couldn't understand at first but I spoke English with host family all day. Step by step, I could understand. I was happy. I learned many new vocabulary, slang words and correct sentences. We cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner together and we went to many places, for instance, a beautiful church, skiing, hiking, and a basketball game. I spent wonderful time with them. These experiences became very valuable memories for me. I felt variety different culture. My host family goes to the church on every Sunday. A surprising thing to me was when went to see the college basketball game. Students had painted bodies and faces which were the college symbol. It was very cool. The cheering squad's were very powerful, like a movie. We spent a wonderful time together. My host mother and father were very very great people. They kindly taught me variety things for me. My first home stay was really wonderful experiences.

My first study abroad program was very superb to me. I had many valuable experiences. I had really enjoyable life at MFWI with all great people. I'll never forget forever my best American life memories and my wonderful days in MFWI. These experiences were make me strong as woman. I love MFWI and Spokane forever.

My First Marvelous Home Stay ♥

2011-05-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed my home stay with my friend Miki from March 4th to 6th. We were looking forward to meeting our host family when I was in Japan. My host mother name is Susan. She is a very kind person and very smart, so she understands what we want to speak. My host father is very kind too. His hobby is traveling, so he has gone to many countries. There are many things of other countries in their house. On the first day, we enjoyed cooking hamburgers together for dinner. To cook together was a very fantastic. We cooked original hamburgers which were huge. I put avocado, salad, beef and cheese into my hamburger. It was very delicious.

Marvelous View From Mt. Spokane

On the second day, I had wonderful experience skiing at Mt. Spokane. I went with Miki and Susan. It was my first time skiing and was very very difficult for me, so I fell down about fifty times. They laughed at me. I was poor at skiing, but it was very exciting to me. We skied for five hours, but we were not tired. We could see very a gorgeous view from Mt. Spokane. I'll never forget when we saw the view from Mt. Spokane. Next we went to an exciting basket ball game at university. It was my first time to watch the basketball game, so I was excited during the basket ball game. The floor was full of everyone's cheering. All of these experiences were very wonderful.

Finally, we woke up early and went to a very nice church. I have thought I want to go to church, so I looked forward to going to church. It was so cute and looked gorgeous. I wish churches were in Japan too. We sang church songs, which have the meaning "we are the one".　I came to like hearing this song meaning. I thought it was excellent! I want to go to church again. I was happy. I could have various experiences during home stay. For example, I could have many talks with host family about anything and my view expand, so I was glad I came here. My first home stay was a very wonderful experience.

My awesome memories in America

2011-05-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of irreplaceable experiences during my stay in America. I enjoyed them very much. They will become unforgettable memories for me. I was delighted to experience especially three things.

My wonderful group members

First, I had a splendid tutorial time with my friends and RA. We enjoyed many things during tutorial. One is the game called Laser Quest. I experienced it downtown. When I entered the dark room, I felt a little horrible. Then I shot a laser at my competitors. The competitors shot at me, too. It was exciting to me. I can't play such a game in Japan because I have never seen it, so I think it was a superb experience for me. Another thing I enjoyed was our group nabe party. We bought some ingredients, napa, to-fu, dark meat from the leg, sausages, long green onions, udon and so on at Safeway. We cooked nabe and ate together. It was yummy. I like nabe very much, so I was happy to eat it in America. Another thing I enjoyed was Cold Stone ice cream shop. My group members and I went to Cold Stone and ate some ice cream. There were a lot kinds of ice cream on the menu. I chose a vanilla ice cream with apple pie taste ingredients. It was very tasty. Japan also has this store, but we don't have this flavor of ice cream, so I chose it. I was a lucky girl because I could eat this ice cream which Japanese Cold Stone doesn't have. One more thing I enjoyed was watching the movie Beauty and the Beast in the basement of our dormitory. It was a moving story. All of these things were valuable to me.

My cute host brother

Second, I had a sweet time with my friends and host family during home stay. It was a great opportunity for me to learn about American culture. One thing I experienced was exercise. My host mother took us to a gym and we did boot camp and Zomba. It was the first time for me to do such things, so I was excited. We enjoyed exercise very much. Another thing I experienced was eating at a taco bar. My host family prepared taco bar and we ate tacos. I was surprised at this delicious food. I had four of extra helpings of it. It was really yummy and my unforgettable food. One more thing I experienced was going on a house tour. My host mother took us to a house tour, and I saw the inside of six houses. There was a lot of cutely designed furniture in those houses. Those were different from Japanese houses, so I was very excited and enjoyed seeing them. It was a stunning experience for me. I am very happy to be their host daughter.

Finally, I spent meaningful times during classes at MFWI. I enjoy classes which are done in English, but I' m not good at English, so sometimes I have trouble. For example, I couldn't understand well what teachers said, and I couldn't make myself understood and so on. This is why I was depressed about my bad English, but I work harder. I think this was good for me. By the way I had some superb experiences in classes. I went to American university, high school, elementary school, restaurant to learn American cultures in classes. At the university, we discussed "punishment at school" with American students. I was surprised at the students who spoke very fast and I learned about punishments in some other countries. At the high school, we met our pen pals, and enjoyed talking to each other. We also met our pen pals at the elementary school. We enjoyed folding origami or playing otedama and having a lunch together. I was sorrowful because of short time, but it was a delightful time. In another class, I went to a restaurant with my partner. We ordered some food in English. It was difficult for me, but the food was tasty. When we left there, we put a tip on the table. I learned about tipping. I was nervous, but I had a terrific time at the restaurant. All of these things in my classes I enjoyed very much.

All of those things are my fabulous experiences. I am proud of undertaking these things. I love to do these things, so I want to do them again. I had a valuable time in America.

Absolutely marvelous in the U.S.

2011-05-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

I had an inspiring delight time in the US from February to May. I learned only a lot of English skills but also real American life from my superb host family. Also I could learn cultural differences, for example education, daily life and religions. Everything was wonderful but above all, there were three enjoyable things that I experienced.

Ridiculous but Chivalrous Man

First Bloomsday was fascinating to me. It was my first time to walk 12 km. When I first heard about the distance of Bloomsday, I thought I couldn’t do it, because it was too long distance. First, we went downtown in Spokane, we waited for start time for about 2 hours and we talked with local people. I thought it was good event, because we could be close to local people. After that, my friends and I started to walk. We saw a lot of people who were dressed up as a lot of famous people, for example Lady Gaga, Super Man, man who wore of banana costume, Gonzaga’s mascot, animals, Star Wars characters and so on. I really enjoyed seeing them. One of my favorite people that I saw was like a clown man. When I saw him first time I thought he was a little scary but my friends and I talked with him, I changed my own idea. He was very kind and a funny person. After taking a picture with him, we started ran again. Next we tried to hug with free hug people. It was my first time to see such people. Secondly, we saw some people who were like professional musicians. They made happiness feelings and encouraged us. Everyone was super cool. Finally, we turned to the right, and we saw the goal. We ran to the goal. I thought 2 things about Bloomsday. One was the distance of Bloomsday which was shorter than I thought. Another one was the event was splendid because we can be close to local people and we can see a lot of people that were dressed up as famous people. I really enjoyed Bloomsday.

Flying high!

Secondly, we went to my RA’s lovely house. First we enjoyed jumping on the trampoline with my friends. It really fascinated us. We jumped that for about 1 hour. After that we ate delicious lunch, and everything was hand made, so it was very tasty. We enjoyed eating. During lunch we enjoyed playing with her animals which were three cats and two dogs. After eating lunch, we went outside to cook smores. The ingredients were two crackers, chocolate and burned marshmallow. It was my second time to make it, but the taste was better than first time, so I ate three smores. Finally we said good bye to her family and pets. I had a marvelous time on Sunday. I thought my RA is super and I love her very much.

Wonderful my RA and my group members

The most important thing is my priceless group friends. We had known each other before we came here, but we were not close friends. After coming here, we sometimes talked all night, played UNO, went shopping, watched DVDs, played outside, ate foods and talked about horror stories. There were wonderful experiences. I love my group members and I’m glad because my group members are awesome. Ai is a good softball player, because when she was a high school student she joined softball team, and also she is steady, honest and sweet. Hody is skillful. She is good at dancing, singing, and drawing, and she is the kindest person in my group. I want her to become a famous person in the future. Rikako has a cute smile and her smile looks like a sunflower. She is cheerful, considerate, and enduring. Sayuri is like our group mom, because she takes care of us. She is smart, hard working and independent. Also her smells like spring. Noriko is my group leader, so she is steady and polite, like a model student. If she were a flower, she would be a lily, because she has clear white skin and is sagacious. Ayaka has healing power. She is like the Blessed Virgin Mary, and she has very cute voice and cute imagination. She likes Disney, takes care of her family and is good at dancing. Sayaka’s appearance is cool, but she is the warmest person in my group. She is the best dancer in my group. She is a hard worker, and she thinks about our group members. If I have a problem she always gives me a good advice. Mami is shy, reliable, honest and active. She takes care of her future, and she has good listening skill. I had known her since I was a freshman. Risa is a shiny girl, kind, strict to herself and also she has her own opinion, pride and freedom. If I worry about something, she always helps me. Also she is my wonderful roommate. I think she will become a career woman in the future. Kyoka is peaceful, amiable, optimistic, funny and a deep thinking person. She has a beautiful body. Our friendship is growing. Rie is honest, independent, hard working and lovely. She really likes Japanese idols. She sometimes dances, so it looks like an idol. Saki is the hardest worker in my group, and also she is considerate, cheerful, active, docile, positive, funny and a deep thinker. She makes me peaceful. I'm very happy to go to home stay with Risa and Saki. She has her own world, so I think this is one of her wonderful abilities. I really love my group members, so I don’t want to go back to Japan, I want to spend more time with them.

I have been spending a super splendid time in my life in the US. I’m really a lucky person, because I can come here, so I thank my parents. I have amazing friends, wonderful teachers and I admire my host family. If I had not come here I couldn’t have felt such an excellent experience. I will never forget these fabulous experiences in my life in the future. Thank you to everyone. I love MFWI.

Illustrious memories in Spokane

2011-05-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

I had a brilliant time in Spokane during the four months. I think it was a magnificent opportunity in my life. I had never left Japan for such a long time and I felt anxious but there was not any need for me to worry about it. I experienced many various and fantastic things which I couldn't experience in Japan. There were three superb memories especially memorable to me.

With Karen

First, the classes at MFWI improved my English skill. I took classes for fourteen weeks. I thought the term was very long at first but it has felt very short. We had six subjects which were Writing, Reading, Conversation, American studies, Music and Grammar. My Writing teacher is Ron who is very funny and energetic. I was surprised when I heard his voice for the first time because it was very loud. He often does a big reaction and I like it. I didn't like writing paragraphs but I was glad to receive praise for my paragraphs. For example, it has good grammar, great adjective and so on. I had never written such a long writing but I can do it now. I also didn't like free writing. The first free writing, I wrote only 28 words but I can write more than 70 words recently. I think it was because through a lot of practices. I'm proud of my writing. Reading class improved my reading skill. I read interesting books in the class. The book I liked most was Little Women because this story was fascinating to me. I learned many things for TOEIC which is useful. My Reading teacher is Winnie who is very cute. She sometimes makes various gestures. I like her gestures and I can understand them easily. Conversation class was very fun because I like talking. I learned useful phrases for conversation. I like jazz chants which is good practice for rhythm and pronunciation. Recently, I also like discussion because I can learn about many different opinions. It is beneficial to explain about my opinion. My Conversation teacher is Lynaia who is kind. I think she likes us because she always looks fun. American studies is very fascinating to me. I learned about Spokane, diversity, American family and history. There was a lot of information. The most impressive things to me were that America has freedom and Spokane is famous for salmon. This information was often questions on tests. My American studies teacher is Karen who is wonderful. Her class was very easy to understand and she told us a lot of useful information. I had a lot of homework for all classes every day. I had never done so much homework. I think this is one of the reasons I improved my English skill. We could visit our teachers during their office hour. It was a fantastic opportunity to talk to native speakers and I could learn about them. I think it is easy to understand what teachers say but other American speaking is too fast for me so I was confused. I was very happy to improve my English skill by going to class at MFWI.

Marvelous host family at lake

Second, I had a marvelous time with my host family. My host family likes Japanese food so I cooked sushi rolls, clear soup and tempura with my host mother, Kerrie. We had three hours for cooking. It was my first time to spend three hours on cooking. The sushi roll was a little different because we choose ingredients and rolled the sushi by ourselves. My host family liked raw tuna the most. We enjoyed Japanese food. This day was my host father, Bruce's birthday so we presented him with the photo stand. It was an amazing picture when we went to ride snowmobiles near their lake house. Kerrie's birthday is near Bruce's birthday so we presented her with a brooch. They were delighted to get these presents. Kerrie often wears this brooch on special days. I have a super memory about Easter in my mind. They invited us for Easter dinner. Kerrie gave us message card and chocolates. I like her dishes. They were very delicious. After dinner, we hid Easter eggs for their grandsons. We hid many colorful eggs. When they were close to eggs, we said "hot!" and when they were not close, we said "cold!" Next, they hid some Easter eggs for us and we hunted them. Their grandson, Carter told me where the eggs were. He was very kind. I enjoyed Easter. The most impressive activity was riding snowmobiles near their lake house. I rode one for the first time. I was so excited. When we went to the lake house, the lake had frozen over but it melts in summer. Kerrie said we should come back here and let's swim in the lake with her. We promised that we would come back to the US. I'm looking forward to coming back. I am fortunate to meeting such splendid people. These memories with my host family is certainly treasure for me.

Lovely Face Paint

Third, there was some unforgettable events in Spokane for me. I participated in Bloomsday on May 1st. My friends painted a Japanese flag and kanji on my face. The kanji means flower because it was Bloomsday. I saw very intriguing things. Many people took off their outer clothes and threw them on trees. It was a strange sight. I heard after Bloomsday these T-shirts and sweat shirts were contributed to charity. I think it was super. I walked 12 kilometer (7.46 miles). It was hard exercise for me. I had walked 3 kilometers before, which was the longest for me. When I walked half way, I thought dead of my feet. I saw a lot of people while the walking. Some people wore costumes, some played music on the roadside and I found MFWI teachers who gave me ice candy and candy. When I started, I met Sarah and she said "I finished!". I thought she was joking but it was true. I was surprised. I knew that she was 15th in the 30 to 35 age group. My finish time is 2:40:26. I want to said "good job" to me. Another memorable event was souran bushi with my host family. My friends danced at River Park Square. They practiced hard a lot before the souran bushi performance. It was powerful and fabulous. My host family and we were moved by their dance. I wanted to dance with them. I also watched kendo. American people were doing kendo but there was not any difference between in American and Japanese. They were so cool. Spokane has awesome events and I enjoyed them.

These were especially invaluable memories to me during my Spokane life. I could not experience them in Japan. I thank my parents for giving me such a stunning opportunity. I definitely will not forget these memories.

My Terrific Memories

2011-05-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

I had a brilliant time in America. I feel that time flies very fast. I can't believe that I have stayed here for three months, because I could experience many tremendous things here for only three months. I was able to make wonderful memories. I would like to introduce three of them.

my friend's interesting face

My first superb memory is my birthday party. This is the most surprising thing for me during this semester. This happened in a tutorial. One day in April, three of my group members didn't come to the tutorial room though five minutes passed since tutorial started. Some of my group members were getting irritated about it, but they didn't come there at all. At last, one of us was angry. she said “Recently everyone speak a lot of Japanese, and some of us don't go to dinner. It is bad things for us. It embarrass Brenda (my RA)!!!” I couldn't know what to do. I was really confused on it, and scared of her. Suddenly, two of my group members who hadn't come yet appeared while singing. That attitude made us angry, and what is worth, they went away somewhere and were not patient. An unpleasant atmosphere spread over the whole tutorial room. I almost cried, because I was afraid of my group collapsing, but then..... “Happy birthday to you~” every one began to sing this song, and two of us who went away a little while ago appeared again. They had two whole cakes in their hand. I couldn't understand what was happening then. After that I could understand that it was my surprise birthday party I began to cry, because I could relax from feeling the strain. They presented me with a big birthday card. I was very happy and glad. After we ate some cake, my friends threw away the reminding cake to my face (like pies)!!!!!! My face was smeared with cake, but I enjoyed it. I was deeply grateful to my friends. I love my group. Thank you guys!!

my wonderful group members and RA

Also, my group activities became brilliant memories for me. We did a lot of things with my group member and RA. I want to introduce three of them. First, we went to Laser Quest which is a wonderful kind of entertainment. It is like a tag, but we wear the protective equipment and have a laser gun. The winner is the person who shot and protect the most. I and my friends were high-spirited. We really enjoyed it. Secondly, we made chocolate cake in tutorial time. I was surprised about how to make it. We could make it very easily. What we did was pore oil and cake mix together, mixing and baking!!!!!! When I made a cake in Japan, I felt it is too troublesome, because I measured the quantity of sugar, butter and eggs. I felt American cake mix is useful, because everything is measured for you. Third, we went to watch a movie. I was excited to learn about the differences between American and Japanese theater, but there was nothing special. I watched Beastly. This movie is like a “Beaty and the Beast.” I was impressed by this movie. I really enjoy group activities. I want to take pleasure my reminding group activities.

my lovable pen pals

The most impressive memory is that I could come in contact with many people during my time here. First, I went to elementary school in my Writing class. I met my two pen pals there. They are lovely boys. I talked with them. I could have wonderful time there, because they were interested in me and Japanese cultures. I will be able to see them one week from now again, I am really looking forward to it. Second, many high school students came to MFWI in April. Some of them took part in my Conversation class. I could make friends with them. I could learn many differences between American and Japanese high schools when I talked with them. The most surprising thing I learn is how to go to school. Most of American high school students go to school by car. This is impossible in Japan. I thought it is possible because America is broad country. It is an interesting cultural observation. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn about American cultures for me. I want to see them again. Third, I met Nana when I traveled on the East Coast trip. She was my group guide. She also had experienced to live in aboard. I could ask her many questions about her experiences. She gave me some advice. She said to me “shearing with your friends is absolutely useful in the future”. Thanks to her words, I begin to think positively. It will be difficult to see of these people after I go back to Japan, but I am really happy to see them here.

Like these, I had incalculable wonderful experiences. It is marvelous memory that I live here. There are only 2 weeks left this semester. I want to enjoy this life more before I go back to Japan!!!!!!

My Fabulous Memories

2011-05-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

It has been about four months since I came to Spokane. I'm really glad I spent tremendous days here. I experienced variety of things during this term. All of them were valuable and great experiences for me. In particular, three of them were unforgettable memories.

In front of the original Starbucks coffee shop

First, was my excellent memory traveling to Seattle and Tacoma. I went there from March 11 to 13 by bus. They were three exciting days because through this trip, I could learn about many things, for example, American history, culture, food and landmarks. In addition, I visited a lot of places on this trip. I went to the Columbia River, Safeco Field, University of Washington, the original Starbucks Coffee shop, the Space Needle and many museums. I was especially impressed with the original Starbucks Coffee shop and Safeco Field. I've been looking forward to visiting the original Starbucks Coffee shop, because Starbucks is one of my favorite coffee shops. There were a lot of visitors around there and it was a lively place. I liked the atmosphere very much. I was excited and delighted that my long-cherished desire had been fulfilled! Safeco Field was also a wonderful place. It is the home of the Seattle Mariner's Baseball team, and it was a beautiful stadium. We couldn't watch a game, because it was not during baseball season. However, we took part in a tour and we saw the inside of the stadium. It was a valuable experience. In particular, it was worked up when I stood on the field! I couldn't believe that I was standing in the place where Ichiro has played. However, one regretful thing was that I didn't have enough time to see and enjoy these places, so I want to visit there again if I have opportunities in the future. Seattle and Tacoma were really great and memorable places for me.

Pretty host daughter

Wonderful host family

Secondly, the time when I spent with my host family was marvelous. There were four people in their family, the host father, mother and two young children. They were such a kind and splendid family so I really enjoyed homestay. When I went to their home for the first time, I was worried about whether I could understand what they said or not. As might have been expected, sometimes I could understand, and sometimes I couldn't. However, if we had a problem, they were willing to tell us anything that we couldn't understand. That is why the more I spent time with them, the more I didn't felt nervous and enjoyed the time. While we stayed at their house, we did many many activities with our host family members. For example, we went to supermarkets, parks, the Valley Mall, a cute cafe, and ate pizza, Chili, tacos, corn bread, and then cooked Japanese food, baked cookies, and played with the children. Through all of the activities, my host family taught us a lot of things about American culture, words, customs and Spokane. They were interesting knowledge and helped me to understand real American life. Now I am more interested in American culture and want to know more about it. Homestay gave me precious experiences which I had never had before. I think it will not be easy for me to experience homestay in the future, so it was a valuable experience to have a wonderful time with my host family. I'm deeply grateful to them for their kindness! I'm really glad I met them and had a terrific time with them.

Fantastic group 3

Finally, I had a precious time with my group members and RA while staying here. We live in the same dormitory, so we have many chances to communicate with each other. Each group has its own common room in the dormitory, which is used as the tutorial room. We can use the room freely, so I used it to study, do my homework and talk with my friends and RA. It was a really great memory to have a lot of time with my group members in the room. The tutorial time was also a wonderful time. We had tutorial time from Monday to Thursday every week. It was time to do group activities with our RA. We did many activities during the time. We usually played games, but sometimes we played outside, sometimes made something to eat, and then sometimes went downtown. I always enjoyed the time and they were unforgettable memories for me. All kinds of activities were marvelous experiences for me and I learned many things from my group members and RA. I'm really happy to be a member of this group. Thank you group 3 and Nayeli!

When I was in Japan, I thought it was a long time to live in America for four months, but now I don't think so. These four months were short and meaningful for me because I saw, felt and experienced many things that I've never done before in Japan. While I stayed here, I learned not only English skills, but also communication ability and activeness. It was an admirable time and I'll never forget this experience. I would like to make use of these experiences in the future.

Fabulous Washington D.C.

2011-05-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I went on East coast trip from April 9 to 15. It enjoyed many fabulous days. I went to Boston and Washington D. C. All of the places was charming, but I will write about my favorite 3 places in Washington D. C.

First, I was impressed with Lincoln Memorial. It was built for Abraham Lincoln. He was a president during the Civil War. He was very popular with many people. When I went to Lincoln Memorial, and I was surprised at huge height of his statue. It was 19 feet ( that more than 8 meters.) It is also the same height as the Tomas Jefferson statue. I felt that I am small person and Lincoln is a grand person. Then, I found a stone inscription which said, " I have a dream." on the steps of the memorial. It was a place where are a famous speech by Martin Luther King was given. I listened to his old speech during my American Studies class. His voice was powerful. I am proud of his life, so this memorial made me feel sacred.

Fabulous Smithsonian Museum

Secondly, I enjoyed Smithsonian Museum. It was my favorite place in Washington D. C. It is the biggest museum all of the world. The museum is not one building. There are also 9 buildings there, and there is also a building in New York, so we can't go other place easily. First of all, I went to the Air and Space museum. There were lots of rockets and 2 moon rocks. I really wanted to see the moon rock, but I couldn't find it because I needed to buy some souvenir and go to another museum. I bought an interesting souvenir at Air and Space museum. It was some space food. I never seen it before I went there, I looked forward to seeing it. The space food was dried ice cream. Can you imagine it? The ice cream never melted even if I go to hot place! Of course I bought it for my brother. I want to have a nibble of the dried ice cream, so I am looking forward to eating it with my brother now when I go back to Japan. After that, I went to the National History museum. There were many fake animals there, but they looked very powerful. I liked the Ocean Hall exhibit. I like marine life. I think it is more mysterious than terrestrial animals. I'm especially very interested in the deep- sea fish, so I saw a lot of them there. I also went to a Dinosaur exhibit. The movie, "Night at the Museum 2" was filmed there, so I took pleasure in my time there. When I saw a dinosaur, I was surprised at its size. All the bones are connected into one piece, but they made me horrible. Thirdly, I went to National Galley of Art. There were lot of paintings by Da Vinci, Monet, Rembrandt and O' Keeffe. These picture were wonderful! There were also pictures of human. It looked like real people who live in the picture. I was fascinated by it, but I had to leave there because we had a busy schedule. As you can see, Smithsonian couldn't be better, so I was happy.

Beautiful White House

Finally, I saw a graceful White House. President Obama and his family live there, but they use only the second floor. I was surprised about this. Furthermore, this house has the third floor and three basements. Many people has do not have basement in Japan. I can't understand why many American people has basement in their house. It does not have sunlight, so it is dark and cold. Also, I saw adorable garden at the house. Its grass was lively green, and there was red, blue and pink flower. I liked this garden, but I don't want to live at this house. When I saw it, I couldn't go near the house. It was surrounded by big a fence, so there are no neighbors and some friend's house near their house. It looks lonely and uncomfortable, but White House is nice house which represents leader of America. I was glad to see it.

I had a luxurious time on the East Coast Trip. I'll think I never forgot this experience.

My precious days in America

2011-05-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of wonderful experiences in this study abroad. I really wonder if I can live in America and fit into their culture at first, and indeed, I was shocked that American culture is different from that of Japan. I was confused by much new culture but I can go well because I was supposed by many lovely people. Thanks to them, I spent a valuable time in America. I would like to tell about three things that I'm especially impressed.

My wonderful Conversation class :)

First of all, I will tell about my earnest study in MFWI. I really had a good time in MFWI classes. The classes are completely new style for me, so I was anxious to do if I could keep up with classes. However, it was a truly exciting because I enjoyed all days with my teacher and classmates. I always tried to improve our English skill with my classmates by encouraging each other. For example we all promised to speak English only in Ron's Writing class every time! Such classes provided me many special experiences. For example I visited a elementally school many times to meet with my pen pals. Above all of the study programs, two study trips to Seattle and East Coast are the most memorable things. I could learned many American cultures and histories. I spent a lot of time with native speaker, so it was really valuable opportunity. Thanks to these amazing experiences, I could improve my English skill. As proof of it, before I came to America, I couldn't understand so much what my favorite artist speaks in English, but I have really been to able to understand what she says. I'm so happy because I will be able to know about her deeply from now on! I had a marvelous experience in MFWI.

My awesome friends ♡

Secondly, I will tell about my awesome dormitory life! I had spent most of the time in my dormitory with my friends and RA. This is my first time to live without my family. I thought I can take care of myself but actually, it was difficult for me. I realized once again that my family, especially, my mother always helped me. I tried to live comfortably to help together with my friends. I also really enjoyed a lot of things with them. One day, we all carried out the secret party for our housemate, Manami's 20th birthday! It was really fun and she was very pleased and happy. This day became a cherished memory for us! We also enjoyed such great days with my lovely RA, Rebekah. She is very kind and reliable. When I have a question with my homework, she always helps me. Coincidently, she is the same age as us, so we could talk about common interests. It was really great time and it also made my English skill improve naturally. I'm really grateful to her. I had a really fascinating time with my best friends!

Love, Hope 2 Japan!

Finally, I would like to tell about powerful activities to help for Japan! When I came to America, many things changed and happened in Japan. I heard a lot of happy news from my family and my Japanese friend. For example my friend passed an examination for the university. On the other hand, I also heard a lot of sad news. I was most shocked to hear the news about the huge earthquake in Japan. It is impossible to tell about my days in America without this big sad news. I could not imagine what happened there until I watched TV news. The damage is really serious so I am very sorry about Japan. The people I met in America worried about it. I especially felt like crying when I read encouraging letters from junior high school students. Their kindness breaks my heart so much but I felt really frustrated because I didn't know what I should do and how I can do to help to the people in the area. I wanted to try to do whatever I can so I tried some helps in America. I made many paper cranes to pray for Japan in my Writing class. Besides this, I bought a T-shirt saying "We are with you". and "Hope 2 Japan". A part of the sale of this T-shirt will be donated to Japan! I noticed that I truly love Japan only after leaving there. I really hope to recovery to Japan.

These worthy experiences provided me with many culture shocks and enriched me to grow as a person and my horizon broadened in various aspects. I thank many people who supported me from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't live comfortable life without supporting by them. I will never forget such wonderful memories.

Amazing MFWI Life

2011-05-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

I spent the greatest time in MFWI from February to May. Darling this program, I learned wonderful culture and history. Also, I had so many delightful memories. I studied abroad only four months, but the memories that I have were more valuable than other experiences in Japan. I'd like to tell you about my three favorite memories in the U.S.

Funny face monument

Seattle trip was my most memorable experience. I am interested in Washington state's native culture. It was my first trip in America, so I was so excited. Seattle was a really beautiful and enjoyable place. I could also learn the history in there. One of my favorite places in Seattle is Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. This museum is located on the campus of the University of Washington. It was a very beautiful place, and there were huge, funny and traditional monuments on the premises. Inside the museum, many kinds of art were on display. Some exhibits came from Japan, China, Korea and so many countries. However, I especially liked Native American art there. This museum collects the Northwest Coast native American art. A guide of the museum taught us about it. For example, every totem pole has stories, and their figures tell us about the history. This is really interesting for me. I like the totem poles faces so much. I can't explain why I like them, but they really attract me. I also like the designs of the native arts. The pictures also have some meanings. They tell us about the history and where the people came from. The museum guide showed us a design of cute bear. It was really pretty, so I can't forget that. I like it so much, so I bought a cute book and some post cards. I sent one of the post cards to my family. I like the culture of Washington. I wanted to stay in the museum longer. I wanted to know about it more deeply.

Easter day was also unforgettable for me. I enjoyed it with my RA, Lilli and her wonderful friends. Lilli, her boyfriend, Ruben and her best friend, Steven came to MFWI on that day. We enjoyed Easter egg hunting and played outside. My friends, Ruben, Steven and I played frisbee. It was a little windy, so it was a little hard to play it. However, it was very fun! My friend always couldn't catch a frisbee and she made strange voices every time she failed to catch it, so we were always laughing a lot. We also played Red Rover, like the Japanese game, Hanaichimonme. I heard the name first time. It was easy to play, but it was dangerous because people make smashing tackles. Actually, I slipped down on the grass, but it reminded me of when I was an elementary school student. It was a good experience, and I learned a new American game, so I was happy. I had a really good time. I want to play with them again.

So many people participated in Bloomsday

Bloomsday was also wonderful experience. It was held on May 1. Naturally enough, I participated it for the first time. I didn't run, just walked, because I didn't want to miss that Spokane's great view and people cheering and performances. It was great sunny day, so it was an ideal day for a big event. I have never seen such a lively downtown. During the walking, I saw a lot of cute costumes, for example, Super Man, a banana, a princess and so many kinds of costumes. It was so fun to see characters I know. I also enjoyed eating. I ate two ice creams corns while the walking. My favorite was sandwich ice cream. When I ate it, I felt so happy so I regained my strength. After the Bloomsday, my friends and I ate fabulous lunch downtown. We ate Chinese teriyaki chicken, frozen yogurt and popcorn. It was little expensive, but the taste was fantastic! Actually, I enjoyed eating more than walking. I really want to participate in Bloomsday again next year. If I participate next time, I will run!

I spent a delightful time in the U.S. At first, when I was arrived here, everything was new for me, so I was surprised at everything. Now, also I still find interesting differences between Japanese culture and American culture everyday. I think this culture is really interesting because experiencing another culture broadened my outlook remarkably. I never get tired of learning American culture because this country is interesting! When I was in Japan, I thought four months sounds so long time, so I worried about my MFWI life. Actually, four months was too short for me. I want to stay here longer. Anyway, I will never forget these memories. These experiences are my most important and valuables treasures. I love America so much!!!

Splendid Boston Area

2011-05-14T00:07:00.001-07:00

We went to the East Coast trip from April 9th to 14th and I had a fabulous time there. I like Boston area better than Washington D.C. There were 3 interesting places that I really enjoyed in the Boston Area.


Undersized Mayflower Ⅱ

First of all, we went to Plymouth and it was really exciting. In the morning, we went to see the Mayflower Ⅱ. In 1620, 102 people came from England and they were called Pilgrims. They had a lot of reasons to come to the United States, for example they wanted to have their own land and they wanted to become rich. I was surprised, because the ship was very small but 102 people rode on the ship from England. My friend and I talked with people on the ship. We learned a lot of things, for example in the 16th century their morning greeting was "good morrow." They didn't say good morning. Another was they didn't call Japan Japan, they called it Cipango. I didn't know such things before I came to the United States, so I really enjoyed this time. Next we saw Plymouth Rock and it was nice. On the rock was written the number 1620. Now, this rock was one-third it's original size, because people tried to move the rock to the town. Unfortunately half the rock was broken. Another reason was many people picked up this rock for souvenirs, so now Plymouth Rock size is one-third it's original size. After that we went to the Plymouth Plantation and this place was great. We had a good opportunity to talk with the people who looked like real 16th century people. We talked with Pilgrims and Native Americans. In the Pilgrims Village, there were two kinds of animals like chickens and cows. Many people made corn or something in their own field. After talking with Pilgrims, we went to the Native Americans Village. They ate fruits and vegetable for half of the year. They made clothes from the fox and deer, and those cloth were the most suitable for winter season. They lived in two kinds of house that were called tipee or nisweetu. On rainy days they went to swimming in the river or made a doll in the house. I had a valuable experience in Plymouth .

Historical Orchard House

Second, we went to the lovely Orchard House. We learned a lot of things about the Alcott family. There were three interesting points that I learned. First the Little Women book was written by Louisa May Alcott. This story was about their family, and some stories were nonfiction and some fiction. When we entered her room, we could see owl pictures. I asked our tour guide why there were owl pictures on the walls. She told me that Louisa liked owl, so she displayed them. Another interesting point was that I could see her white desk which was very small. I was very surprised to see that desk. She wrote the Little Women story on that desk. Next we went to one of her sister’s room. Her name was May and her room was a little strange, because her room was painted in blue. Her favorite color was blue and her eyes were also blue so her room was painted by blue. Also she drew the pictures on the wall. Finally we learned about Daniel Chester French. He was very famous in the US, because he made the Lincoln, John Harvard and Amos Bronson Alcott statues. He was one of May's students. I thought her family members were very skillful. I had a fantastic time because I could learn a lot of things during on this experience.

Celebrated Harvard University

Finally, we went to the historical, beautiful and magnificent Harvard University and it was wonderful. We learned about Harvard University’s three lies from our tour guide. First Harvard University was built in 1636, but the record of sculpture of John Harvard said 1638. Secondly John Harvard was not the founder of Harvard University, the government founded it, but he contributed his half of money and books after he died. Thirdly was about the John Harvard sculpture. The sculpture was handsome guy, but nobody knows the face of real John Harvard. People don’t know whether his face is real or not. These were really interesting things for me. Next we learned about ice cream. Every dinner time, the ice cream was supplied from school to students. The reasons were Harry Elkins Widener graduated from Harvard University. After 5 years, he died, because he was on the Titanic. After this sad experience, his mother contributed money to build the library. She contributed another time, because she wanted to make students eat ice cream. Harry liked ice cream. Finally we learned about people. Japanese famous people who graduated from Harvard University include Princess Masako and Haruki Murakami. The US presidents who graduated from this university were Barack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and so on. Forty eight people got the Novel prize who graduated from this university. I was astonished that I heard the fact. All of this was a marvelous experience for me.

I really enjoyed my Boston area trip. I was very glad to learn about a lot of American history and culture on my trip.

Superlative American Life

2011-05-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

I had a great time in America. When I first came here, I wanted to go back to Japan because I couldn't get used to American life, food and culture. However, recently, I don't want to go back to Japan because I like MFWI and American life. I experienced all kinds of events here. I have a lot of remembrances of my life in America. I would like to introduce 3 awesome things among them all.

Funny host brother, Zion !!

One marvelous thing for me was home stay. At first, I was so nervous to meet my host family but my host family is very friendly, kind and cheerful so I enjoyed talking with them. During home stay, my host family took my roommate and I to a lot of places, for example, the Spokane River, Church and our host grand mother's house. All of these were new for me so I could enjoy them. Besides we ate delicious food. We went to Huckleberry's Natural Market to eat a tasty omelet and we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory to eat luscious Italian dishes. We also made a lot of food at home for example, tacos, banana flitters, cinnamon rolls and cookies. I had never cooked them so I was excited. In addition, host sister and brother were very very powerful and cheerful kids. Whenever they go outside, they run at full speed. I like their childish character. My host mother's boyfriend is tender person. He is an Italian chef so he always cooks delicious food for us. Of course, my host mother also is great person. She speaks slowly that we can understand easily and she tells us a lot of interesting history of Spokane or America. I love my host family because they do us a good turn. I'm glad I met my host family. Someday, I want to meet them again.

Delicious nabe

I also really enjoyed fantastic group activity in tutorials with my group members and our RA. The tutorials take place an hour each weekday except Fridays and we can decide what we'll do during those time. I would like to introduce 3 activities which stand out in my mind. First, we made and ate delicious nabe. Nabe is famous and traditional Japanese food which we usually eat in winter. Almost all Japanese like this food. It's easy to make because we only put tofu, Chinese cabbage, chicken meat, and sausage in boiled water. After boiling them up, we ate them with ponzu-sauce. Of course the taste was great. I was satisfied that we could make Nabe in America. Next, we played educational board games in our dormitory. There are a lot of English games for learning new vocabulary in Kusaka Library so my RA choose interesting games and we played them. American games are very amusing so I like them. During the tutorial time, we have to use English only so we also could improve our English skill. Finally, my most exciting activity was Laser Quest downtown. It's an attraction in which we shoot other people with laser gun and we hide behind walls to protect ourselves from other people who want to shoot us. We wear a protective clothing vest which reacts to the laser for example, if the laser hits my body, I can't shoot other people for few seconds. In Japan, there aren't such games so I was interested in it. I think it was really really great attraction. I like tutoriasl because we could do a lot of activities which we can't experience in Japan. I had a valuable time during tutorials.

My great RA, Nayeli and me ♥

The most impressive experience is to spend a lot of time with my RA, Nayeli. She always helps me to improve my English skill. When I didn't know some English words, she translated the words into other words. Then she tries to use them in daily conversation because I can remember them easily. I could remember many words due to her. Moreover, she was worried about me when I was distressed about TOEIC test and my stress. TOEIC test is one of the most important events for me in this semester. I was very nervous before and during the test so I couldn't study and I was tired. Everyday I cried because I was suffered from my stress. Then she asked me that how to refresh my mind and she invited to me to take a walk. We walked and made an exploration around our class room and Commons in MFWI for about 2 hours. I truelly enjoyed with her. After that, I could change my mind and I had energy to study. I am thankful for her help. In addition, I like her character. She is very smart and firm then again she is a curious person and she has a child's mind so I was unwearied. Maybe, I'll miss her when I go back to Japan because we talked for long time everyday. However, I'm happy I met her. Thank you Nayeli for giving me a lot of memorable things. She is my best friend and I respect her!

I have had a lot of awesome memories until now. I learned not only to study English but also American culture, people, food and so on. These memories are precious for me. In addition, I think that I want to learn English more deeply. I feel lonely thinknig about going back to Japan because I think that MFWI is my 2nd home. I want to express my gratefulness to my parents because they gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn in America. I'll never forget these super great experiences.

My Brilliant Memories of USA Life

2011-05-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

I experienced many many great things in the USA. I have never experienced such pleasant things. Of course USA is new world to me. All of my experiences were fresh and stimulative to me. I will return to Japan from this wonderful study abroad program on May 23, but I will never forget these great memories. I especially liked three special experiences.

My friendly host sister and brother

In Great Cabela's

First was my joyful home stay on March 26 and 27. I was looking forward to home stay, because March was very busy month for me, I had a lot of home work, tests, and presentations. On the first day, our host parents picked up us at 9:30 a.m. in front of our house. We were a little nervous, but they greeted us with warmly. After we dropped off our bags in host family's house, we went to see kendo, because our host sister practiced kendo. The gym was full of powerful voices. There were many American students who practiced kendo. I was so impressed to see that. She practiced it hard, and she was very courageous. After that, we went to support our host brother's soccer game. He was very active and running earnestly. Our host mother also took us to St. John's Cathedral. This time was my first time to visit the church. I was fascinated to see the loveliness of the stained glass windows. Then we went back to the house, and played a Wii dance game with our host mother and host sister. It was very exciting game and we laughed out loudly. Before dinner, we made brownies with our host mother. The recipe was very simple. We waited for completion, with our heart filled with happy expectation. After dinner, we ate the brownies. They tasted good! In the evening, we went to a Spokane symphony with our host mother. The hall was so gorgeous, and the performance was a so forceful. The next day, our host father took us to Cabela's which is located in Idaho. There were abundant camping products. I was so astonished because many guns were sold at that store!! The guns were used for hunting. We couldn't see such a situation in Japan. Our host father took us to a modern crossbow section. He told us he went hunting with his friends when he was young, and used this type of crossbow. I thought hunting is more common in the USA than in Japan. In the afternoon, we ate a bison hamburger! It was my first time to eat bison meat. I thought it was a rare chance, so I tried to gather up my courage. The taste was similar to beef and I liked it. After that, we went bowling with our host mother and host brother. It had been a long time since I had bowled, but it was good exercise for me. We enjoyed it very much. This home stay was great experience and one of my treasures. I really appreciated my host family's kindness.

Clear sky and wonderful runners

Second I really enjoyed Bloomsday on May 1st. It is an annual event in Spokane, and every year over 50,000 people participate. Fortunately we were blessed with clear weather. We took a bus downtown in the early morning. When we arrived downtown, there were many crowds people already. I was amazed that so many people were there. Before the race started, countless clothes were hanging on the tree. It was a rare and interesting scene to me. The race started with cheerful music and thunderous cheers. I walked the entire distance with my friend. There were many interesting people on the way, for example, singers, rock bands, country music bands, and people who wore a funny costumes. On the wayside, there were many cheering people, so I could enjoy walking, and also watching various people. I have never participated in such a big marathon race. I thought this event was splendid, because many kinds of people joined this race, for example, top class runners, men, women, children, and even 90 year old people!!! This event was good for activation of Spokane and people's health, so this race was a very important event for Spokane. I was proud of to participate in this race.

We love host mother, Polly:)

The last thing that excited me was my birthday! May 8 was my 20th birthday, so many people celebrated with me. On May 5, my group members, RA, and I ate out at Red Robin which is located in downtown. We finished a TOEIC test that morning, so we were very relaxed and we enjoyed eating tasty hamburgers. After everyone finished eating, some of the servers came to our table, and brought big cake. Suddenly they started singing the birthday song. At first I didn't realize whose birthday, because that day was still May 5, and server brought that cake to my friend! Soon I noticed it was my surprise birthday. My friends gave me super letter and pretty cosmetic. I was very surprised, and moved to tears by their surprise. I felt happy to have wonderful friends. On May 8, my birthday, our host family invited us to their house. First we went to the Davenport Hotel and to Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden with our host mother. These two places were so beautiful and became my favorite places. After that, we went to our host family's house and ate a hamburger hot from the barbecue. It was so tasty. After lunch, our host mother brought me a cute cake and I was surprised again! I spent a wonderful time with my host family. Also many friends and teachers celebrated with me at MFWI. I felt happy and I had a great 20th birthday in the USA.

There were so many great experiences which I couldn't have in Japan.These three wonderful memories were engraved in my heart forever. All of my experiences in the USA were my best valuable possessions.

Fascinating American Life

2011-05-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

I had some amazing experiences in America. I went to host family's house twice and I experienced for the first time. I met my three pen pals and we talked about many things. I went on a trips many places. I thought these three experiences are the best memory for me.

Pretty Rabbit Basket and My Friends

First, I and other students spent a marvelous time at my host family's house. I took part in Easter Festival. I didn't know about Easter Festival. It is a very famous event in America. We decorated many rabbit dolls and many eggs. We cooked a ham for Easter dinner. The happiest occurrence for me was my host mother gave us a beautiful rabbit basket. There were some snacks in rabbit basket. Another interesting thing is we went shopping with a host mother. My host mother took us to many places. We went the Costco, Target and Ross. These places are very large, so it was hard work just to see all of goods. I thought American shop sell many goods and all goods are inexpensive. I like shopping in America. The most interesting thing is there are two other exchange students in the house. One was from China and one was from Hong Kong. I played billiards and talked about Japanese singer with them. Their country's story was very interesting. This home stay experience was only for me what there were student from China and Hong Kong. My home stay was very amazing.

My Cute Pen Pals and

Secondly, I have three pretty pen pals. One girl is my writing class pen pal. Two other pen pals are my conversation class pen pals. We have been exchanging letters since February. First, to write a letter was very hard because my English skill were not good. I asked my RA to check my grammar. I learned grammar step by step. At last my RA said to me " Your grammar became a good". I was very happy when I heard these words. After that I couldn't wait for their letters to write. I met three girls in class. I guessed right they are very cute. They taught me American game. It was very amusing. I taught them about my home town in Japan. I had a lunch with them. I had a great time. I am exchanging an e-mail now, because I will go back to Japan soon. We can't exchange letters. My pen pals became my best friend.

Fashionable Harvard Wear

Finally, I went to many valuable places and these places was exciting. I went to Seattle. It took about 5 hours by bus. I saw the beautiful Columbia River and Cascade Mountains. There were very big. I went to Safeco Field. I had a valuable experience. I entered the interview room, the shower room and the press box. I had a great time. Another interesting place I visited to stay is Boston. My favorite places are Harvard University and Quincy Market. I heard many surprising information from the guide in Harvard University. I realized the cleverness of Harvard University. Quincy Market was a vigorously place. I enjoyed it by bustling person and many shops. One of my most important place was Washington D. C. I learned a lot about American history. The Vietnam Memorial, the Korean war Memorial and Arlington made me sad. I learned that war takes a heavy toll in human lives. I was a happy because I connected with many people and I went to many valueable places.

I learned not only about going to school but also taking part in extracurricular activities. I thought this study abroad program was very important for me. The people who I have a relationship with helped me grow up. I appreciate my parents for sending me to this program.

My Irreplaceable MFWI Life

2011-05-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I had many precious experiences at MWFI. On February 8, I came here and then my new life started. I could improve my English skill and grow up as a person because I was helped a lot by three kinds of people. I will introduce these people.

Interesting Bridget and me

Funny Ron, Natsuko, and me

First, my teachers helped me many times and I am thankful to them. My reading and grammar teacher is Winnie. She is very kind. I practiced scanning mainly for TOEIC in her class and it was very useful for me. Her teaching is easy to understand. I ate lunch with her once and we had a nice time talking then. She taught me about her family and her traveling in Japan. When she visited Japan, she went to Kyoto. Kyoto is a famous sightseeing spot in Japan. She went to Kinkakuji and she said it was very beautiful. She loves Japan so I want to go sightseeing with her someday. Next, my conversation teacher is Bridget. She is very interesting. When our class visited Gonzaga University, we talked about punishment in different countries with the students. Also the class is international class so there are many Saudi, Korean and Chinese. They spoke English but their intonation was different from American so I was confused. I couldn't understand well and I cried in vexation. And then, Bridget encouraged me. I wanted to run away but she cheered me up so I could hold out. She is a great person for me. I love her. Next, my American studies teacher is Anikke. She is gentle and I love her classes. When I asked questions, she taught me definitely. The class is in the afternoon so I am usually sleepy in Japan but I am not sleepy in her classes because her classes are very fun! Also, her teaching is easy to understand. I learned about American culture, American history, and American education. I could learn well. She will come to Japan in September. I will be able to meet her at MWU, so I will talk to her more. I can't wait it! Next, my writing teacher is Ron. He is very funny! He is an expressive person. I wrote blogs like this in his class. It made my English improve. Also I have my blogs corrected individually, so I could correct my mistakes precisely. I love him, too. As stated above, my teachers helped me a lot and I could grow up. The teachers are my pride like God.

My Wonderful Group

Second, I had a priceless time with my RA. My RA is Rebekah. She is very cute and same age with me. It is the first time for her to be a RA so we could grow up with each other at MFWI. When we met first, we were nervous so we couldn't talk a lot. We talked just during tutorial time. Also she has an another job so she is always busy. As time passed, we have talked many topics, for example, family, boyfriend, school, and ideas about everything. It made us close. Also, we have worked out together recently. She always comes home at 5 and we work out before dinner. On our way to the fitness center, we always talk, for example, what we did today, about classes and about my friends. It is a nice opportunity for me to improve my pronunciation and build a nice relationship. Also we ate lunch together in downtown many times. We ate lunch at Sushi-maru and we enjoyed talking. We talked about Japanese teenagers and American teenagers. It was an interesting topic. Also, she sometimes made a cake for us. It was very delicious. She recommend her farorite snacks, desserts, shops, and music. I also enjoyed them. She is always thinking of us and always smiling. She made me happy. She is like my best friend and not a RA. I had a really great time with her. I will never forget her.

Hyperactive Cameron

Finally, I have a splendid host family. They assisted me a lot. My host father is Mike. He is very kind and funny. My host mother is Leah. She is very beautiful and good at cooking. I love her cooking. My host son is Cameron. He is 5 years old. He is hyperactive. During home stay, we played x-box, went shopping to Northtown Mall, worked out together, played with air ball, watched a movie together, and painted our nails. They were very memorable experiences. Also, we always talked so my speaking skill grew. When I can't understand, they say it again in other easy English so I can understand what they say. I called them one day because I had to check our schedule. It was a first time for me to talk to foreigner by phone. Usually, I use gestures but this time I couldn't use them! I was confused but it was a nice experience for me. After that, I could order pizza by phone. I could gain confidence. They are like my real family and I love them. I'm glad to meet them in Spokane. They said " If you visit Spokane someday, you can stay at our home." They are super nice host family. I think I was assisted by their grace.

My parents paid a lot of money for this program so I want to say thank you to them when I go back to Japan. I'm glad to meet super wonderful teachers, my lovely RA, and my splendid host family. They are my treasures. I had a irreplaceable time at MFWI. It has become a lasting memory for me.

Awesome Washington D. C.

2011-05-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I went to Washington D. C. which is a beautiful city on our East Coast Trip. I was looking forward to going there, so I enjoyed it so much. I was especially impressed with 3 buildings.

Huge Capitol

First, I was excited to see the Capitol and Supreme Court. The Capitol is a huge white building. There is a huge dome in the center whose weight is 9,000,000 pounds (4,082,331 kg) and also, the height is 288 feet (87 m) tall. I was so surprised to hear that because I couldn't imagine how much it's weighs and it's height. On the top of the dome, there is a beautiful bronze statue called "Statue of Freedom." It was designed by Thomas Crawford. The statue depicts a female figure which representing Liberty. It is 19 1/2 feet (6 m) tall and 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) so it's very big and huge, but I didn't feel that because the dome was huge. On the right side of the Capitol, there is the United States Senate which is the place where laws are made. It was established in 1800. On the left side of the Capitol, there is The House which was established in 1811. Those buildings are luxurious. I was impressed when I saw them.

My group members
and great White House

Second, I went to magnifical White House. It is the house of the president and his family. George Washington, a first president of United States, didn't live in this house because it wasn't completed when he was a president. It completed in January, 1800. In this house, there are 6 floors, 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms and 5 elevators! In addition, there is also library, theater, tennis court and swimming pool! When I heard about this, I couldn't believe it. When I went to there, the room light on second floor were turned on. Perhaps, Obama was in house because the president and his family live in second floor. I wanted to meet him. It was such a beautiful house.

Favorite Lincoln Memorial

The best place I visited is awesome Lincoln Memorial. This building is for Abraham Lincoln who was the 16th president of United States. The building was made by Doric order in 1922. In the building, there is a huge statue of Lincoln made by Daniel Chester French. The height is 19 feets (5.8 m) from head to foot and the weight is 175 short tons (158,725 kg). In fact, Lincoln was a tall man. Moreover, on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the step of the Lincoln Memorial. I was very impressed to know about it because I admire his speech. When I was a junior high school student, I recited his speech in English class. His speech was great so I cried when I read it for the first time. In my textbook, there were a lot of pictures of him giving a speech. I liked them so I was impressed when I saw the view from the steps. I was happy that I could visit there and see such a beautiful view.

These 3 buildings are my favorite buildings I visited. In Washington D. C., there were a lot of beautiful and huge buildings. I want to visit there to see great buildings again.

Delightful Boston

2011-05-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Louisa May Alcott's beautiful house

I enjoyed a great East Coast trip from April 8 to 13. I especially liked three places in Boston.

At first, I was impressed with historic and beautiful Beacon Hill. I have never seen such a beautiful place. Every wall and sidewalk is made of red bricks, so the view of the streets looked calm brown and red colors spread as far as the eye could see. On the sloping roads, the gas lights also have a beauty all of their own. The area has a really good atmosphere just like picturesque beauty. Beacon Hill has many streets. One of the streets is called Louisburg Square. It is the famous area because Louisa May Alcott lived there. She was a writer who wrote a great book, Little Women. She lived in house no.10 in the 19 century. I wanted go inside, but I regretfully couldn't. I just saw the entrance. It has a black door and it was really pretty. I heard she loved the area so much. I can understand how she felt, because it is a really beautiful, quiet and refined place. In the area, a wonderful private park was surrounded by delightful old houses. In the park, there is a statue of Christopher Columbus. It was really charming. Also, I like this area so much. I really want to live there someday.

The Old North Church and Paul Revere's statue

Secondly, I was very interested in Freedom Trail. I think Freedom Trail is one of the most important places in Boston, because it leads to many important sites in the city. If you follow this trail, you can learn about American history and see a lot of old buildings. First, Quincy Market is one of my favorite places in Boston. It is a central market place for Boston, so it is such a huge shopping area. When I went there, many kinds of artists did wonderful performances. Around them, a large audience stood, so it really hummed. I like the atmosphere so much. Some stores were in the basement. I was surprised about that. Second, Old North Church was very beautiful building. It was built in 1723. It looks simple and cute. Inside the church, there are boxed seats for people sit in. If you sit in the box, you can only see people who are on the stage. I think it is good because I can concentrate on the minister's message. At that time, a member of the staff taught people about American history. It was also really interesting. Inside the church, I saw a really big and beautiful organ. It has been there since 1759 and it still works. It was a really good place. Third, The Granary Burying Ground was also beautiful. This burying ground has the grave of Paul Revere and the grave of John Hancock. They are big and looks solemn. It was an elegant burying ground. I had many good experiences and learn a lot of information there.

The statue of three lies in Harvard Yard

Finally, I enjoyed visiting amazing Harvard University. Harvard Yard is the oldest part and center of the campus. In Harvard Yard, there are many beautiful buildings and statues. I think the statue of three lies is one of the most famous statues in the world. As you know, you can find three lies in the statue. First, the man was not John Harvard, just a good looking student. Second, John was not the founder of Harvard. He was an investor. Third, the statue was not made in 1638. The correct answer is 1636. Other buildings were also great. Widener Library is a really huge library located directly across from Memorial Church. Widener is the name of a graduated student who was a victim of the Titanic disaster. He loved to collect a lot of books, so his mother gave a $3.5 million donation to the university to build this library. Memorial Church was built in 1774. I wanted to go inside and take a lot of photographs, but we couldn't. Harvard University has so many great buildings and histories. I want to go back there if I get a chance.

I had a really good experience on this East Coast trip, and I could see many beautiful places. However, it is a pity I didn't have enough time to see more. I think I need more time to see and understand more deeply. However, I was so happy because I could walked around the greatest parts of America. I want to go back soon!

Excellent Places in the Boston Area

2011-05-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

I went on a wonderful East Coast trip with my friends from April 4 to 9. I especially liked Boston area very much. I visited three great places there.

Luxurious Beacon Hill

First, my favorite pleasant place was Beacon Hill. There were many high quality apartments, and many wealthy people lived there. In the old days, Louisa May Alcott who wrote "Little Women" lived in Beacon Hill too. I leaned about that book in class, so it was interesting for me to go there. The apartments were made of red bricks. They were old buildings but very beautiful. Many apartments had purple stained glass windows. They were also old, but pretty. There were many other interesting things in the Beacon Hill. One was boot scrapers. They were used when people go into the house, they scrape the mud off their shoes. They had very expensive carpet in their entrance, so people do not want to make the carpet dirty because of a dirty shoes. I was very impressed with that. Another interesting thing was that there were many antique gas lights in the streets. They created a cozy atmosphere. Also iron rails were interesting to me. Beacon Hill had many steep inclines. In the winter, people slip and fall because of frozen ground, so the iron rails helped people to not slip and fall! Beacon Hill had a sense of luxuriousness. Everything was interesting to me.

Big size Hot dogs!

Secondly, I enjoyed walking along Freedom Trail. It had some historical areas of Boston. We could see awesome Old North Church on Freedom Trail. It was built in 1723. Its external appearance was white and beautiful. They had "boxes" for people to sit in in that church. I have never seen such a style and I thought it was very interesting and rare. They had a wonderful big organ. It was very old, but still working. Outside of Old North church, we could see the statue of Paul Revere. He was riding a horse bravely. We took a picture in front of his statue. After we visited Old North Church, we went to cheerful Quincy Market. It was located near Boston’s waterfront and started in 1826. There were many kinds of restaurants there, for example, pizza shops, hamburger shops, ice cream shops, and Japanese food shops. Boston is famous for lobster, so there was lobster roll shop. Unfortunately I did not eat lobster, but some students ate some. I ate a big sausage hot dog with my friends. The sausage was very juicy and tasty. After that, we could find cute souvenir shop. When we entered that shop, the clerk spoke to us, "Are you from Japan? I’m worried about the big earthquake in Japan. Is your family fine?" I was very moved to heard that. At that souvenir shop, I bought some souvenirs for my family and relatives. I bought some chocolates, postcards, and some cute golf balls! It was three-piece set of golf balls with "I LOVE BOSTON" printed on it. It was for my father, because he likes to play golf. I really enjoyed to learning about Boston’s history and shopping.

Pretty Orchard House

Finally, I enjoyed visiting pretty Orchard House. It was the house of Louisa May Alcott who was a writer. It was a tiny house, but inside was cute and elegance. There were many books in the Louisa’s room. She wrote about 270 great books during her life. I found interesting thing in her room. Many owl pictures were painted on the wall of her room. She loved owls because of owls are symbol of the book. We could find interesting things in Amy’s room too. Amy was Louisa’s younger sister. Her room was painted blue. She liked blue. There were many sketching on the wall, and window frames. She liked drawing a picture. On the first floor, there was a orange pillow; it was not just an ordinary pillow. It was called "mood pillow". If Louisa was in a good mood, the pillow was up straight. If Louisa was in a bad mood, the pillow was laying down on the sofa. The position of the pillow indicated her heart. All things in their house were original, so they were vary valuable. I felt I was in the Louisa’s life. I was very happy to visit Orchard House.

I could learn a lot about American history and culture on this trip. All things were special and superb for me. I want to visit Boston area once more.

Fabulous Boston Area

2011-05-05T22:17:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful time on the East Coast Trip from April 8th to 10th. I visited many beautiful places and I learned many things. All of places I visited are very nice and so I like all of them. There were three places that were specially wonderful to me.

My Awesome Friends

First, I had an excellent time at Quincy Market which is my favorite place. I think it was like a festival there. I ate clam chowder and delicious tasty lobster roll. Both were very delicious taste. I have never eaten such a delicious clam chowder. My friends and I talked to the man who cooked in front of us at the counter. His English was fast and little dialect so I couldn't understand first but he spoke to us politely, so I could understand. There were many stores and restaurants at Market, for instance, souvenir stores, many clothes stores, shoes stores, accessory stores, and tattoo shops and so on. I bought postcard and some souvenir for my friends. Many people did performances at the Market on the street. For example, there were horse carriages and magic shows, so many kind of visitors go there. I saw many Asian people. Quincy Market was very cheerful, so it became my favorite place.

Second, I also had fun at Orchard house. This place impressed me. This house is Louisa May Alcott's old house when she grew up and where she wrote famous book "Little Women." The house was build in 1620. When I was 8 years old, my mother read this book to me before I went to sleep, so this story is very familiar to me. Moreover, I studied about her in reading class, so it was very interesting to me. May Alcott complained about woman's independence. A long time ago, woman couldn't work but she complain about that. I think she is great person. I'm very surprised that this old house is still here now. There was also gift shop on the first floor and many rooms on the second floor. Second floor had individual family rooms and many books, about 270 books which were very lovely. I was happy to go to this place.

Wonderful Harvard

Finally, I had exciting time at Harvard University. I want to go there while I was in Japan. This place were Obama and Princess Masako graduated from. That is to say, one can't enter here unless one clever. This is the oldest university in the U.S.A. The tuition in 50000 dollars which is very expensive. It amazed me. John Harverd founded this university. He statue has 3 lies. The first one is that the statue is not John Harvard. It's just a handsome student. The second one is that the date carved on the statue is wrong. The last one is that he did not begin this university, he just founded. Another interesting point about this university is the library name is student name. He died on the Titanic, so his mother offered money to university. Then they are 15million items in there. It's the biggest library in the world. There were beautiful historical buildings such as library and memorial church. I was glad to go to Harverd University.

I had many wonderful experiences. I had very very nice time. This opportunity helped me leran many things important to me.

Admirable places in near Boston

2011-05-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

I had a really wonderful experience on my East Coast trip on April 6 to 11. I especially enjoyed the days in Boston. There are many historical buildings and interesting places. I would like to tell you about three marvelous places.

Small Orchard house

First, I really admired Orchard house. It was lived by Louisa May Alcott and her family. She is famous as writer of “Little Women.” This story is based on her with her family. This story was translated into many languages. In Japan, we know this story as “Wakakusa Monogatari”. She never married in her life because she liked to take care of her family. She is also famous as a woman who supported for women’s right to vote. The most interesting for me is that the house was very smaller than I imagined but there are many rooms in the house. In Louisa’s room, there are many valuable things for example, her writing desk, many books written by her and many owl pictures and arts. The room of her sister, Amy is famous for the painting on the wall. The Alcott family has many roles created by the father, for example, they should act promptly, be cheerful, do not question, act in obedience and so on. Another things, there were small souvenir shop in the house. The shop sells a lot of books written by Louisa May Alcott, for example, of course, “Little Women,” “A Fairy Tale,” “Good Wives,” “Eight Cousins” and so on. I read “Little Women” in my Reading class and I am really interested in it, so I could enjoyed it and had a good experience with my studies. I had a really good time there.

Exciting Pilgrims village!

Secondly, Plymouth was enjoyable to me. Plymouth is the place where a group of 102 people, called Pilgrims came in the small ship named the May flower in 1620. They escaped from England because of religious problem. The people had a hard time in the New World. During the first winter, about half of them died because they got sick or there wasn’t enough food. In the spring, they met some Indians, named Samoset , Squanto and Wampanoag. Then, these Indians became friends, guides and teachers to the Pilgrims. In addition, Plymouth has a very interesting place called, Plimoth Plantation which is the 1627 Pilgrims village. In this village, there are many actors who play the roles of Pilgrims. Their living was very poor and developing. Also, real Indians still lives in this village. They farm the land and hunt the animals. I felt Plymouth is very historical place, so you can learn a lot of history of America!

Beautiful Harvard

Finally, I was impressed with very famous and historical Harvard University. I went to there on the third day, and I had a really great time. Harvard has a reputation for excellence all over the world. It belongs to the Ivy League, an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. It is also famous for its liberal arts. The word written on the school logo, “Veritas” means truth. On the campus, there are many amazing buildings. The library contains nearly 15 million items. It is the second largest library in the United States. I was really surprised at the size. It was really huge. The church is so beautiful. The steeple is a copy of the Old North Church. Harvard also operates several arts, cultural and scientific museums, for example, The Fogg Museum of Art, The Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Busch-Reisinger Museum and so on. Also, many famous people in the world graduated from the Harvard. Seven U.S. president including Obama graduated from Harvard. Surprisingly, Japanese princess Masako is also a graduate of the department of economics. I really enjoyed and marveled so historical Harvard.

I was so impressed by these special places. I really enjoyed my time and studied a lot of history of America. It was an absolutely unforgettable memory. I will study more, putting these knowledge that I learned on this trip to good use.

The Attractive City, Boston

2011-05-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

I had incalculable valuable experiences at the beginning of April. I went on the East Cost Trip. My favorite city is Boston especially during my trip. I will introduce my three favorite places in Boston.

Fashionable Beacon Hill

First favorite place is Beacon Hill. It is a 19th century downtown Boston residential area, and there are many lovable red brick houses. They were very attractive for me, because I can't see such houses in Japan. We walked along the houses, then I found rare things for me. One of them is colored glass. Some houses in Beacon Hill have colored glass in their windows. There are many colors, for example red, green, orange and so on. They are not so conspicuous, but so fashionable. The foot scraper was also interesting to me, because I don't usually see it in Japan. Now a days, wealthy people in Boston have their homes here. I really like these rows of houses. I want to live there someday!!!!!!!!!

Freedom Trail is also wonderful place. It is a rich historical road, and 2.5 miles (about 4 km) long. When I saw the Freedom Trail I was surprised, because it was just a red-brick line (sometimes just a red line) on the road. I expected something bigger, but actually it was just a road. There are many historical buildings and houses along that trail. I enjoyed seeing them very much. Especially I really like Quincy Market. It is a very lively market, we can buy many kinds of things there, for example foods, clothes, souvenir and so on. I bought many souvenirs there. My favorite souvenir is a sweat shirt with the Harvard logo. Next I visited the Old North Church which was built in 1723. It was so old, but pretty and beautiful. These facts impressed me. Freedom Trail has many interesting places I can't see in Japan. I want to go there again.

In front of pretty signboard

Orchard House is such an amazing place. It is the home of Louisa May Alcott. I could learn about her family and friends when I heard the guide speaking, because I studied Little Women which is the book written by her in my Reading class before this trip. She wrote about 270 books until she died. This house is not so big, but inside, the furniture is so pretty. We can see Louisa's desk, pictures and sculpture of Louisa's father, Bronson Alcott. This sculpture was made by Daniel Chester French who was a student of Louisa May Alcott. He became a famous sculptor. He also created the statue at the Old North Bridge, the statue of Harvard and the statue of Lincoln in Lincoln memorial. I was absorbed in this house, I enjoyed it very much there.

If you have an opportunity to visit to Boston, I want you to go to these places. I really had a wonderful time there.

Fantastic Places in Boston

2011-05-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

I went to Boston and Washington D. C. for the East Coast Trip from April 5 to 10. I had a marvelous time in Boston for three days. I went to Boston and Washington D. C. for the East Coast Trip. There were three magnificent places in Boston especially impressive to me.

Interesting demonstration

First, I experienced many interesting things on the Freedom Trail. This Trail have eleven famous places which are the State House, the Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel, Old South Meeting House, Old State House Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Paul Revere's House, Paul Revere's Statue and Old North Church. There is a red line so we followed the line. The State House is covered with gold. It was gorgeous and I thought it was like a castle. In front of the State House, I saw a lot of people demonstrating about the budget. They held a demonstration against government and they said "cuts don't make sense." It was the first time I saw such a thing and I was very surprised. We join the demonstration. We said "cuts don't make sense." together. The Granary Burying Ground is an important cemetery. Some famous people are buried there such as John Hancock, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin. I saw some money on Paul Revere's grave. Benjamin Franklin's grave is in the middle of the cemetery and it is the biggest grave in there.. Every grave have head stones. I saw death heads on some head stone. I felt it was a silent and respectful place. Quincy Market was started in 1826 as central market place for the Boston area. There are many unique souvenir shops and appetizing restaurants there. I bought a Harvard University pen for my sister because I hope she become smart. Boston is famous for lobster and I heard lobster rolls are delicious, so I ate a lobster roll. It was a little expensive but awesome. People were very funny and friendly but people at Pike Place Market were more friendly. I thought people at Quincy Market were busy. I enjoyed superb places on the Freedom Trail.

Second, I had an excellent time at Harvard University. It is the oldest university in the United States. I heard a lot of remarkable information from our guide. The statue of John Harvard has three lies. The first is that Harvard statue is not John Harvard. He was a mere handsome boy. Nobody knows his face. The Second is that John Harvard didn't establish Harvard University. He contribute money to Harvard University. Its endowment is 26 billion dollars. The third, it is recorded that Harvard University was established in 1638 but in fact it was established in 1636. It is very interesting. There are many students at Harvard University now. They are very intelligent. Women are more than 50 percent. About 30 percent of them are international students. I met an English student who spoke Japanese very well. I was surprised. Eight American presidents graduated from Harvard University, including John Adams, John Quincy Adams,Rutherford B. Hayes, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Tuition for one year at Harvard is 50,000 dollars. It was very expensive. Mukogawa Women's University is probably 10,000 dollars a year. I learned many surprising things at Harvard University.

Lovely Acorn Street

Third, I took pleasure in lovely Beacon Hill. It is a charming residential area. There were many unique things. The first thing interesting to me was the boots scrapper at the front door. It is to remove mad from shoes. I thought it is very useful thing. The third thing interesting is gas lights which are mildly shining 24 hours a day. It impresses me. The third thing interesting is the shape of the windows which was like a lady's fan which was pretty. The fourth thing interesting to me was that there were many eagles on the window because the eagle is an American symbol. People at Beacon Hill were more fashionable than Spokane people and they looked wealthy. Most of people is single and have dogs. Our guide said the dogs are children for them. I thought people is very rich because a house in Beacon Hill costs at least 4 million dollars. I was astonished. I want to live in such a place as Beacon Hill. I saw many impressive things at the Acorn Street which is famous photograph place. It was stunning. This street has cobble stones which are easy for horses to walk on and for rainy day. The door knockers are acorns which is only on Acorn Street. I had a brilliant time at Beacon Hill.

I experienced tremendous things in Boston. This trip was precious memory for me. I want to go to Boston again.

Awesome and wonderful places in and near Boston

2011-05-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

I had a valuable time during the East Coast Trip from April 5 to 10. I went to many splendid places. I especially enjoyed visiting the places in and near Boston. There are three places I like best.

Small Orchard House

My favorite place is pretty Orchard House where the Alcott family lived from 1858 to 1877. I was looking forward to visiting Orchard House where the book Little Women was set in. First, I walked all over the house with the tour conductor and my group. I saw many rooms, the dinning room, living room, bed rooms and so on. I was surprised because the house was smaller than I expected, but I like the design of wallpapers and lovely furniture. It was so cute. I was excited to see the room where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women which was published in 1868. There was a bed, a desk, some books and so on in the room. Next, I went to tiny gift shop in Orchard House. There were many souvenirs, copies of books of Little Women, pillows, postcards and so on in the shop. I bought some post cards of Orchard House, because I had no pictures of the house. We were not allowed to take pictures into the house, so I took some pictures outside the house. I was happy to get those. I had a splendid time there.

Lovely Beacon Hill

The second place I liked is lovely Beacon Hill where rich people live and Alcott lived. When I visited there, I saw many houses of bricks with expensive cars. There was a boot scrapper which people scrape the mud from their shoes in front of all houses. I have never seen such an interesting thing. I want one in front of my house, too. When I saw many colorful flowers on flower beds, I felt happy and springy, because the flowers was cute and I like flowers very much. The atmosphere was quiet and excellent, so I could relax, but the road of bricks was bumpy and sloping, so it was difficult for me to walk there, however, I like this place because of its beauty. I saw some people taking a walk with their dogs there. I thought it was terrific thing to walk on such a bumpy and sloping road. We need shoes in such a case for walking there. I want to visit there again, but I don't want to live there, because of such a road. I think Beacon Hill is marvelous place. I had a valuable time there.

Third Quincy Market which is located near Boston's waterfront was delightful to me. The famous thing of Quincy Market is seafood like lobster, clam and so on. There are many kind of restaurant and many people in the market. I spent a lot of time choosing my lunch. After all, I decided to eat a lobster roll. It was appetizing! I picked the right day to choose it. I want to eat again. Outside of the market, there are many shops, clothes stores, shoes stores, souvenir shops, skin care shops and so on. I bought many souvenirs there. I got sweatshirts of Harvard, some post cards, a teddy bear, cookies, teabags and so on. I enjoyed shopping very much. When I walked around there, I saw a interesting restaurant. Everyone in the restaurant wore white paper caps on their head. It was strange and funny to me. I have never seen such a restaurant. I wanted to enter the restaurant and experience such a interesting thing, but I had no time to go there, so I couldn't. It was a little bad for me, but I had a really pleasant time at Quincy Market.

I was delighted to visit those nice places. It will become an unforgettable memories for me. If I visit Boston again, I want to go there. I had a precious time in Boston.

Superb Washington D. C.

2011-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

I had a super great time in Washington D. C. from April 9 to April 11. I was moved many places. There were many beautiful buildings, historical statues and wonderful museums. I felt Washington D. C. is one of the most important cities in America.

Beautiful Mount Vernon

For one thing, there are many beautiful buildings in Washington D. C. White House is where the American president house. This is very big house. There are 6 floors, 132 rooms, 5 elevators and 32 bathrooms. I was very surprised when I heard this information. I thought I want to live there. Another surprising thing was a raccoon, an alligator, a cow, a goose and a goat live there. I felt as if it were a zoo. Next, the U. S. Capital was interesting to me. The Capital completed in 1830. The weighs are of the dome 9,000,000 pounds. It is very big white Capital. There is the statue on top of a bilding but I couldn't see it was too small. The Capital's symbol is a statue of freedom. I thought this Capital is the American symbol. Finally, I visited Mount Vernon. This is house of George Washington and Martha Washington. Mount Vernon has increased in the size from 6 rooms to 21 rooms. I was impressed with the 2 tombs of George and Martha. I felt they still live in the Mount Vernon. These places were very wonderful.

Great Washington D. C.

Secondly, there are many Historical Statues in Washington D. C. Lincoln Memorial was very big place. The height of his statue is 19 feet high (about 6 meter). I thought about why heclenches only his left hand. My favorite spot is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech. This place was a superb view. Next Jefferson Memorial was interesting to me. Jefferson Memorial was finished in 1943. He designed the memorial by himself. I thought he is a great person. The area around this memorial was very beautiful, because there are many Japanese cherry blossoms. I felt there are lovely. Finally, I visited Arlington. This place was very silence. The first time anyone was buried here was on May 13, 1864, during the Civil War. I felt sad. There were about 290,000 graves. I was overpowered. John F Kennedy visited there. Then, he said "I could stay here forever", so his grave was very gorgeous. I learned many important things about the historical statues in Washington D. C.

Thirdly, the Smithsonian Institution is wonderful. Air and Space Museum was very exciting to me.Amelia Earhart's plane was there. Apollo 11 was touched my heart. John Glenn's space suits was there too. Next, the National Gallery of Art was very beautiful. One of my favorite paintings was Da Vinci's picture. Many paintings by Monet, Rembrandt and O'Keeffee were on the walls. The Museum of Natural History was marvelous. I thought it was the insect zoo. There were fossils from the Ice Age. I was surprised. Dinosaurs were very forceful, but attract the interest of me. The Smithsonian Institution became one of my favorite place.

This experience became an amazing memory for me. I want to know more about Washington D. C. My East Coast Trip was marvelous.

Priceless East Coast Trip

2011-05-03T16:14:00.001-07:00

Maggie and me in front of beautiful White House

I had a very wonderful time on my East Coast Trip. I went to Boston and Washington D. C. from April 6 to 11. This trip is one of my best memories. I will introduce my three favorite things.

First, I was impressed with the awesome buildings. They were Mount Vernon, the White House, and the Smithsonian Institute. Mount Vernon was the house of George and Martha Washington. There are twenty-one rooms, and they are very colorful rooms. They looked very nice. The Washington family continued to live there until 1858. At that time, the place was bought by a group of women who called themselves "the Mount Vernon Ladies Association." Since then, they have worked hard to return Mount Vernon to the way it was when Washington family lived there. I love the scenery and the atmosphere. Next, the White House has 132 rooms. Now, the Obama family lives there. It was officially named "The Executive Mansion." I thought the place was smaller than I imagined but I was very happy to see the house. Also, I went to The Smithsonian Institute. The Institute was established in1846 and it was very beautiful. There are 139,000,000 items in the museums. I chose to go to the Air and Space Museum because I didn't have enough time. It was very interesting. I could touch a moon rock! It was very exciting. I am interested in airplane so I love this museum. I want to visit again. I visited many nice and big buildings in Washington D. C. It was a nice experience.

Ami and me at awesome Lincoln Memorial

Second, I visited a few famous memorials and it was very memorable. Memorials and monuments are things that are made to honor someone who has died. They were the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial was finished in 1943. Inside, there is a big statue of Thomas Jefferson. He was an architect, a farmer, a lawyer, a musician, and a scientist. He wrote the Declaration of Independence so he was a great person I thought. I was very surprised at the size of the big statue. I want to know more about him. Next, I went to Lincoln Memorial. The statue of Lincoln inside is 5.79 meter high. For example, statues, sculptures, or even buildings can be memorials or monuments. In addition, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Memorial. I saw the picture before, I could stand up in the same place, so I was very happy. Next, I went to the Vie Vietnam Veterans Memorial, too. A veteran is a person who used to be a soldier. The names of more then 58,000 Americans who were killed in Vietnam are written on the memorial. In 1993, a sculpture called "The Women's Memorial" was finished and also placed near the Vietnam Memorial. It was made during the Vietnam War. There were a lot of tourists when I went to these memorials, so I thought they are very valuable. I was glad to visit them.

Beautiful Mount Vernon

Finally, I had a good time at wonderful places. They are Arlington National Cemetery, West Seaton Park, and Amtrak. In Arlington, there are now about 290,000 graves and the graves of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. They were very beautiful. There are up to 24 funerals at Arlington every day. I couldn't see the funerals, so I want to see someday. Next, West Seaton Park is located in a center of the Smithsonian Institute. The Park is very big and there are many people all day and I saw a lot of people selling things from their van such as T-shirts and gifts. That's funny. In addition, the park has a large lawn. It was all in green. Many people were playing and taking a walk. It was fine weather so it made me relax. I love the place. Also, Amtrak was our transportation from Boston to Washington D. C. It began operating the nation's passenger railroads on May 1, 1971. Today, Amtrak has more than 500 stations in 46 states of the U.S., and Amtrak trains are running every minute, 365 days a year. It was my first time to ride a train in America so I was very excited. I could see beautiful seas and nice buildings through the window. The train is very famous in America so I'm glad to ride on it. I had nice experiences in many places.

For these reasons, I had a marvelous time during the trip. It was priceless memories and indescribable.

My Excellent American Life

2011-05-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Great Atmosphere Red Robin

I was very happy when I came here, because I loved America for a long time since I was a child. There are many good things to me.

First, I think American restaurants are very good. The volume of food a lot more than Japanese restaurants. Moreover, cost is inexpensive. For instance, Red Robin is famous hamburger shop. I went to Red Robin many times. I ate a cheese burger, a mozzarella cheese burger and a BBQ chicken burger and so on. Those hamburgers are very big and have excellent taste. Moreover, the restaurant has very delicious french fries. They are best french fries of my life and clerk brought me many kind of sauce. I think the best sauce is honey mustard. If you order any drinks, you can order an extra drink many times free. It was surprising to me. The atmosphere of Red Robin is retro like and it is very nice which is my favorite place. This restaurant doesn't exist in Japan, so I like American restaurants.

Second, stores in American are interesting to me. American stores are very huge and sell many things. I usually go to Walmart that is very huge too and it sell many things. For instance, there are many kinds of foods, clothes, toys, tools, magazines, shoes, appliance goods and so on. Those size is everything big exclude of appliance goods moreover, there have a system. That is, for example, buy 1 and get 2 free. This system doesn't exist in Japan. These were exciting to me when I went to Walmart on my first time. It makes me merry, because it was fun. However bad thing about American stores is that some clerks are sloppy sometimes. That's too bad. Other than that I like American stores more than Japanese stores.

Cheerful Person

Finally, I love America. Everyone is cheerful when I see them and I became happy. Everyone is positive, friendly and people seem not to worry. Japanese is negative and not friendly. American men is very gentle, kind and have policy of ladies first. I think that these are very important thing and excellent thing. A lot of Japanese men are not like this. American women have confidence and they can say their opinion clearly. I think that is very cool. A lot of Japanese women don't have confidence and can't say their opinion clearly. It is not cool. I think I fit in America more than in Japan. My opinion is people should have friendly mind, cheerful mind, confidence and be positive.

In conclusion, I think America is an excellent country. I am happy that I came here. This opportunity is an important experience for me.

Exciting Group Activities

2011-04-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've had many wonderful experiences with my RA and group members during the tutorial time. I have especially enjoyed three group activities.

First, I was excited when we played a volleyball game. We played with another group in front of our dormitory. It was a little cold on that day, but I like sports, especially volleyball, so I really enjoyed the time. We usually do tutorials with only our own group members and RA. At that time, we played volleyball with other group members and their RA. I thought it was a good opportunity to know and communicate with them. I enjoyed the game and it was a wonderful time. If we have a chance, I want to play it again.

Delicious Japanese food

Secondly, we enjoyed a nabe party as a group activity. The nabe is a kind of Japanese food, a one-pot dish cooked at the table. The day before the party, some of our group members and me went to Shadle Center to buy the ingredients for nabe. We bought some Chinese cabbage, chicken, sausage and tofu. The next day, I was really looking forward to the nabe party all day, because it is one of my favorite Japanese foods. After school, we cut the ingredients and cooked them. After a short time, we started to eat. It was very tasty! I've never put sausages into nabe before. I tried them for the first time and they were delicious. I'm going to try putting sausages into my nabe when I go back to Japan. After that, we put noodles into a pot and they tasted very good. I was really glad to eat Japanese food after a long time.

Finally, we played a very exciting game downtown. The name was Laser Quest, which is a kind of shooting game. I heard it is a very interesting and fun game, so I've wanted to try it. At first, we registered our player names and were given some explanations about the game. However, it was a little difficult for me to understand what the clerk said, because he spoke very fast. In addition, we were in a small dark room, so I was scared out the atmosphere. After that, we went downstairs and put on some protective equipment, then we played the game. I couldn't understand well what was happening when the game started, because I couldn't understand clerk's explanation. However, the more I played it, the better I became and I enjoy it. We played for about twenty minutes and then we received our own result of the match. My RA's record was very good and a higher rank. It was an exciting and a wonderful time.

I think it is a pretty good experience to do many activities with my group members and RA. I want to do more interesting and valuable things and to enjoy my life here while I stay in America with them.

Memorable Dance

2011-04-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

Wonderful Performance

I have a very wonderful memory. Some MFWI students signed up to perform a dance Downtown at River Park Square for Japan Week. The dance is called so-ran bushi dancing. My experience is my best memory in Spokane. I had a great time practicing, performing and celebrating the successful completion of our Japanese dance.

We practiced very hard for 2 months. We practiced dance for two hours once a week at JCC. First, I thought so-ran bushi was too difficult for me. I can't remember all choreography, so we practiced it at my dormitory with my friends. I was very busy, so I was very tired. I had muscular pain every day. At length we can dance impeccable. However the whole group 30 dancers couldn't practice together until after the East Coast Trip. My practice was very rigorous, but it was very wonderful.

Amazing Dancing

On Saturday morning, the day of the performance I was buoyant and cheerful. We put on yukata and we had rehearsal. After that we went Down Town by school bus. We danced at the first floor of River Park Square. I was very nervous because this place was very big, and many people saw us. Many teachers, many Japanese friends and my RA came to see our dance. I enjoyed dancing during my performance. Our performance succeeded. I felt the best thing was everyone's applause. I thought I was very lucky because I could have precious experience. I believed the performance was a great hit.

On Sunday, we celebrated our success with a nice party. I had a great time too. Masa organized a party, because our dance succeed both so-ran bushi dance and yosakoi dance. We made many kind of dumpling. Dumpling is a traditional Japanese sweet. I ate many soy sauce dumplings, soybean flour dumplings, laver dumplings and grilled dumplings. These were very delicious. We talked to many people. I had a wonderful time at JCC.

I thought so-ran bushi dances was very memorable for me. Japan Week was a very interesting ceremony, One of my best memories.

Tremendous Boston

2011-04-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Cute Beacon Hill

I had a terrific time on my East Coast Trip for six days. I went to many places in Boston and especially liked three of them.

One place that I liked was Orchard House where Alcott family had lived in. I had been looking forward to visiting there, because we've read the book Little Women in our reading class. When I saw the house at first, I was surprised. Contrary to my expectation, it was an old and tiny house. First, I went to the gift shop, which was next to the Orchard House. It was small, too. There were many kinds of souvenirs, for example, books, pens, postcards, accessories and food. I've wanted to buy the original book Little Women, but it looked very heavy. Although I was at a loss, eventually I didn't buy it. After that, I had a guided tour around the house. Her explanation was easy to understand for me, so I could learn a lot of things about the house and family. I was especially excited about the interior design, because the furniture and wallpaper were pretty. It was a wonderful and valuable tour.

The other place that I was impressed with was Beacon Hill. It was a cute place and all of the things that I saw there were very pretty! For example, I saw brick houses, brick roads, lamps and shops. They were fashionable and I was very excited. First, we visited Acorn Street. This is a famous street for acorns. There was a gold color acorn on the front door of each house. They were so cute. Then I saw bootscrapers outside of the doors of some homes. They were used to clean muddy shoes. I have never seen this kind of thing before. I thought it is a good idea. Beacon Hill is also a rich neighborhood, so residents are wealthy people and almost all of them have dogs. While we walked around there, we saw many dogs. Next, we went to see the house of Louisa May Alcott. She lived at 10 Louisburg Square with her father from 1885 to 1887. I had already seen Orchard House, so I was surprised at the differences of two houses. I really liked the area, so if I had money, I would like to live there in the future.

The other wonderful place I visited was the Quincy Market. It is near Boston's waterfront and famous for as a huge shopping place. It was a part of the Freedom Trail, so we went there after we walked the trail. There were a lot of visitors and I was excited at the bustling atmosphere. First, my friends and I were hungry, so we ate a lobster roll. A lobster roll is a famous sandwich in Boston and some of my teachers recommended we eat it. Although it was a little expensive for me, I ate it. It was delicious and I was really glad to eat it. I want to eat it again. Then we looked around at many shops and bought some souvenirs. I especially liked Crabtree & Evelyn, which was a cute and fashionable shop with many kinds of goods, for example, body creams, soaps, perfumes and food. We could try some cookies and shortbread in the shop, and I tried a shortbread. It was very tasty, so I bought it for my souvenir. After we left there, we saw a strange restaurant. Some of the customers wore a long white hat. Some of them wore a balloon. I couldn't understand what they were doing, but they seemed happy and enjoy their lunch. Quincy Market was one of my unforgettable places on this trip.

I think Boston was an interesting and fascinating place. The time I had in Boston became an excellent memory for me.

Fascinating Japan Week

2011-04-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

My Wonderful Group

I had a wonderful time from April 16 to 20. It was Japan Week. People who live in Spokane know the event and I like it. There were 3 things about Japan Week that were enjoyable to me.

First, I danced at River Park Square on Saturday and enjoyed it very much. The dance was called Soran Bushi. It is a Japanese cultural dance. I had practiced the dance every Tuesday until I performed. The dance was very hard, so I always had muscle pain. On that day, we wore Yukatas. There were a lot of people at the mall. My RA, her boyfriend, our teachers, and my host family came to see our performance. I was nervous a little, but the performance was a great hit. I was very happy because there was much clapping of hands. It was a precious experience for me.

Awesome Lunch Time

Secondly, I met some American junior high school students in conversation class on Tuesday and had a great time. I taught them about Japanese culture and I was taught about American culture by them. We talked about money, fashion, relationships, food, slang, school, dreams, and language. These topics were very interesting for us. For example, the American students said "Japanese school rules are crazy" because we can't chew gum, drink water, and wear makeup at school in Japan. These rules are natural for Japanese but American students think they are crazy. The topic was very amusing. After that, we ate lunch together. It was exciting! The high school students used chopsticks so I was very surprised. Although we didn't have enough time, I enjoyed spending time with them very much. I want to talk more with them. I think the opportunity was priceless.

Finally, I also had a nice opportunity to talk with Americans on Wednesday. This event was the MFWI family festival. Many people came to Commons, played Japanese games, and ate Japanese food. I sold rice balls. I love them and they are my favorite food. Everyone said "It is very delicious" when they ate that. There were many Japanese cultural things at Commons. For example, students did tea ceremony and calligraphy. Many people enjoyed these cultural things. Then I talked with a bilingual boy. Although he is Japanese, he always speaks English because he grew up in America. Also his Japanese is very good. His speaking ability spurred me to study English more. I realized that I have to talk to native Americans more actively so the day was a good day for me.

For these reasons, I had really enjoyed Japan Week. It was very fascinating for me.

Fabulous Homestay Weekend

2011-04-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Awesome burger

I really enjoyed homestay from April 22 to 24. This was the second time I have gone there. My host family was really welcomed to me warmly. There are three wonderful days that were especially enjoyable to me.

The first day, my host family, my groupmates and I enjoyed good dinner and decorated some eggs. At first, my host mother, Janet picked us up in front of our dorm and we went to awesome burger restaurant. The restaurant is called Didier's Yogurt & More. We joined with another host mother, Kathy, and we enjoyed dinner together. Janet and Kathy said a cheese burger is great, so I ordered bacon cheese burger. It was really delicious! I thought I can eat it forever because I have never eaten such a delicious burger like it!! After the burger, I ate frozen yogurt. I ordered marshmallow flavor and the toppings were chocolate and nuts. It was also great, but the size was little too big for me. I ate too many maximum dishes, so I would not be surprised if I have gained a lot of weight. After we arrived their house, we started decorating eggs. At first, we dyed eggs yellow, blue, green, orange and so many colors. Next, we drew many pictures with color chalk freely. I became so serious, so I forgot to speak and kept decorating steadily. As a result, we made many cute Easter eggs!! It was good experience for me because I don't cerebrate Easter Day in Japan.

Colorful sushi

The second day, we delighted in shopping at the Valley Mall and we had the greatest dinner. At the Valley Mall, at first, my roommate and I went to Hollister. In Japan, Hollister clothes are difficult to get. If you find their clothes, they are really expensive. I wanted to buy some cheaper clothes. This store is very interesting because there lights are little dark, and inside the store, there is a strange fragrance. The smell is strange but I like it. I chose a good red shirt. That is my favorite so I can't wait to wear it. After that, we went to restaurant for dinner. It was a special dinner for me because it was Japanese food! I ordered salmon sushi and chicken donburi. It had a marvelous taste! It was my first Japanese food in a long time. Janet and Kathy ordered so many kinds of sushi, so when sushi was served our table, I was really surprised. While we had dinner, I introduced some Japanese cultures to them. For example, my roommate ordered chicken katsu donburi, so I explained that "katsu" has the same pronunciation as "win" in Japanese, so many Japanese people eat katsu donburi when they take test for their luck. My host family ate sushi with their hands. Also I explained about the good way to eat with their hands. There explanations were big challenge for me, because I think to explain new culture to people from other countries is difficult. However, they understood my explanations, so I think my challenge was successful. I felt so happy on this day.

Wonderful Easter

The third day, we tried Easter hunting in the morning and got some nice breakfast. At first, in our case, we hunted for some baskets, not eggs. It was easy to find them, but I was surprised because so many sweets and toys were in the baskets! There was really pretty stuffed rabbit in my basket. I love Easter so much! After that, we ate great breakfast. We enjoyed pancakes, Krispy Kream Donuts, and tea. Donuts were good but the homemade pan cakes were the best for me. After the breakfast, I have to come back to my dorm. I felt I will really miss my host family.

I felt my English skill improved more than last time. Last time when I stayed their house, I was so nervous, so I couldn't speak English so much. However, I felt comfortable to hearing and speaking English now. The homestay program is good for us because we must use English and we can gain confidence in our own abilities. I spent a really good time with Janet, Kathy and our groupmates. I want to say thank you so much for the great weekend to them over and over again. We will meet again in May. I can't wait!!

Delightful memories of Easter

2011-04-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tasty French toast!

I had great time on Easter day with my friends and RAs on April 24. It was my first experience of Easter. Three things became wonderful memories for me.

First, we went downtown and we ate a delicious breakfast at Madeline’s restaurant. It was a French restaurant. Many people were lined up in that restaurant, so I thought that restaurant was popular. There were many kinds of dishes for breakfast, for example, French toast, omelets, sandwiches, soups, and quiche. I was wondering which to choose, an omelet or French toast, but at last I decided to eat French toast. Its appearance was very cute. The strawberry and blueberry sauce with it was so tasty. I was surprised at the size. It was very large. Some of my friends ordered omelets. That smell was so nice. I felt very happy. We had a joyful breakfast time.

Beautiful church

Second, we went to a beautiful church whose name was The Lady of our Lourdes. It was located downtown too. It took about 10 minute on foot from the Madeline’s. I have been there once, but at that time we just visited the church inside. This time we could join the church service.This day was Easter, so many people came to the church to pray. There were many big and beautiful stained glass windows. Christ’s story was written or painted in those stained glass windows. I liked it very much. Many priests came into the cathedral. When the service begin, then all worshipers started to sing. It was a very beautiful and mystical atmosphere for me. There was a surprising thing during the middle of service. Suddenly all worshipers shook hands and greeted the other worshipers. I could not understand what happened, but they were very friendly. This service was a valuable experience for me.

Group seventeen♪

With colorful eggs

Third, we went back to our house, andweexperienced an exciting Easter egg hunt with group 18. Natalie, Lillie and Lillie’s friends hid many eggs around the our house. There ware many colorful eggs, for example, pink, yellow, blue, and gold. The eggs were hidden in thick growth of tree, under the steps, on window frames, and even inside of the RA’s car! I found 15 eggs! It was really fun and exciting.The eggs was plastic fake eggs, so we could open them. There were many kinds of candies and chocolates in the eggs. It thought it was a great tradition in Easter. After that, we experienced many merry activities. We played volleyball, basketball and catch ball. We danced and had coordinated group gymnastics! The weather was amazingly sunny, so it was very comfortable. We were very playful like little girls. These experiences were full of laughing and smiling.

My first time celebrating Easter was a great memory for me. I thought we became better friends. Thank you to our RA and RA’s friends.

Wonderful homestay!

2011-04-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

I had a delightful time during homestay for 3 days. I was looking forward to spending time with my host family, so I was very excited. There are 4 people in my host family, a father, a mother and 2 children. The father is gentle, the mother is kind and cheerful, and the children are extremely pretty! One was a 3-year-old girl and the other was a 1-year-old boy. I was very glad to see them. I enjoyed three special days with them.

The first day, I had a lovely time with my host family. My host mother and sister came to meet me and my friends by car, and I got on the car with my 2 friends. When we arrived at our host family's house, we met our host father and brother, and we introduced ourselves to each other. After that, we talked with host sister, and we enjoyed painting a picture of a butterfly. She likes butterflies and is good at painting. Then we ate dinner. The menu was pizza and salad. I had pizza because I requested it during host family match up at Commons. The pizza had chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, cheese on the dough. The pizza was very big! I had never seen such a big pizza, so I was astonished, but I ate 4 pieces of pizza because it was very tasty. After eating, we watched a basketball game on TV with our host family. My host father likes basketball. In the evening, we took a shower by turns and went to bed. It was a great day for me.

My pretty host brother

The second day, I was delighted to go out to different places. After waking up at 8:30 am and eating our breakfast of bread, cornflakes and yogurt, we went to the Valley Mall with our host mother, sister and brother by their car. We enjoyed shopping. I went to Forever 21, and I bought some clothes there. My host mother bought 2 stuffed toy dogs and a monkey for her children. Next, we went to Target. I have never been to there, so it was my first time to go there. I bought a jewelry box and some snacks. A next place to visit was Down Town, but we returned to the house first, and we cooked Mexican food with our host family. We prepared a taco bar, and the tacos was very tasty. I had four extra helpings. After that, we went to a cafe with our host mother and my American Studies teacher. I drank a cup of mocha. It was delicious! We enjoyed talking and drinking. Then, we went to down town to attend a symphony concert. When I listened to it, I felt comfortable. It was very nice. After the concert, we went back to the house. My host mother showed us a beautiful brilliant view on the way. It was moving sight, so I was impressed. It was a wonderful day.

Cute children

The third day, I also had a splendid time with them. We woke up early, and ate breakfast. After eating, our host sister started performing a fashion show. She was very very cute. It was a heartwarming scene for me. She changed her dresses about 5 times, a red dress, a striped dress, a Disney princess dress and so on. I thought she was fashionable. She is only 3 years old!! After that, we cooked many cookies with my host mother. We could make delicious cookies. Then, we ate lunch, corn bread and soup. Those were very yummy! I had a marvelous time with them.

When I said good-bye to our host family, I felt sad. I had a stunning time with them. It became a unforgettable experience for me. I was very happy to see them, and I want to go their house again!

Fantastic Seattle Trip

2011-04-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Super 1st Starbucks

All of students were very excited about the Seattle trip last Friday to Sunday.

First day, I had very fun time. We woke up early to get ready. Then we rode on the bus and went to the Columbia River. The Columbia River was very very nice. It was around nature that made me feel good, so I love that place. Next we went to Safeco Field. I took a lot of pictures. Safeco Field was wonderful. It was like a dream for me. If I were a boy, I'd enjoy playing baseball there. Next we walked through the University of Washington which was fabulous. Then we had dinner and shopping time and I bought some American Eagle's short pants. After shopping we returned to the bus and went to the Bellevue Marriott Hotel. It was very beautiful and wonderful. We arrived at the hotel soon we went to hotel pool. It was very exciting for me because, I love to swim. We had an enjoyable time there. Friday was busy day but it was a lot of fun.

Gorgeous cruise

The second day, I also had a superb day. We ate very delicious hotel breakfast which had my favorite muffins. The muffins had a blueberry taste which was really good. After breakfast we went to the Washington State History Museum and Olympia. I saw State capital that was very beautiful . In after noon I went to 1st starbucks. It was my first time to visit that place which made me happy. They were many people there who were cheering and it was wonderful place, so it became my favorite place. Next we enjoyed a dinner cruise aboard the Argosy. The cruise dinner was very yummy. The view was very very gorgeous from the ship. The view of outside was more gorgeous. I had nice time on the Argosy. I will not forget this view forever. Saturday was very wonderful too.

Finally, my last day so enjoyable. After we left hotel in the morning, we went to the Space Needle. It was nice and sunny, so the view was very beautiful from the top of Space Needle. We ate very very delicious brunch, all of the food was my favorite food. Eating brunch and seeing the beautiful view made me very happy.

This trip made me very very happy and I will never forget forever these memories.

Wonderful Easter

2011-04-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

I had some awesome experiences on Easter. Easter day is not celebrated by most Japanese, so I didn't know about it. I think that this day was a great opportunity for me to learn about Easter. There were three marvelous things on my Easter day.

Delicious cookies

First, I had a sweet movie time with some of my group and RA. Four member of my group had homestay, so the rest of them, my RA and I, watched "Beauty and the Beast" while eating snacks in the basement of our dormitory. It was a lovely and moving story, so I was moved to tears a little. Other members were, too. I was surprised at my friend, because she was moved to tears too much and mucus was running from her nose, but she was eating snacks. I thought she was interesting. The best part was that the beast changed to a mild-mannered man with a tender heart from a selfish and strict man. I have watched it about 5 times before. I try to watch it again and again, but it is splendid for me. I like this story very much. I wish I were in love such as this story. This story had a happy ending, so we also felt happy.

Second, I had a stunning cooking time with some of my group members and RA. We made a lot of chocolate tip cookies. I was surprised at 2 things. One is that we put white sugar and brown sugar in the cookies. In japan, we don't put brown sugar in the cookies. I don't know why Americans put two kinds of sugar into cookies. Another is that we didn't need to spread dough. We only put some dough like a small ball on a steel plate. When the cookies were baked, those spread and changed form from thick to thin. It was interesting for me and different from how Japanese make them. After making them, we ate the cookies. It was appetizing, so I ate a lot of cookies. I thought I overate, but I like chocolate tip cookies very much, so I was happy to eat those. Our cooking was very fun for me, and I enjoyed cooking with my friends.

Colorful Easter eggs

Third, I experienced a delightful thing on Easter day. When some of my group members came back to our dormitory, one of them put a egg on the top of my head, and crashed this egg. The egg was broken and confetti of many colors appeared. I didn't understand what happened, but other members were laughing too much, so I was surprised. Then she said to me "Happy Easter~!" She made the eggs at her homestay. We got the eggs from her, and then we started an egg fight. I put and crashed the eggs on some friends and my RA, and them, too. We enjoyed this very much for about 30 minutes. I thought Easter is very funny and Americans, too. It was an irreplaceable time. After that we cleaned the floor in my dormitory, because there were too many tiny colorful papers on the floor. To clean up the floor was serious, because the papers were very tiny. It was a little late at night, so we couldn't use a vacuum-cleaner. I was very tired, but I enjoyed playing like a child with them.

I had a superb time. I enjoyed watching the movie, making cookies and the egg fight on Ester day, and I like those experiences very much. If I have an opportunity, I want to enjoy Easter again. Those experiences became an unforgettable memory for me.

Special high school guests

2011-04-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Wonderful smiles

I had a wonderful time on April 19. Many high school students came to MFWI from different schools in Spokane. Twelve students came to my Conversation class. We enjoyed three activities together.

First, we enjoyed introducing in ourselves. My teacher said “please say your name and favorite ice cream flavor”. When I heard that I called to mind only three flavors which are Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, but these high school students said a lot of flavors that I don't know. I guess there are more ice cream flavors in America than in Japan. Then we played a kind of game. We asked some questions each other to memorize our names. The question style is to ask some question to someone and write down their name if they come under that question. I talked with almost all the students, but it is difficult for me to memorize Americans name, because I'm not used to it. After this game I could remember only three names, but we enjoyed it very much. It was good game for people to remember names, except me!!!!!

Second, it was fun making some small groups and talking about many things. First person I talked to was Ronniesha. She is a very cute girl. She told me about her family, school life and so on. The most surprising thing is that she go to school by car. This is impossible in Japan, because almost all Japanese school prohibit students from commuting to school by car. We always go to school by train or bus. I noticed more differences between American and Japanese school when I talked with her. Students in Japanese high schools always wear their own uniform, but Americans don't. The another difference is the students can choose PE class or not. Usually we have to take PE class in Japan. It was very absorbing for me to hear her talking, because I could learn many things I didn't know.

Third, we appreciated eating lunch with them. Lunch was Yakisoba which is a kind of Japanese noodle dish and green tea ice cream. All of the students had never eaten them before, but they liked them. There was a surprising things again. Some of students could use chopsticks!!!! It was astonishing to me very much. I asked them why they can you use chopsticks. One of them answered “because I am Asian.” I felt there are many different people in America again. After we ate lunch, we talked about cellphones. Almost all of them pay their mobile bill themselves. I was impressed that about it, because most Japanese high school students don't pay their mobile bill themselves. I was so happy, because I could learn many things during lunch time.

These experiences became a wonderful memory for me. I had brilliant time and it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn American cultures. I want to see them again!!!!!!!!

Great Easter Day

2011-04-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Cute Easter goods

Last weekend, I had a great time with my host family. My roommate and I were invited by them because it was Easter Day in America. In Japan, Easter Day isn't such a necessary event so I was looking forward to this day. I enjoyed 3 wonderful Easter activities with my host family.

On Saturday, I had a good time at Walmart. My roommate, host mother and I went there to buy some things for Easter. I was surprised that there were many types of Easter's goods when I entered the store. For example, I saw some rabbit shaped of chocolates, stuffed rabbits, toys and balloons. We bought some jellybeans, eggs and chocolates for our host daughter and host son. They looked so delicious. I felt happy to come to this store because I've never seen such great Easter goods.

Cooking special dessert

After that, we did a lot of exciting Easter activities. First, we went to my host family's house. We made tacos which is a traditional Mexican dish and ate them outside like a picnic. The taste was wonderful! I like them! In addition, it was a grateful sunny day so I felt comfortable. After eating, we prepared Easter eggs while we watched "Conan" which is famous animation movie in Japan. We painted them with a lot of colorful dye and steckers. When I was a child, I used to paint them so it brought back my memories. At night, we made "Banana Flitters" which is Italian dessert. My host mother's boyfriend is an Italian chef so he taught us how to make them. They are easy to make so I could remember the recipe. We ate them while watching "Beauty and Beast" which is one of my favorite movies. The dessert was super delicious!! I spent a special Easter eve with my host family.

Fantastic Easter egg hunting

The next day, I enjoyed an awesome Easter Day! In the morning, my roommate and host mother's boyfriend and I hid some Easter eggs in their yard. Some of the eggs were too difficult to find but others were easy to find. After hiding them, my host children started to find Easter eggs. It was competition so they tried to find them harder. The result of it was that my host son won. At around 11a.m., we went to church and listened to a message and drank some coffee. This time I could understand what he said more than before. I know that my listening skill is improved, so I was so happy. Then I went to our host grandmother's house. We made salad, ham, gratin and cookies for dinner. While waiting for dinner to finish, we played a game called "Apples to Apples". It's good game to learn English words so I enjoyed it. After this, we ate a dinner. It was so delicious especially the cookies. I enjoyed splendid Easter Day.
These event became good memories that will last me a lifetime. I really enjoyed these days because I spoke with my host family, learned about American Easter history and spent time with them. I like Easter Day!

Amazing Homestay!

2011-04-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Easter eggs in the garden

From April 22 to 24, I had a really special time at Easter with my host family, my roommate Mayo, and my housemate Natsuko and Mayu. This was my second time to stay their house. I was absolutely excited because I have never celebrated Easter day. I really looked forward to these three special days!

On Friday, I spent a wonderful time. My host mother, Susie picked us up after class at 5 pm. First, we went to gym. I enjoyed swimming pool, taking a Jacuzzi bath and sauna with them. Especially, I really enjoyed swimming because I haven't swum for a long time. Then, when I took a sauna, I talked with a woman who I met here. Surprisingly, she used to work at MFWI and come to Osaka to study Japanese. She talked a lot about her experience, which is very interesting for me. I had a really good time to talk with her. After that, I went back to their house and I cooked many kinds of dishes such as baked potatoes, scrambled eggs and hot dogs. Moreover, my host mother made a Mexican dish. It was really nice! We had a great dinner time with them. My host family already hosts two exchange students. They are the same age as us. One of them is Calvin from China. He goes to SFCC and he can speak English very well like an American. The other is Nic from Hong Kong. He goes to SCC to study business. He also can speak English well. We talked with him about many topics in English the whole time. He likes Japan, so he had been to Japan many times and he knows many Japanese famous people, so we talked about it excitedly. I enjoyed talking with him. It was also a really good opportunity to improve my English skill. I had wonderful time on this day.

My funny friends and host mom!

On Saturday, I also enjoyed doing a lot of thigs. First, we went to the discount clothes shop ROSS. This shop sells many kinds of goods at a low price. I bought a really cute pair of beach sandals and some daily necessities. After that we went downtown to have a lunch at Japanese restaurant Sushi.com. We ordered some sushi, tempura donburi, nabeyaki udon and yakitori. Needless to say, these were very yummy. I also enjoyed shopping downtown. I bought some cosmetics for my mother and some body cream for myself. Then my host mother took us to Asian market. There are many Asian food such as Korean, Chinese, and of course Japanese! I didn't mean to spend as much money as I did, but I bought many kinds of Japanese food. Then we came back to the house and we prepare for Easter. We made many Easter eggs by dying many eggs colorfully and decorated a garden with them and an Easter bunny doll. They looked so cute. I also made some baskets for their neighbor children. This day was kind of busy, but I obviously had a awesome day!

On Easter Sunday, we surely enjoyed the last day. In the morning, we went to two churches with neighbor children to celebrate Easter. The first one is very small but many people came there. I sang many songs with many people. The other is very big church. I also sang many songs there, watched a kind of drama comedies and I heard stories about Easter by a minister. The stories are very difficult for me, so It was hard to understand fully. Then, we had a special lunch for Easter at the house. I ate ham, potato salad, fruit salad, marshmallows and eggs. It was certainly very good. After that, we enjoyed card game called speed. We have the same game in Japan, so I could play well. I also enjoyed watching other people playing. I especially laughed at the battle between Susie and Nic. It was very funny. I had a really good time on my first Easter.

I had a really precious opportunity and enjoyed many things, especially Easter with many people just in three days. These days became definitely wonderful memory for me.

Pleasurable Homestay

2011-04-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I had a superb time from April 15 to 17. This was my third home stay. I was looking forward to seeing my host family. My host family was also looking forward to seeing us. There were three enjoyable things especially pleasant to me.

Yui, Kerrie, Sakiko, Ami and me in the bowling alley

First, I treasured tremendous bowling on April 15 with my host family. We went to bowling because that day was their niece's birthday. She warmly welcomed us. Her name is Jeina. She is 28 years old. She is very beautiful and kind. There were many people at the party. I ate ice-cream cake for the first time. It was delicious. I enjoyed bowling and I was very excited. My host mother, Kerrie bowls well. She scored 135 on the game so she was the top of our group. My score was 128. It was second of our group. My friend surprised us because she slipped on the lane. She had a moment of floating in the air. She amused us. During next her turn, she was careful to prevent slippage. I thought American bowling alleys are different from Japanese because there are casinos and black lights which made balls shine. A Japanese bowling alley is brighter and noisier than an American. I felt there was great atmosphere. Bowling with my host family was a joyful experience for me.

Energetic Souran bushi

Second, I watched a amazing performance at River Park Square. Japan Week started on April 16. My friends danced for Japan Week so I went to watch them. Their dances were Souranbushi and Yosakoi. They are traditional dance in Japan. Souran bushi was powerful and stunning. Yosakoi was lovable and energetic. My friends were wearing yukatas so they were different from usual and so cute. I saw a child imitate their dance. Their dance moved me because I realized that they practiced hard. I also watched some traditional Japanese drumming. It was called taiko. It was vigorous. I saw a Commons staff who played the drum. He was very cool. Somebody gave us maracas from the player so we shook them with rhythm of the drum. Children danced in the center of the circle. They were pretty. My host family were very pleased about their performance so I was full of happiness.

Third, I enjoyed delightful hiking with my host family. This day was warm and sunny so it was the ideal weather for hiking. We went near the Spokane River which is very huge. It was awesome sight. I heard that this place is famous hiking spot. I saw many people of all ages and some people were cycling. I spent two hours hiking. The hiking was little hard work for me but it was good exercises. My host father and mother have very excellent relationship. When Kerrie said that she wanted a stick, my host father, Bruce found a good branch and made a stick right away. He also made it for us. If I get married, I will chose a man like Bruce. He is very tender and funny. He often dose dangerous things. He was going to cliffs and he was near the river. These are a little dangerous but his face kindled like a child when he is doing such things. During our return, we were running for Bloomsday practice. It was very hard. I was glad to go hiking with my host family and my friends in nature.

I am grateful to do these marvelous things with my host family. I am looking forward to meeting them again.

Awesome Homestay

2011-04-26T23:15:00.001-07:00

My funny host son

I had a special time on March 25th to 27th. Before I visited my host family's house, I met them first at Commons on March 14th. When I was waiting for them, I was very nervous. Then, they came Commons. We exchanged greeting each other, and introduced myself. They have a son. His name is Cameron and he is 5years old. So cute!! We planed what to do, and enjoyed talking. For example, hobby, favorite food, and my dream We talked about 40 minutes and said good-bye. I couldn't wait to meet them again.

I enjoyed the first day very much. We met at 6:30 pm in front of our dorm and went to eat pizza with our host family. I ate a cheese pizza and a barbecue chicken pizza. They were very delicious. After that, we went to their house. The house was very big! There is a theater room. The room has big speakers and they have good sound quality. I was very surprised. Also, the kitchen was very nice! My host mother loves cooking so she has many seasonings. After we explored the house, Manami and I gave them some small gifts. They were rice cake, chopsticks, origami, and paper balls. We played paper balls it was very exiting! After that, we played Xbox with the family. It was the first time for me and exciting, too. I had a nice experience in that day.

My wonderful host family

The next day was also fun. We went to Northtown Mall in the afternoon with whole family. They bought a chameleon. It was very scary for me. His name is Kofuna. They love him so they always took picture of him. In the evening, we ate dinner in house, it was a chicken. Ittasted like Japanese food so I loved it. Then we watched Avatar. So fun! After that, we went to bed. I was very tired so I soon fell asleep. This day was very delightful for me.

I enjoyed the final day, too. We went to gym with my host mother and Cameron and played basketball with them. It was very interesting. After that, we went home and enjoyed talking while host mother cooked dinner. She made hamburgers. The hamburgers were very yummy!! I want to eat them again. Also we took many pictures with our host family and Kofuna. We didn't have enough time because we had to go home but the last day was precious day for me.

When we arrived at my dormitory, I was very sad because the three days were very priceless for me and one of my best memories. We can visit again in May, so I can't wait to visit them.

Satisfying Easter

2011-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Easter Eggs

I went to my host family's house on April 23 and 24. This was my second time, so I really looked forward to going there. April 24 was Easter, so we had an interesting homestay.

I heard about the interesting story of Easter from my host family on Saturday. Easter means revival of Jesus Christ. He died on Friday, but he rose from the dead on Sunday. My high school was Catholic, so I learned this before, but I never celebrated the day in Japan. My host mother said "Christian go to church on Easter. Also, we usually go there. I used to be a Catholic. Catholic have to spend more time in church than Protestant. I was tired of going to church, so I decided not to go there." I was surprised about this. I thought all Christians has strong conviction, but if I were my host mother, I would feel the same. Anyway, I was glad to learn about Easter.

My host family and I prepared 2 fabulous Easter foods the day before. First, we made boiled eggs. Then we painted them. My host mother bought an egg coloring kit. We poured some color tablets, water and vinegar into cups. Then, we could make colored water. After that, we put an egg in the cup. Finally, we could make a lot of colored eggs into cups. These color were red, blue, green, yellow, orange and purple. Also, we drew pictures on these eggs. It was exciting! After that, we made many Easter cookies. We made the shape of baby birds, baby rabbits and lambs. Of course, they were tasty. Cookies were soft and sweet. I enjoyed a lot of fun things today.

Exciting Easter egg hunting

I had a splendid time on Sunday. When I got up, there were 2 carrots on the table. These were a half eaten. Then my host mother said "Look at this. Maybe some rabbit came to our house!" The words "Thank you" were written on the carrots. It was funny. It looked like Christmas day. After that, my roommate, host sister and I went egg hunting. These were not the egg which we made yesterday. When we found and opened some egg, some candy was inside. I found 5 eggs. As you can see, I enjoyed very much this day.

My first Easter was wonderful. I like this holiday. I want to do these things in Japan.

Marvelous homestay

2011-04-26T16:32:00.001-07:00

I had a splendid time on my homestay from Friday to Sunday. Everything was so exciting, but I enjoyed three most superb experiences.

Enjoying Karaoke

The first one was enjoying karaoke and dancing with host mom’s friends at midnight, and it was fantastic. They came from near Coeur d'Alene which took a long hour. I was astonished because I didn’t think the karaoke was popular in the United States before I came here. The machine’s quality was so good. One of my mom’s friends, her name is Candy, was really good at singing and her voice was amazing. She sounded like a professional singer. We sang a Lady Gaga song, a Beatles song, an Avril Lavigne song and so on. During the singing, we were dancing and talking a lot of time. I really enjoyed this experience.

Secondly, we cooked some Japanese foods and this time was also incredible. We cooked two kinds of Japanese foods. One was nikujyaga and it looks like American stew. Another is sushi and the ingredients were tuna, eggs, cucumbers and avocados. After cooking, we ate dinner with our host family’s new friends. They said to us the sushi’s taste was different in the US but delicious. After that we made two kinds of desserts called shiratama-mochi and abekawa-mochi. These were different kinds of rice cake and it was easy to make them. We enjoyed cooking and eating on Saturday.

Exciting Easter egg hunting

Finally, we enjoyed Easter egg hunting with our host mom’s friend, Kiara and it was a delighted me. My host papa hid 74 eggs and 2 of them were golden eggs. If we found the golden eggs, they would give us some prizes. My friends and I searched seriously for 1 hour. After that we counted eggs. I found 23 eggs and one golden egg. At first I didn’t realize that it was a golden egg, but Kiara told me so I realized. Another golden egg was found by Risa. After counting our eggs, mom gave us some tea and it was really nice. It was my first time to do egg hunting but I was really excited about it. I wanted to do it one more time.

I had a really valuable and fabulous time with my host family. I thought our host family was number one all over the world. I love them so much.

Amazing Trip

2011-04-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed by Seattle trip from March 11 to 13. They were fabulous. There are three delightful things that were especially pleasurable to me.

Joyful Safeco Field

First of all, the most joyful thing for me was shopping. On Friday, I went to Safeco Field. It is the home of the Seattle Mariner's Baseball team. Ichiro Suzuki is member of the Seattle Mariners. I liked the shopping at the souvenir shop at the stadium. My father likes Mariners very much and my mother likes Ichiro. I bought a Mariners T-shirt for my father, a Mariners sweat shirt for my sister and a T-shirt of Ichiro's uniform for my mother. I'm looking forward to giving souvenirs to my family. On Saturday, I went to the original Starbucks store at Pike Place Market. It was very crowded with a lot of students so I had a difficult time buying two tumblers. One of tumblers is for my best friend and the other is for me. I'm going to use it at MFWI. Then I went to Pike Place Market which is vibrant. There are a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, crafts and various goods. It looks like Japanese ichiba which is a market. Also, there were a lot of people. I saw many street performers. For example, a man sung his original songs, a man composed poems and a man did balloon art. Next I went to downtown Seattle. I had three hours for shopping there so I run from the shop to shop. I bought a lot of clothes, shoes, accessories and more. My favorite item is a iPhone cover made by Marc by Marc Jacobs. I will cherish it. I was full of happiness to enjoyable shopping in Seattle.

Second, eating was very satisfied to me. On Friday night, in the University District, I ate yakiudon which is a kind of Japanese food. It was great. On Saturday, I ate breakfast in the hotel. The muffins were delicious. I wanted to bring these back to Spokane. At the noon, I had a box lunch on the bus. It was sandwich with avocado, ham and cheese. I liked it. At that night, I dressed up with my friends and I enjoyed dinner while cruising on one of the Argosy ships. It was very gorgeous. The meal was bread, salmon, beef, salad, fruit and cake. I especially liked bread which was marvelous. The beautiful night view of Seattle was splendid. When I walked around on the deck, it was windy and cold. On Sunday, I went to Space Needle to eat brunch. I was looking forward to going there because I heard in American studies class that it is symbol of Seattle. It was buffet style and they had a lot of fruit, bread, potatoes, eggs and sausage. Everything tasted wonderfully. Also the view of Seattle area was excellent but this day was cloudy. I want to see the view of sunny day. Then I bought some post cards. I'm going to send a letter to my family. I was fortune that I ate delicious food in Seattle.

Beautiful Chihuly Bridge of Glass

Third, a particular thing for me was going to historical places. On Friday, I went to the Burke Museum which is located on the magnificent campus of the University of Washington. The museum guide ushered us. Her name is Hildegord Hendrickson. She is a German but her English is very nice. I listened to her information well. There was collection of Native American arts. I could learn about natural history and culture of America. On Saturday, I visited the Washington State History Museum and the Chihuly Bridge of Glass. Washington State History Museum was interesting to me. I learned a lot of things. Chihuly Bridge of Glass was fantastic. I had never seen such a thing. Next I visited Olympia. It is the state capitol. There are a lot of awesome chandeliers which were designed by Tiffany. One of the chandeliers has 202 light bulbs. I was very surprised. On Sunday, I went to Klondike Gold Rush Museum. Gold hunters were called prospectors. I collected stamps about gold rush. These museums were easy to understand because I studied these things in American studies class before the Seattle trip. My favorite place is the Capitol Building. I saw the office of the Governor which we usually cannot see. I learned many awesome things about there.

I had an enjoyable time in Seattle and it will be my superb memory.

My Sweet Home Stay

2011-04-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had a great time with my host family from March 4th to 6th. I really enjoyed spending with them.

Delicious pizza

Friday was an exciting day. They promised to pick us up at 5:30 p.m. in front of our dorm, but my host family didn't come at all. We got nervous. At about 6:10 p.m., our group adviser came running to our dorm and she told us "Your host family can't come to this campus because their garage door broke down and they can't get their car out of the garage. When the garage door is fixed, she will call my cellphone and I'll call you. Please wait in your dorm. Sorry." We went back inside of our dorm and talked with our RA for about 40 minutes in a restive mood. At around 7:00 p.m., our host mother finally came to pick up us. I and my roommate felt relieved. At first, we drove to Papa John's Pizza and we bought 2 yummy-looking pizzas. American pizza is bigger than Japanese pizza. I have never seen such a big and thick pizza. Then we went to my host family's house. On arrival, my host daughter and brother came and suddenly banged up against us. They are powerful children. In contrast to them, their cat and dog are peaceful. My host mother showed us our room and the bathroom. Next, we baked the pizza in the oven and ate it with my host family and my host mother's boyfriend while we were watching her favorite movie. After finishing the movie, I went to bed. I felt I could make a good memory during my first day of home stay.

Great omlet and coffee

On the next day, we had great experiences. In the morning I and my roommate were woken up by some noise. The noise was footsteps of our host children. They were running around on the second-floor since morning. They are really powerful kids! After we were ready to go, we went to Huckleberry's Natural Market to eat brunch. There are a lot of healthy foods in this store. My host mother recommended that I try an omelet so I ordered one. We could choose all ingredients, and chef made it in front of us. It was very absorbing for me. Of course, the omelet taste was wonderful. After eating, we went for a hike around Spokane River with the family's dog. The view from top of the rock was very beautiful and I was impressed because there were a lot of huge rocks and the river ran through the valley and the sun was shining. We went to another spot near the river and walked in the forest. My host mother likes this place because not many people are there and the view is wonderful. If she has a time, she always comes and feels relax. Today I paused to realize that Spokane has a lot of nature. When we went back to the house, my host brother's cat had ran away from the house! My host mother said that it had never went out from house before, but their garage door was damaged so it could run away. We looked for it all over the place for about 40 minutes, but we couldn't find out. When we were about ready to give up, my roommate shouted,"Come on!" She found the cat which stuck in the tree because it couldn't get off the tree!!! We were very happy that the cat came home! In the evening, we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory to eat dinner. I ate delicious lasagna. The restaurant atmosphere was very luxurious so I enjoyed the mood. After dinner, we went to a high hill to see the right view. We could see all of the Spokane and beautiful scenery. At 10 p.m., we came back home. On this day, I enjoyed a lot of precious experiences.

My Awesome host family

On Sunday, I had a grand final home stay day with many people. We went to church. I thought that every church is a very stately place. However the church I went to was not stately. Audience laughed at the words which the minister said while they were eating somethings, and musician played musical instrument very livery. I was very surprised!! I could enjoyed the time because the music was very artistic. After that, we went to another host family's house. Some of my group members were there. We enjoyed playing an American card-game, we enjoyed ate delicious pizza and roasted marshmallows on a stick. At 7 p.m., we came back to MFWI. Today I knew a lot of interesting American culture.

I had a great time with them. I love my host family so much. I'm looking forward to meeting them on Easter and during my host brother's birthday!

Valuable Experience

2011-04-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

My Interesting Group

I had a wonderful tume in Seattle last weekend. The most interesting thing for me was sightseeing. I went to many museums and famous places.

First, I went to a famous baseball stadium and enjoyed there. It is a Safeco Field and the Seattle Mariners' home stadium. Ichiro belongs to the team. He is a terrific baseball player. When I was a child, he had played at a baseball stadium near my house in Kobe. I have liked him since then. I shook hands with him when I watched his game in the stadium, so I wanted to watch a live game and talk with him again. Though I couldn't do that, I was very happy because I could enter the field, and sit down on the Ichiro's bench. I think it was a very valuable experience. I want to meet him someday.

Secondly, I went to Space Needle and saw a nice view. This Space Needle is a symbol of the Seattle and very high. It looked like Tokyo Tower. I ate brunch there. It was very delicious so I had a second serving. Before I went to the top of the tower in a elevator, I went to souvenir shop. I bought souvenirs for my friends and my RA there. After that, I went to the top of tower. I'm a little afraid of heights but the view was very nice. I'm sorry it was a rainy day. Too bad!! I heard that the night view is super nice, so I want to visit there at night someday. It is a one of my dreams.

Finally, I went to the first Starbucks shop. It is the first Starbucks store in the world. I love coffee shops, so I go to Starbucks twice a week in Japan. The coffees they serve are very delicious. I couldn't wait to visit there in Seattle. When I first saw the shop, I was very excited. I bought two mugs there. They are limited edition mugs. I was very happy to buy them. In front of the shop, two men sang songs. It was very fun to watch them and they played nice music. The street was a bustling. I liked the atmosphere. I was very glad to visit there.

For these reasons, I had a wonderful time in Seattle. I want to tell my friends about that, and want to visit Seattle again.

Joyful MFWI classes

2011-04-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

My study friends :)

I have lived a fulfilling life everyday since I arrived at MFWI. I really worry whether I can keep up with the classes, but every class is very interesting and definitely valuable. I have had a lot of great experiences in just six weeks. I would like to introduce some of my wonderful classes!

First of all, my conversation class is very exciting. I'm really blessed with good classmates and the cutest teacher, Barbara. I can learn how to express in English what I want to say in this class. It is also very interesting to discuss many kinds of things with my classmates. Recently, I really tried hard to make a presentation with a partner. But the class activities are very positive for me to increase my confidence in speaking English naturally. Secondly, I will tell about my interesting reading class. I want to read extensively and intensively for my TOEIC test. I always read a lot of books and discuss the story with my classmates. My teacher, Winnie, is kind but sometimes strict, so I sometimes feel rather tense. Her explanation is very clear to understand. This class goads on me to study harder. Third, my writing class is also very exciting! There are many breakthrough activities. Free writing is the appropriate way to improve my English writing skill. My favorite activity is writing blogs. My teacher, Ron is a really interesting person. He always teaches us using computer and he often talks about new computer technology. I would like to know about it more because I think such information would help me with many things in the future.

Exciting elementary school!

In addition, in every class, we have many opportunities to go off campus to experience different things. First, I went to an elementary school to meet my pen pal in writing class. When I met my two pen pals, I talked about American things and I taught them a lot of Japanese things, for example, how to make Origami, popular songs, traditional culture and so on. I had a really good time with them, but I felt it was very difficult to learn about different culture. Second, in conversation class, I went to Restaurant downtown. Surely, this was a study opportunity for improving conversation skill and not just for pleasure. I was obviously satisfied with the wonderful food. Of course, I also had to observe the decorations and mood, the food and drink, and the server. The most important things I learned was how much and how to pay the tip. It is new culture for me, so I was a little confused. After that, I introduced the restaurant which I went to my classmates. It was wonderful good experience for me. Third, I enjoyed going to a lot of landmark building and museum on my Seattle trip. I really looked forward to seeing these buildings when I studied American culture. I realized that it is very hard for me to listen to the history by a native English speaker because it is also difficult to understand it even in Japanese! I would like to examine it more because I really fascinated with American culture and history.

All of my classes are absolutely wonderful. I don't want to waste my MFWI life for the remaining days. This might be a hard problem to solve by myself, but I have a confidence to pull it off because I'm surrounded with my precious friends and teachers. I want to help and respect each other everyday!

Wonderful Seattle trip

2011-04-06T22:03:00.001-07:00

I had a delightful time on my Seattle trip. We spent three days in Seattle, and they were marvelous.

Amazing Safco Field

Friday was an exciting day. First we went to the Columbia River. It was magnificent and beautiful. I had never seen such a huge river. We enjoyed taking pictures. Next we went to Safeco Field.Our guide was funny and good at explaining, so we could learn a lot about that place. In the stadium, we went to many places, for example, the waiting room, the bench and the baseball field. I was very surprised, because the distance from the audience to the stadium was short. In Japan, it is further from the audience to the stadium. After that, we bought many Seattle Mariners goods at the team store. After lunch, we went to the Klondike Gold Rush Museum. I learned that to find gold was very difficult and very young age people came to Canada’s Yukon River valley to search gold. In the afternoon, we went to the University of Washington. It is a very beautiful university and it looks like one of the parts of Europe. We saw the library from outside. It was amazing. I could feel the history. After that we entered the library and it was also great, for example, many kinds of books and beautiful pillars. People looked very smart. Next we went downtown Seattle, and we ate dinner. There were many Hangul Alphabets letters in the restaurant, so I was surprised. I thought this area downtown was popular for Koreans. After dinner, we went to our Hotel. The hotel was beautiful, large and this hotel had a gym and a pool. My friends and I went to our room. I thought I was lucky person, because bath tub in my room was a jacuzzi. My friends and I change their clothes and we went to the gym. We enjoyed running. After that, we took a bath and took a rest. I really enjoyed Friday of my Seattle trip.

Fantastic Chihulu's Bridge of Glass

Saturday was the most exciting day on my Seattle trip. First we ate a superb breakfast. This is the best breakfast during my stay in America. I ate many kinds of bread. Next we went to Chihuly's Bridge of Glass. It was very nice and fabulous. I didn’t think it was made of glass, because it was too beautiful. I thought Chihuly was a skillful person. After that we went to the Washington History Museum. We saw a mummy, and learned about the history of Egypt and many American cultures. My favorite place was Frontier Towns & Railroad, because there were many figures about history there. I wanted to see many exhibitions but I couldn’t because our busy schedules. After this, we went to the Washington State Capital. There were many nice color buildings. When we entered the main building, I saw a beautiful shiny chandelier. I was fascinated by the chandelier. We listen to an explanation about this place from a guide.

Heavenly Full moon

After the explaining, we looked around the rooms. One of the rooms had many kinds of marble from the Alaska. Another room had a beautiful grand piano. My friends played a graduation song on the piano. Then we sang a song together. It was a clear tone and marvelous harmony. After leaving the room, we saw a statue of George Washington’s head. Everyone touched his nose, because touching his nose means “good luck”, so of course I touched it. In the afternoon, we went to Pike Place Market. We watched a man throw a fish. I was very excited, because I had never seen such a spectacle. We enjoyed watching that with my friends. Next we went to the first Starbucks Coffee shop. There was already a long line of the customers out side of the shop. One third of the people were for MFWI students, because Starbucks's staff took their pictures. I bought six tumbles and a card at this shop. After finishing, we went downtown. Then my friends and I had one problem. It was we couldn’t find a bath room downtown. We tried to find one and we asked two women, but we couldn’t find one. We tried to search hard. Then a man told us where the bath room was. Another man pointed to a place. At last we found the bath room. I thought American men were kinder than American women. After that accident, we enjoyed shopping. I bought clothes at H&M. This place was one of my favorite shopping places. Finally we enjoyed dinner cruise and we saw an especially beautiful view. We enjoyed an appetizing dinner.After dinner we went on the deck of the boat. It was terrific, because we could see a night view and a full moon which was very close to us. It was like a million dollar view. We enjoyed our cruising time. After that we went back to our hotel. I had valuable experiences on this day.

Beautiful scenery

On Sunday, we were favored with fine weather, so we could have a fantastic time. First we went to the Space Needle. It is one of the famous spots in Seattle. We ate brunch at this restaurant and the taste was super. After brunch we went to the top of Space Needle. That day was a nice weather, so we could see the beautiful view of the Seattle. It was a superb view. I used a telescope, so I could see everywhere around Seattle, for example, Mt. Rainier, the cascade mountain and ferries on Elliot Bay. After watching the view, we went to Space Needle gift shop. There were many kinds of gifts. I bought some postcards and our group bought some souvenirs for our RA. Then we went to the Burke Museum. There were many culture objects from many countries. The most of objects were about Native Americans. We could learn about Native American life and cultures. There were many kinds of colorful masks, and each mask had a lot of meanings. I wanted to go there one more time. Finally we rode on the bus for 5 hours, and came back to our home.

This Seattle trip absolutely fascinated me. Thank you to everyone during my stay in Seattle.

Startling Different Restaurant

2011-04-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

Looks fine on the outside

Last week, I was astonished by the various differences between American and Japanese restaurants. Some of my group members and I went to Rock City Grill, which is an American Italian restaurant, to learn about American restaurant in Conversation class. First, we had to wait until the waiter came to our table to decide what we wanted to order. In this case in Japan, we always call the waiter, but it is rude in America. I felt it was a long time until waiters come to our table and I wanted them to come sooner, because I am used to Japanese restaurant. I thought Japanese, of course including me, are impatient. This is one thing difference between restaurants in the USA and Japan.

The second surprising difference is the meal. I could choose light and normal size. I ordered light size, but the meal I was served was too big. Maybe that size is large in Japan. I thought I could not eat all the meal, but there are extremely useful things in American restaurants. One is a doggie bag!!! A doggie bag is for taking out the leftover food we do not eat. We do not have such a custom in Japan. If you ask the waiter to wrap the meals, they would do it. We can take out like this. It is an excellent custom in America, because we can reduce garbage. I like this custom. I want Japan to incorporate this custom in Japanese restaurants.

A third difference is payment. It was in troublesome for me at the restaurant in downtown Spoken, because how to pay is entirely different than Japan. The common payment style in America is putting the payment on our table, and waiters come to get it. We don't have to pay at a cash register like we do at Japanese restaurants. We also have to pay tips in America. We do not have this custom in Japan. Generally, we pay 10~15% of the total prices. If you like your waiter attitude, you could pay more. I felt American don' t care very much about small change, because most of them pay by credit card.

Through this experience I could learn plentiful differences between American restaurants and Japanese restaurants. Now I can eat meals at the restaurant without difficulty.

Superb Seattle Trip

2011-04-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Huge Space Needle

I enjoyed the Seattle trip from March 18 to 20. I studied about Seattle before the trip, so I was looking forward to going there.

The first day was very exciting. I got up at 5 a.m. on the day. I always get up at about 7 a.m, so I felt sleepy at first. We left MFWI at 7 a.m. I arrived at the Colombia River for a first stop. I thought it may be boring, but it was wonderful.This river is very huge. I thought how small I am against the river! I also went to the University of Washington in the afternoon. It was vast. All the buildings looked like castles. I arrived at the hotel at 6:30 p.m. It was gorgeous. There are 5 pillows on my bed. Of course, every pillow was fluffy. After a while, I took a bath. There was also nice bathroom in my room. I could save hot water in the bathtub! My friend and I took a bath for a long time. After that, I watched some TV in the room. I was surprised at American TV. One thing is they have many programs. In Japan, there are only 12 programs. I wonder about the number of programs in America. Can people remember all of them? Also, American commercials are very funny. I couldn't understand the content until the end. They are also longer than Japanese ones. I liked them. This first day was exciting to me.

It was thrilling on Saturday also! In the morning, I went to Pike Place Market. It was lively. Some people bought many foods, and other people were performing at the market. All people were cheerful. I went to the original Starbucks. The color and the Goddess's face of the original Starbucks are different from the new symbol. The old face looks real, then I was afraid of her, but I bought 5 tumblers and 2 dolls there. After that, I went shopping downtown. I bought 2 kind of clothes. When I walked downtown, I saw one Japanese man. He was doing a campaign to raise funds for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Of course, I gave him some money and I talked to him. He said "I'm studying abroad now, I am from Osaka, and my university is in Kobe." He was from the same place as me, so I really enjoyed his talk and I was proud of his activity. In the evening, I ate dinner on a cruise ship. I had never ridden on a cruise ship, so it was special experience for me! Eating dinner while the boat moved looked very strange, but I saw a beautiful view. Fortunately, I could see a "Super Moon."　We can only see it every 21 years. Today was good weather, so how lucky I was! I arrived at the hotel at 10 p.m. I was very tired, so I went to bed soon. I had a splendid time on Saturday.

My last day was fabulous. It was wonderful weather. There were no clouds, so the view from the Space Needle was marvelous! I could see mountains, sea, and buildings clearly. Brunch at the Space Needle was delicious. Every dish was great. My favorite food for the brunch was muffin. I wanted to take some out. After that, I went to Burke Museum at the University of Washington. It's my favorite place because the exhibit was really attractive. The guide's story was intelligible. I thought I want to learn more about more Native American culture and history. As you can see, my last day was impressive.

Anyway, my Seattle Trip was wonderful, but it was not enough time for me. I want to go again!

Fascinating Home Stay

2011-04-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoyable Walk

On Friday, I had been excited since the morning, because this day was home stay. In the afternoon my host father and mother came for four of us, who were together and we went to our host family's house. This house is very lovely. This was my first time to go to a house in another country except for the hotel in Seattle. We cooked pizza and salad with our host mother and we ate these. I felt these food were delicious, because we cooked by ourselves. In the evening, we went to a pool at a gym. We swam in the pool wearing a T-shirt and a short. The swimming was very exciting. We were romping around. I took a sauna too. A stranger at a pool spoke to us. He was worried about a Japanese earthquake. I was impressed. After swimming at the house we gave some Japanese souvenirs to our host mother, father and two other international students. One was from China and one was from HongKong. I was happy, because all of them was glad for these items. We had a wonderful first day.

On Saturday, we enjoyed many activities. First, we made a tasty brunch with our host mother, and ate together. After that, we took two dogs out for a walk. In the park, I played with some dogs, some children, and I talked to some people. I had a great time. In the afternoon, I went shopping to Target, Costco and Asia market. I was very tired, but it was very interesting. On ours way home from shopping, I went to John's house. He is my host mother's brother. He gave us some sweets and very delicious tea. After that we came home, and we made some Japanese dishes with our host mother for about 4 hours. I was worn out, but it was very interesting. After that, we made 4 kinds of cakes. While we were eating some cakes, we watched a movie on a big TV with our host mother and father. This movie's title is "King Kong." I felt It was very sad story, but very good story. Saturday was a great day.

On Sunday, we made a brunch with our host mother, but problem happened. We mistook how to make it. However our host mother made a cake by wrong ingredients. I thought host mother is the great person. After that, we went to church near MFWI for the first time. It was different from my expectations. I listened to music and person's story. I had good experience. In the afternoon, our host mother and father took us to our dormitory. I thought I didn't want to come home.

My home stay was very interesting. I can hardly wait for next month, because I will do home stay next month again.

Fantastic Saturday

2011-04-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

It was an awesome Saturday for me. My friend and I went downtown by bus in the morning. We went to many shops, for example, River Park Square, book stores, a cafe, a miscellaneous goods store, a cloth shop and shoe store.

First, I enjoyed shopping at River Park Square. We entered a clothes shop and found some cute cardigans. However, they were a little expensive, so I didn't buy them. Then I have wanted to buy some new shoes, so we went to a shoe store. However, there were no shoes that I wanted. I was a little shocked, but I enjoyed window shopping at all these stores.

Cute tea bags

Secondly, I had a wonderful time at a cafe. The name of the cafe was a Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie. After we finished shop ping at the mall, we left to the cafe which is next to a book store. My group members and RA recommended the cafe and then I like to go to cafes, so I was looking forward to going there. Although it was crowded, we could entered it soon. The cafe has many things that I want to eat, so I was very irresolute. Eventually I ordered a cup of tea and a some french toast. When our server brought the tea, I was surprised that there were many tea bags on a plate. They were very cute and I could choose one of them. I have never seen such a style. The french toast had a cinnamon taste. I think cinnmon taste in America is heavier than in Japan, so sometimes I don't like American cinnamon. However, this was really delicious. I was fortunate to eat tasty food. I want to go there again while I stay here.

Finally, I had a precious experience with my friends. We left the cafe and entered a musical instrument store. I have never been to such a store. There were a lot of instruments in the store, for example, guitars, keyboards, ukuleles and violins. One of my friends likes music and knows well about it, so she bought something to play her guitar. In addition, another friend bought a ukulele, even though she can't play it. It was very funny. While we looked around the store, my friend taught us a lot of things about her instruments. I'm not good at music, so it was a good lesson for me. I wish I would like to be able to play some kind of instruments.

My time downtown was a meaningful and fabulous experience for me. Finding something new was exciting. When I go there next time, I want to try something that I have never done before again.

My tremendous trip

2011-04-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Jumping in front of great Columbia river

Last weekend, I had a brilliant time during Seattle trip. We traveled there from March 11 to 13. We left MFWI at 6 o'clock, and got on the bus about five hours. I didn't feel it was a long time, because I slept in the bus until I arrived Seattle. I want to introduce three favorite places that I visited there.

I enjoyed learning about and seeing Columbia river. It is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and the fourth-largest river in the U.S. We saw it from the top of a cliff. We could overlook all around there, because there is a vast plain with no high trees in the area. I felt the sky is pretty low. It was a strange scene for me, because I can't see such scenery in Japan. I took many pictures with my friends. I could relax very much while walking along the river. I recommend visiting this place!!!

Lively Pike Place Market

My second favorite place is Pike Place Market. The Market is one of Seattle's most famous landmarks. It opened August 17, 1907. I was excited to visit here because the Market was very lively. A variety of things are sold there, for example, vegetables, fruits, clothes, accessories and flowers. The market is well-known as being strong on street performer. I could see street musicians. Their performance attracted me because they are very cheerful and good at singing. The first Starbucks Coffee shop is part of the market. MFWI students made a long line in front of the shop because everyone wanted to buy original goods which we can buy only at this shop. Inside of the shop is very fashionable. I bought three original tumblers. They are very cute. I want to go to this place again!

My third favorite place is Safeco Field. It is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. I was impressed because we could enter the baseball field that Ichiro plays. We could also experience the Ichiro's bench and the waiting room, but this waiting room is not the Mariners'. We couldn't see the Mariners' waiting room. The Guide said to us “The Mariners' waiting room is bigger and more gorgeous”. I wanted to see it soon. I was not interested in baseball, but I had a pleasant time there.

This trip became wonderful memories for me. If you haven't ever been to Seattle, you should go there. I want to go on the Seattle trip again. Next time, I hope to go shopping more!!!!!

Impressive Homestay Weekend

2011-03-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

Pretty Host Daughter

I really took pleasure in my homestay last weekend. On Saturday, It was a first time to meet our host family except Terry, my host mother, because we met her during mach-up in Commons. I saw my host sister. Her name is Gelsey. She is very pretty and polite. She is 11 years old.We had busy and fun day on Saturday. First, we went to the state of Idaho. It was very exciting because I left the state of Washington! We saw a big river, and then went into a hotel. It was gorgeous. It was too expensive for me to buy anything there. We ate Mexican food for lunch. I ordered Nachos. Many Japanese people says they don't like Mexican food, but it was tasty and different from what I had expected. After lunch, We went to the Valley Mall. It was good. There were many lovely shops there. I bought 2 kind of clothes. Then in the evening, We went to The Garland Theater. We saw "Tangled." There were 2 surprising things at the theater. First, I could see an old movie at the theater. It was only $3.50. I think there is no such a theater in Japan. Fortunately, I had never seen this movie, so it was fantastic. Another surprising thing is that many American people is laugh during the movie is showing. Japanese people always are quiet even if the movie is funny. At first, I was not comfortable with this culture, but finally, I could laugh during the movie. This day was really exciting.

I also went to a lot of fabulous places on Sunday. First, we went to Mt. Spokane in the morning. The snow had not melted yet and I saw beautiful view on top of the mountain. I also saw a herd of deer in the forest. They were cute. After that, we went downtown. I rode on the merry-go-round. I was a little embarrassed because I am 19 years old and I am almost an adult, but finally I enjoyed it like a child. It is a speedy vehicle and we can catch some ring when we ride on a horse. It is not like this in Japan. I think it is high quality. I rode it 3 times. I want to ride it again! We also went to big book store and came back to our host family's house. We ate dinner while we watching a movie. The name of it is"National Treasure." As you can see, my Sunday was very wonderful.

When I came back to my dormitory, my host mother and sister hugged me. I was very happy. These 2 days were very valuable and fun days. I want to see my host family again!

Satisfactory shopping

2011-03-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Rie and Yukie ★

I went to the enormous Valley Mall for shopping with my roommate on March 19. We were looking forward to going shopping. We took a MFWI bus, and it took 20 or 30 minute to get there. It was our first time to go shopping at Valley Mall. It was a very huge shopping mall. There were many interesting stores, for example, clothes store, shoe store, and miscellaneous goods store.

The first store we went to which was my favorite was Hollister. It was clothes store. The clothes was very cute and fashionable. The store’s atmosphere was so cool. I bought some jeans, a one-piece, and a parka. My roommate and I bought matching parkas of different colors. There was a list price which said "The dress is 50 percent off !" We thought the parka which was 50 percent off, but it was not discounted. We were very amazed. We asked the clerk, "Why is this parka is not discounted?" so the clerk answered, "The parka is not a dress. The dress is beside the parka." We were very disappointed, but we thought it was a good lesson for us. We were lucky to have a good experience.

Another store which I really enjoyed was Forever 21. I heard from my friends that Forever 21 was so good, so I was very eager to visit this store. The store was bigger than Hollister. There were many t-shirts, skirts, shoes, and shiny accessories. The goods were not organized compared with those in Japanese store, so it was a little hard to find my favorite ones. The clothes were so lovely. There were so many spring clothes. I felt spring is coming soon. I bought a pair of shorts, a white shirt, a one-piece, and a floral pattern hair band. I think most goods were inexpensive, but the tax was a little high which confused me. When I pay the bill, I was a little confused, but it was OK. It is my lesson too. We bought a favorite things which we wanted.

The store which I really wanted to go to was Crispy Cream Doughnut shop. I saw this store in Osaka, but I have never been there before. The inside of store was full of a good sweet smell. I felt very happy in an instant. I bought a plain doughnut and a chocolate shake. The doughnut was an amazingly soft and buoyant. The size of the shake was a little big for me, but it tasted great. When I eat sweet things, I feel awfully joyful.

We could stay in Vally Mall for about 3 hours, but it was not enough time. I wanted to do more window shopping. It was a good time for me. The Valley Mall is a very pleasant place. I could refresh myself. If we have an opportunity to go to Valley Mall, I would like to go shopping again there.

Marvelous Trip

2011-03-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

The original Starbucks Coffee shop

I had a wonderful time in Seattle from last Friday to Sunday. It was a busy schedule, but I really enjoyed this trip. I was especially excited about two things.

One thing that I enjoyed was visiting the original Starbucks Coffee store which is in the Pike Place Market area. On Saturday I went there and stayed about thirty minutes. I have been looking forward to going there for a long time, because I like Starbucks Coffee very much. While I was on the bus, I was bubbling with expectation. When I looked in the store, I was surprised that the shop is not so large and a lot of people had lined up both inside and outside. There were many visitors and a man who was singing songs with his guitar was in front of the store. I liked the atmosphere both inside and outside. I bought a tumbler and a teddy bear which was wearing the Starbucks Coffee uniform. They were so pretty! I was very glad to be able to visit here. If I have a chance, I want to visit there again in the future.

Another thing I enjoyed was the dinner cruise. It was a awesome time, because I could enjoy a delicious dinner and a beautiful night view. The dinner was a buffet style and there were many kind of foods, for example, breads, salad, pasta, chicken, salmon, fruit and desserts. Everything were very tasty, so I ate too much and was very full. After we finished the dinner, my friends and I went up to the deck and enjoyed really good night view of the Seattle skyline. I was worried about the weather, but we could see a beautiful scene. I thought that we were lucky to be able to look it.

This trip was a valuable experience for me and I'll never forget the time I spent in Seattle. I want to go there again.

Sensational Seattle!

2011-03-31T00:21:00.000-07:00

From March 11 to 13, I had an enriching experience on my trip to Seattle. These three days obviously became an admirable memory because this was the first time for me to visit Seattle!

My precious friends!

On the first day, there were three things that I enjoyed most. First, I saw a Columbia river on the way to Seattle. I was very amazed because I have never seen such a big, long, beautiful and mystical river. I could also see the beautiful view of Cascade Mountains. These wonderful sight healed me. After that, I visit Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariner's home. I couldn't watch the game, but I had a lot of special experience at the stadium. For example, I could go down to the field and sit on the bench which players always use. Then, I bought some Mariner's goods for my father as a souvenir because my father often watch baseball on TV. I hope he will like my souvenirs! In the afternoon, I also enjoyed visiting University of Washington. I walked through a beautiful campus which has big library famous for a fantastic system. I really wanted to study there. I was very satisfied with a lot of marvelous experiences.

On the second day, there are many interesting things too. I visited the Washington State Capitol in Olympia. I really admired a lot of beautiful buildings and furniture, especially very gorgeous Tiffany's chandelier. After that, I visited Pike Place Market. It is located on the coast, so I could feel fresh air and water. I really want to live in there someday! There are many people enjoying shopping on that day. One of the places I could visit is the first Starbucks shop. I was very satisfied to buy some mugs for my family and also myself!! I stood in line with many people, so I felt a little bored. However, in front of the shop, the unique man sang a happy song. He made everyone happy! In the evening, I enjoyed a dinner cruise. I felt like being a celebrity because many delicious food were offered and I could see the indescribable night view of Seattle. After that, I went to bed as soon as I arrived at the hotel because I was so tired, but satisfied!

My funny friend Natsuko and me

I certainly enjoyed the last day in Seattle. I went to the Space Needle, the symbol of Seattle, to eat a delicious brunch at the restaurant where we can see the sky view. Unfortunately, the weather was bad, so I couldn't see clearly the view of the city. To make things worse, I'm really afraid of heights, so I felt bad! Otherwise, Many interesting items were sold in the souvenir shop. I think the most interesting museum in this trip was the Burke Museum. There were many exhibit of Native American Arts. I wondered how the people made these huge items like a totem pole without any technical machine tools. I was really impressed their original unconventional ideas and high degree of intelligence. I want to study the details of Native American. I completely enjoyed everything on the last day in Seattle.

On this trip, I had many experiences that are useful for my study and daily life. I have a keen desire to know about America. This trip became a lasting memory for me!

Fabulous Seattle Trip

2011-03-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Huge Safeco Field

I had the greatest trip to Seattle from March 18 to 20. I really enjoyed it for several reasons. First, because it was beautiful sunny weather and I felt everything was special in Seattle. However, at first, I had some big trouble while I was on the bus. The first day when the bus left MFWI for Seattle, immediately I wanted to go to restroom. I trusted myself to control the feeling my need to go to the restroom. In fact, I waited patiently about 4 hours! When we arrived in Seattle I ran as fast as I could to a supermarket. My friends roared with laughter because I ran to the restroom in desperation. However, after that, I discovered that the bus had a restroom! I felt a sense of exhaustion.

One of the best memories for me in Seattle is Safeco Field. Seattle has a Mariners' baseball stadium. It is so huge so my friends and I were so excited. I took a lot of pictures something about the tour with my friends. We sat down on the Ichiro's seat. The stadium view from the seat looks so wide. That was a fantastic experience. Safeco Field's no.1 tour guide is Bobby. He gave me a cool business card because I guessed his name correctly. He taught a lot of things to us. The facts were interesting. At Safeco Field's team store, I bought some T-shirts for my grandfathers. Each of my grandfathers loves baseball so much, so I want to give these T-shirts to them and tell them about this baseball stadium soon! I spent a wonderful time here, so I want to go back there with my friends or my family someday.

Great Seattle's Best Coffee

The second day, we enjoyed visiting Pike Place Market and the first Starbucks Coffee store. The first Starbucks Coffee store was so crowded, so we couldn't get coffee. However, the atmosphere was really good inside. In the store, wallpapers are calm brown, so they look so comfortable. Outside of the store, it was so noisy because a lot of performers were singing and playing the guitar or some musical instruments on the street! It looked like one of the corners of the theme park. After that, my friends and I went to Seattle's Best Coffee shop. I admire this coffee store because in Japan, I can't go to the store so often. It wasn't crowded so it was comfortable. Inside the store looks so cute. The walls and table colors are red and each poster and store logo was also really lovely. I ordered vanilla latte. It is one of my favorite kinds of coffee. I always drink it when I want to something sweet to drink. It tasted really good. I like it more than the Starbucks' one. I will search for this franchise store in Japan.

During this trip, I experienced a lot of new things and I touched new culture. My love for the U.S. is growing day by day. Of course I like Japan, but I can't stop loving the U.S. Anyway, I spent a really great time in Seattle!

Marvelous outing☆

2011-03-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Delicious French toast

I had a really superb time with my 2 friends downtown last Saturday. We were very excited to go there. We went downtown by bus. Then, I enjoyed 4 things downtown.
First of all, we had a lovely time at a cafe with a charming atmosphere. The cafe had a large window, and the sun was shining in through the window. When I looked the menu, I was surprised because letters on the menu were written by French. I ordered a french toast and a ice tea. One friend ordered those, too. Another friend ordered a apple pie and a hot tea. We enjoyed eating and talking. It was very tasty. We spent about one and half an hour at this cafe. It was a pleasing time for us.

Second, we had a exciting time at a toy shop. There were many interesting toys. Then I found a Mr. potato head's toy! I like Mr. potato head that is a character of Toy Story. Of course, I bought it for me. I also bought one for my friend who likes this character. I was very lucky to find those. I want to there again.

Third, we enjoyed to go to a musical instrument store. My one friend wanted to go there because she likes music, so she can play the guitar. When I walked all over the store, I found a ukulele and decided to buy it. I can't play it, but I wanted it. Because it sized small and looked very pretty. I wanted to play it. I was very happy to buy it! We had a delightful time in there.

Fourth, we had a splendid time in a park. we walked in the park and saw a big river. Then we saw 2 squirrels by the river. They were small and so cute! For a short time, we observed them. After that, we had a stroll for twenty minutes, talking with each other. We enjoyed walking and talking in the park. When we arrived at our dormitory, we were tired, but we were very delighted to have a great time. I was glad to go downtown and do those things. It was a awesome day!

Surprising Birthday

2011-03-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

Great birthday cake and my RA

This year's March 14th was my greatest birthday experience. Every birthday in Japan, I can't meet my friends because it's during spring vacation. In addition, they forget my birthday because March 14th is White Day in Japan. However this year I received a lot of great things and words as my birthday presents from a lot of people. First, I received a cute pencil and my favorite chocolate from my teacher, Winnie and a letter from my teacher, Tim. To my joy, my teacher remembered my birthday. My conversation and reading classmates also sang a birthday song in class for me. My heart was leaping for joy. The day's dinner at Commons was only delicious salad bar. It was a very unusual dinner. I'm pleased to think that Commons chef celebrated with me. I was full of happiness because of these special things.

My surprising 2nd birthday party

After the dinner, there was another great experience. Suddenly, our second floor in Covington became empty. When I wondered where everyone was, one of my group members came to me and said "Come on into the kitchen!" When I went to the kitchen, my group members and my RA were there with birthday cake with candles on the top, and they sang to me, "Happy birthday to you ~ ♪" They had organized my birthday party in secret but I was vaguely aware of this party. I received the cake our RA bought and a card from my group. We moved to tutorial room and ate the cake. It was very delicious! We enjoyed that time so much. When we finished eating a marvelous cake, it was 7:30 p.m., during a usual tutorial time. my RA said "From now, we'll do grammar tutorial. I received a grammar DVD from Winnie. We have to watch it on the basement TV because this grammar tutorial is on DVD. We'll watch it together and answer the question. Please go back to your room and get a pen and dictionary." I did what she told us. While I was looking for my dictionary, my group members had already gone to basement and I became the final person to go there. When I opened the door of basement, the room was dark and I heard "Happy birthday to you ~ ♪" again!!! At first, I couldn't understand why they were singing a song again. I was confused because it was not grammar tutorial. In fact, this was my real birthday party and the previous one was a fake one to fool me. I received a cake made by my RA and a card again!!!! I hadn't expected that they would hold my 2nd birthday party. I really believed it was grammar tutorial because she made a fake DVD with "Grammar DVD, Winnie" written on it with paper look like a text. I thank you my kind group members and my RA.

My awesome group members and RA

Finally, there was one more great birthday present. After I took a bath, I found a letter on the door of my room with "Tomoko, Go to Kitchen!" written on it. I went to kitchen and found a letter again on the cupboard with "Open☆" on the letter. I opened it and there was a stuffed Winnie the Pooh animal and a letter!! It was final birthday present from my RA! I was inspired so much!

Today I was surprised that my friends, teachers and my RA did great birthday parties many times for me. I've never experienced such an awesome birthday! Thank you everyone!!

Stunning Seattle Trip

2011-03-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

Exciting Interview room

I had a marvelous Seattle trip for three days. One of my favorite place was Safeco Field. Safeco Field is the places where Ichiro plays baseball, and the Seattle Mariners 's headquarters. I was very happy, because I thought he is an influential player. A lot of his posters were on the wall. We were able to enter some places which we can't usually. For example, the baseball field, the interview room, the press box and shower room. I was very moved by the baseball field, because I entered this place which usually was used by some professional baseball players. In addition, our guide was easy to understand. When I went to this place, I thought I want to learn more about Ichiro and of his baseball. I like Ichiro now better than before. This place became important place for me.

Another exciting place I visited the first Starbucks store. I have been loved starbucks store since I was a junior high school student. I used to go there every day, and studying there. I was very bobbling with expectation in Seattle, because I like starbucks store and this first store is very important. I bought five tumblers, two mugs and starbucks' limited edition teddy bear. I was very satisfied with shopping at this place. Two men played a guitar in front of the first starbucks store, and people listened to this music cheerfully. I felt like it was an old city. I thought my memories and goods were valuable for me.

My favorite activity was the dinner cruse. Cruising was very comfortable, and pleasant. I had a good time for about two hours. First, we ate some delicious foods. For example, salmon, salad and desserts. These foods on the cruse was valuable for me. Second, we went outside of ship, and we enjoyed a night view of the Seattle. The view from there was truly beautiful. I felt I want to see a night view for a long time. Finally, 2 cabin boys are very kind, and like a gentleman. They opened the door when we went out. They corrected my mistakes English sentences, and taught me the right English. This dinner cruse was very marvelous.

My Seattle trip was very wonderful. I thought I want to go Seattle another time. I had an unforgettable experience in three days, and I was very happy!

Absolutely fascinating homestay

2011-03-29T23:14:00.001-07:00

From March 18 to 20, I had a special time during my home stay.

Exciting ice hockey game

At 4 o'clock, my host mother picked us at our dormitory. Twenty to thirty minutes later, we arrived at their house. It was a large and cute house. When we entered the front room, my host father and two cats greeted us. My host mother guided us to all places. Every room was super. The kitchen and the living room were my favorite places. After they finish showing us the house, we cooked dinner and cookies with our host mother. Then our host family's friend came to our house. Dinner was corned beef and we ate it with father, mother, their friend. It was tasty.After dinner, we enjoyed an ice hockey game in the Spokane Arena. I didn't know how to cheer, but their friends taught me. My friends and I cheered seriously. Sometimes, the players fought with each other. It was very scary. One of boys was attacked by hockey puck and then blood came from his mouth. It made me nervous. A few minutes later, the boy stood up and joined game again. Then everyone clap their hands. It moved me. American people were making a lot of noise, cheering for their team, so I was surprised. In the end, the team that we cheered for won. It was my first time to watch an ice hockey game, and I really excited it.

Tasty 23 ㎏ of Turkey

Saturday was also a wonderful day. In the morning, we cooked brunch with Mama. We ate scrambled eggs, grilled mushrooms, sausages and waffles. After brunch, we went shopping. First, we went to looked at an Asian market. We bought some Japanese foods. After that, we went to the "Real Deals". It was an amazing at this shop, because there was very pretty merchandises. If you have not gone there, you should go. I spent money on many things. After shopping, we went to the Valley Mall. We spent a lot of time there. Finally, we went to Wall Mart. It was bigger than Shadle Center's. After we went shopping, we cooked 50 pounds of turkey. It took 50 minutes. Papa fried it. After finishing cooking, our host family's friends came to our house. There were many kinds of people, for example Americans and African Americans. We ate dinner with them. I've never eaten turkey before, but the taste was fantastic. During dinner, we talked about our school life in Japan and our MFWI life. After dinner, we tried eat a chocolate fountain. I've experienced before in Japan in a Japanese restaurant, but I've never seen it in a house, so I was very surprised. I put on many kinds of fruit, marshmallows and cookies. I enjoyed the chocolate fountain. After that, we watched movie. The title was "SALT". The main actress was Angelina Jolie. She was very cool and beautiful. After the end of the movie, we talked about tomorrow's schedule, and went to bed. I had a terrific time.

My wonderful host family

On Sunday, I also had many valuable experiences. First, we got up at 7 o'clock, because we had to go to church. It was my first time. I thought church would be a very quiet place, but the church that we went to was not quiet. They were singing a songs and there were very beautiful voices and sounds. It impressed me deeply. After a song, a man spoke about religion, but it was difficult for me to understand what the speaker said. After church, we went to Mama's friend's house. She runs her own hair salon shop, so she cut my hair. After cutting my hair, many friends came into the shop. I talked about many things like the Japanese earthquake. Next, we went to a lake. It was beautiful, but unfortunately, it started raining. If the weather had been sunny, we could have seen the beautiful view but we couldn't walk around the lake. We went to back to our house. Finally, on Sunday we had to make dinner, so we cooked together. One dish was "Makizushi". It is one of the Japanese traditional dishes and it looks like a California roll. Another dish was "Udon". It is a Japanese noodle dish and I love it. After dinner Mama and we made many kinds of sweets for us and for our friends, for example, cookies, muffins, brownies and so on. They taste it wonderful. Finally, we planed a next home stay's date, and we said good-bye to Mama, and Papa drove us back home.

There were marvelous experiences. I'm glad to have met my host family. Thank you so much. My first home stay was a great pleasure.

Irreplaceable Memories of Homestay

2011-03-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing Snowmobile

I had a lot of awesome experiences with my host family and friends during home stay weekend. My host father, Bruce, is gentle and fun. He always made us laugh. My host mother, Kerrie, is talkative and full of love. Kerrie hugged us a lot. I enjoyed a lot.
One extraordinary experience was riding a snowmobile. When I met my host family for the first time, I was very surprised to be told that there are four snowmobiles at their house. Then I saw the snowmobiles and it moved me. I rode on the back of one of the snowmobiles. It is very fast so I was threw off the snowmobile. " How exciting it is!" I exclaimed. The snow was shining bright and very beautiful. Kerrie taught me how to drive and I drove the snowmobile for the first time. I learned that I can drive the snowmobile without a driver's license only on private land. It was very fun. I could not drive well but she praised me for my driving. She usually praised us even for the small things. When I rode the snowmobile the second time, Kerrie and I saw an eagle sitting on a tree. I heard from Kerrie that maybe I could see an eagle near their lake house so I was happy to experience this. I had never done such a marvelous thing in my life. I had invaluable experiences riding the snowmobile.

Beautiful breakfast on Saturday morning

A second fortunate experience was eating special food. I ate sushi made in the US at a sushi restaurant with my host family. I felt there was a little difference between American and Japanese sushi. For example, they did not mix vinegar into the rice, there were a lot of vegetables so they were colorful and made sushi rolls. The sushi tastes great. I ate a dragon roll that had fried prawns, avocados, cucumbers and lettuces. It was most delicious to me. Then I ate some mochi ice cream. It looked like Yukimidaifuku which is Japanese ice cream. It was also delicious. In the morning I ate some oatmeal made by Kerrie. It had brown sugar, butter and rice milk. I have eaten oatmeal at a hotel before because it had a terrible taste to me but I could eat oatmeal made by her. It was splendid. I can only eat her excellent homemade oatmeal. For lunch I ate a buffalo burger. I had never eaten buffalo meat. I thought that they would smell bad and be oily but it was completely opposite. They didn't smell bad and it was low in fat. The sandwich had a piece of buffalo burger, a slice of tomato, cucumbers, avocado and lettuce. I seasoned it with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. It tasted superb. On Sunday morning, I ate huckleberries which were in pancakes. I was glad to eat them because pancakes are one of my favorite foods. They also were delicious. I heard from Karen that huckleberries are expensive in American studies class. They taste like a blueberry. Bruce, who is the best cook, made the pancakes. He shaped a pancake into a bear so I thought he has a lovable character. I was grateful to eat such special food and these were foods that I had never eaten before.

A third delightful experience was shopping. On Friday I went shopping in Target. This store is Kerrie's favorite store and it has a lot of clothes. I bought clothes, shoes and a bag. I used this bag on the next day. The shoes I bought were chosen by Kerrie so I cherish them. I spent one and half hours shopping at Target. I felt time past quickly. I want to go to Target again. On Sunday I went to the Valley Mall at 4:30. The Valley Mall closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday so we did not had enough time for shopping. In Japan, shopping malls open until 9 p.m. I made a teddy bear in the Build Bear store. My teddy bear is so cute and it wears softball uniform. I was thinking about my sister who belong to the softball club. I miss her. Then I went to Forever 21. I bought some clothes but I wanted to buy more clothes. I had a pleasant time shopping.

Home stay with them will be one of my treasured memories of America. These pleasing days will stay in my memory as long as I live.

An Amazing Homestay

2011-03-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Funny face

I enjoyed homestay on March 4 to 6. My host family showed us a wonderful time. At first, when we arrived at their house we were really surprised because their house and land are so large! I've never seen such a huge landscape. They live in a country!

They have many horses, dogs and cats. The place is just like a zoo. I like animals, especially cats and dogs, so I was really excited. Their pets' names are also cute, for example, a small cat's name is Chiisai. It means little or small. The other cat is called Saba, because the fur's color is silver or gray. Every name comes from Japanese. Each of their names are really cute and funny, so I like them. The horses are also cool. I found a really cute horse called Weltspiegel. I don't know why, but he always lean his head to one side. My roommate and I also leaned our head to one side, too. That experience was a really interesting and funny. We gave some carrots to him and he leaned his head to other side again. We enjoyed all the animals.

The cutest cat in the world

My best memory during my homestay is Spring Arts & Crafts Show. This is an event for people in Spokane who love handicraft. We can buy a lot of things, for example, food, pictures, soap, dolls and different kinds of arts. I bought a bottle of habanero sauce. Everyone was so surprised because that was really hot. I can't explain about the spicy tastes, but I like it so much. I will enjoy the sauce with my father when I go back to Japan. At this event, every exhibitor sell a lot of handicraft goods. These goods are really high quality. I saw a painting of an eagle. I was impressed with that because that was beautiful. I wanted to buy it but it was too expensive for me, so I couldn't buy that. I had never gone to any place like that, so I really enjoyed it.

This homestay was special weekend because everything was new for me. I think this is one of the most important parts of MFWI program because I got a lot of things from this. I learned not only about American lifestyle but also great kindness of people. I'm really happy to get to know with them. I want to say thank you so much to my wonderful host family.

Fantastic Trip Memories

2011-03-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Mariner's locker room

I went on a wonderful Seattle trip with my friends and teachers on March 11 to 13. I was very excited before we left MFWI at 7 a.m Friday morning. I enjoyed many wonderful things. One thing that was really fun was Safeco Field which is Seattle Mariners own baseball stadium. It is a very gigantic and beautiful stadium. We could see the stadium basement, for example, player’s locker room, interview room, training room, and broadcasting booth. The equipment is very new and clean. After that we went down to the field. The field is so magnificent and it is surrounded by a great amount of spectator seats! The field has natural grass, so we could see a brightly colored green field. After our stadium tour, I bought some souvenirs at Mariners team store. I bought two teddy bears; both were wearing Mariners uniforms. They were very cute! Also I bought a postcard and I will send this postcard to my grand parents. I belong to nonprofessional baseball team in Japan as a manager, so I am very interested in baseball. I think such a wonderful experience probably never comes twice in a lifetime.

Another thing I really was pleasured by was the dinner cruise aboard the Argosy on second day. The dinner time was about two hours. We boarded the ship at 7 p.m. The ship left from Seattle harbor. After that we enjoyed the scenery. The ship was very giant and luxurious! The students took many pictures each other. The dinner was buffet style. There were many great dishes, for example, salad, white cream sauce pasta, chicken, salmon, bread, and fruit. My favorite dish was white cream pasta and chicken. It was so delicious. I felt so happy in a moment. We saw a beautiful night view of Seattle city spread out from the ship. I was spellbound of that night view. This dinner cruise memory will always remain in my mind.

My third favorite thing about the Seattle trip was brunch in the Space Needle on last day. Unfortunately it was a rainy day, but we were very excited. The Space Needle is an amazing high tower. We ate superb brunch there. I was terribly hungry, so I ate some danish pastry, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, crepe, strawberries. It was a great tasty brunch. After eating brunch, we went up to the top of floor of the Space Needle. I felt a little scared, but there was a great view on top. The Seattle trip was a precious memory for me. I had many valuable experience.

Happy Hina Matsuri!

2011-03-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Pretty Hina Doll

Today I really enjoyed the Hina Matsuri, Doll Festival at Commons. A lot of young students came to this ceremony. Their smile made me happy. Also, I was glad to see Miss Tokushimacome as special guest! Hina Matsuri is a very famous traditional festival in Japan. It is held on March 3 to pray for young girl's growth and happiness. I was excited that there are a lot of beautiful Hina dolls on the stage in Commons. Most families with girls display them at home. Together with other students we sang "Ureshii Hina Matsuri" and "Haru ga Kita." When I sang these song, I missed my childhood days! Also, I participated in the skit "Doll Ambassadors" with my Barbara's students. I had to do the narration for the story. I was so nervous though my narration part is only three sentences because there are many people in front of me! I don't like to speak in front of a large audience, but the performance went off well thanks to Barbara and my friends. If I get such a opportunity again, I will try to do it! This experience confirmed to me that the Japanese culture has a special beauty.

Great Valley Mall!!

2011-03-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Lovely Bear

I was very very excited to go to the Valley Mall with some of my friends last Saturday. There are many shops at the this mall. My favorite shops are Forever 21 and Holli Ster in the Valley Mall. I bought many many clothes, for example onepiace, some black swim wear and some Steve Madden's shoes. These things I wanted to buy. I can't go shopping in Spokane a lot, so this was exciting to me. We finish shopping, we made an original bear at Build a Bear Work shop. It was so pretty, so I want to make it. We enjoyed shopping for three hours and thirty minutes. Then we went to very famous doughnut shop which is also in Japan. The doughnut was too sweet. We love shopping, so we didn't have enough to time. We can go again to the Valley Mall in two weeks. We are looking forward to going to the Valley Mall again.

My Bad English

2011-03-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

Awesome Shopping

I had a good experience at the Valley Mall last Saturday. The Valley Mall is a big shopping mall. There are many people in it all day. On Saturday, I bought many clothes, pierced earrings, shoes. They are very cheap and very cute. I spent about 150 dollars there. Victoria's Secret is a my favorite shop. By the way, when we became hungry, we went to a food court. The food court was in the mall. There were many coffee shops, Japanese food shops, and hamburger shops. It was very nice smell. Then I saw a American boy sitting close to me who was eating French fries. He looked college age. They looked very delicious but we didn't know where he bought them. We decided to ask him where he bought them but he didn't understand my English. I was shocked and confused. Next, he said in Japanese "I can speak Japanese" so we asked him in Japanese, and he told me where he bought them. I was thankful for him, but I am in America now!!!! Why am I in America? To study English!! It is important for me to speak English so I decided to improve my English more since this experience. I realized that I should study harder and harder. This shopping was very nice for various reasons.

Delightful shopping!

2011-03-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

My cute teddy bears

It was a charming day on Feb 26 for shopping at Valley Mall with my friends. I was looking forward to going there, so I was happy. I went to Valley Mall by bus. When we arrived, we walked around there, and we found a shop with many teddy bears. Those were very pretty. I bought two teddy bears for me. The price of these was about 50 dollars. I was surprised because the boxes which the teddy bears putting into were very cute! The boxes were shaped like a house. After that we took a rest at a cafe. I drank a mixed juice. It was very tasty. We enjoyed talking with each other. Later we went to a clothing store and I bought many clothes. It was a great bargain. Next we went to Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop. I have seen this store in Japan but I have never eaten these doughnuts, so I bought some doughnuts. Those were appetizing. After we went back to our dormitory, I ate these doughnuts with my friends. They were delicious. I had a happy time. It was a wonderful day!

Amazing Snow Memory

2011-03-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Playing with beautiful snow

I was surprised to see the snow piled up high when I went outside from Covington. My hometown, Nara, usually doesn't have snow so I had never seen such a beautiful snowy scene. On that day there was no class because of heavy snow. Luckily, I had only Tim's office hour and he said to me "This is rare. You have a unique opportunity." At noon, my group members and Nayeli played in the snow for about 3 hours. At first, we had a snowball fight. Spokane's snow is very soft so I couldn't make a snowball well. Next, we squeezed together and fell down in the snow. This was very exciting because I had wanted to do this someday!! I was happy to realize my dream. Then, we got covered with snow because we kicked a snow-covered tree and the snow dropped down on us. After this, I watched the video who filmed this scene, it was comical and funny. Finally I wrote "Kenta, Do Your Best" on the snow and took a picture to send him. Kenta is my younger brother and a student preparing for the high school entrance exam. I hope for his success. All of this was a glorious experience for me in Spokane so I want to keep this wonderful memory in my mind.

Awesome Basketball Game

2011-03-11T02:23:00.001-08:00

Exciting Basketball Game

On Saturday, my friends and I watched an exciting women's basketball game at Gonzaga University. It was a Gonzaga Bulldogs versus San Diego Toreros basketball game. I'm really happy I could watch basketball in America because it is the original home of basketball. I was very surprised when I went into the Gonzaga basketball arena. I had never seen such a big arena and it was full. Before the game cheerleaders performed a great acrobatic dance and the players warmed up. Then the players were introduced by the announcer. After that the game started. This was the first basketball game I watched in my life. I didn't know about the rules of basketball so my friend kindly taught me them. Also I didn't know that basketball games are long and have a lot of timeouts, so many times I thought the game was over. I could not understand all of the game but I enjoyed watching it. I was impressed by a wonderful player who was wearing uniform number 21. She was excellent because she shot many times and had great footwork. Also she seemed to be the star of the Gonzaga team. I was still excited throughout the game. The audience was very excited too. I felt the audience's reaction was different between America and Japan. It was very emotional. For example, they were dancing, clapping and shouting out during the game. The result of game was Gonzaga won 80 to 58. I had a fantastic time watching this basketball game.