MY Phenomenal Women!

Hello Ladies,

Today I was so impressed with your work at the Phenomenal Women Fair! You prepared so well and you were so poised and confident in your presentations. It made me feel so proud of all of you! You've worked hard right up to the very end, and I really appreciate that.

Do you remember when you read Little Women? When Father comes back from the hospital after being away from his girls for one year he tells them that when he left, they were his little girls. But they had worked hard to support each other in all their challenging experiences, they never gave up and tried not to complain and this made them more beautiful, more graceful, and even more lovable to him. 'Now', he tells them, 'you have become my Little Women'.

I feel the same way about you, Section 21, this semester and I think that your 'real' parents might, too! But I want to add something else to that: You are my Phenomenal Women!!

Have a safe trip back to Japan, and please keep in touch.

Love,
Kate

Thank you #21

I'm so happy to be your classmate, guys. I really enjoyed the days I've spent here with you ! I'm sure that all experiences I had here will be one of the most precious memorys in my life. Well... it's kind of difficult thing to decide what was the most unforgettable thing about "MFWI." I'll never forget people, activities, classes, homestay, trips, etc. cause everything was so nice !

I think I was so lucky because all you guys were super active and energetic ! So, I thought I should be more active and I should study harder as like you guys.



Miho, you helped me a lot during this semester, especially at news cast and TOEIC class. Thank you very much. I've admired you at all times.



Saori, thank you for being my partner of visiting sister. You read books so fast and I always surprised your knowledge of vocab.



Saeko, my wife, Fune-san. lol. Thank you for being the same team at the drama. I was impressed that you were so hard worker !



Aki, you were so kind and fun. I loved looking you and Miho were talking. It was so funny ! I like your lovery character.



Airi, you are so cool. I like your boyish style. I'm glad to know you and act Sazaesan with you ! Thank you, Katsuo ;)



Emi, you are very kind and cheerful. I really enjoyed talking with you during the classes and lunch. Thanks.



Miyu, you are so cool and cute. I like your way of talking :) I really enjoyed chatting with you ! I hope I can see you playing basketball !



Chisato, thank you for being kind to me. I'm happy to get to know you and do the drama with you, Masuo-san :) Thank ya.



Atsuko, you are kind and reliable. You helped me many times, thank you, Sazae-san ! Let's keep studying hard in education classes !



Ayako, you are tender. I'm happy to do many activities with you. I enjoyed talking during lunch, thank you :)



Yoshimi, you are so cute, Tara-chan ! lol. I always surprised that you have so many friends :) I'm happy to be your classmate and housemate. You helped me many times, thanks a lot.



Yuma, you are so cool and admirable ! Your English is really amazing. I'm so glad to be your classmate in MFWI. Thanks!



Sachiyo, you are so sweet ! I'm happy to be your friend, and I'm gonna miss you. I always wish your happiness at extension program.



Kate, you are my second mother ! lol. You are so kind and cute :) I love your class. I really enjoyed your writing class ! Thank you very much.



I love MFWI and you guys all. Thank you again and let's keep in touch !

Always, yoko

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

What do I remember in MFWI? Of course, you guys #21 and my teachers! Thank you everyone!

Before I came here, I was so nervous and I'd been thinking that every one would speak English proudly. BUT!! It wasn't true at all. They were same as me, and they are so fun and motivated!

To be honest, I was really tired of class in Japan because my friends didn't talk in English even in English class. I hesitated to speak out as I thought every one would look at me if I did.

I remember lots of project we did and are doing now. Newscast project was really hard for me, we did it in a short time! Discussing lots of topic in English was exciting, I could learn different idea from mine.

I really enjoyed talking at Commons! You guys are TERRIFIC!

Thank you #21! LOVE YOU:D

Awesome Class, #21!!!!

I will never forget my classmates in America.

First I came here, I was really nervous because we did not know who our classmates were.

The first day of class, I had an anxiety.

I become shy when I meet new people. No one believes me though.

In addition, I found I had only one classmate in Japan, Aki, in my new class.

At first, I was wondering why I was in this section because they all speak English very well.

They are all much greater than I am.

I was worried if I could catch up them.

I was also concerned if they would be my friends.

In spite of my worries, they are all nice and friendly.

As time went by, we have become good friends.

They work hard and their attitude in class made me want to try harder on everything.

In fact, we worked on many things out together.

Even though they were really hard and difficult, we enjoyed them.

Outside the classes, they are also my good friends.

When I felt down, they cheered me up.

I can hardly put my thank into any words, because they are so wonderful!!

If I was not in #21, I wouldn't meet them, and I even might never talk to them.

I am so glad to be in this class and be one of their friends.

Thank you so much all of you and I will never forget you.

You will be my precious people forever.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

My greatest treasures!

I will strongly remember that I met wonderful people, RAs, teachers, friends, and my host family!

At the beginning of this semester, I felt strong anxiety for my class and life in America. I couldn't believe that I was in such a high level class. I didn't keep up with the class perfectly, but all of my classmates helped and advised me kindly. We didn't know each other at first, but now, we are the best friends. No one cooperate better than us!

Then, when I worried about something, everyone guided me to a good way and encouraged me. We live with friends and RA, so we can talk and help each other a lot! I deepened my friendship with them. Oh! but...we are not friends...because we are family!

Outside of school, I could learn history, culture, and life of American people from my host family. My host family is really knowledgeable and cooperative to improve our English skills, so I could try to ask them some questions easily.

I do love all people who relate to me in here! I won't forget them forever absolutely.

I really appreciate their kindness and what they've done for me. Thank you anyway!

Love you all, #21

Spending lots of time with section 21 members is the most fabulous memory for me. It's still very clear when I met you all for the first time. I didn't know you, so I was super worried about lessons, but that issue went away so quickly because you guys all were soooooo kind and friendly. Plus, section 21's atmosphere relieved me, so I really enjoyed having lessons together everyday. The proof of if was that I never skipped the lessons this semester. That's so surprising for me, because I sometimes didn't attend my classes last year, and hardly felt guilty to do it, either; however, I realized that if I started missing the lessons, I would have done it more and more, and must have felt very bad.

Anyway, I love your personalities and also behaviour. We never give up working hard even though there were heaps of hard stuff to do like newscasting or roll-play drum which we are doing now. All of you helped me a lot in many kinds of ways. How can I give thanks to all of you? It's so hard to appreciate with only words :) But I still want to say 'THANK YOU' to you. The teachers were awesome, too. Kate, your lessons were super fun, and your smiling face made me so comfortable every time when I came in your room.

I was super lucky to be one of section 21 classmates and meet you guys. I hope after we are back to Japan, we'll meet and keep in touch well like grabbing dinner or something. I just want to say, thank you and love you all, #21!!!!!!

What a precious time at MFWI!!!

I can’t choose only one memory of MFWI because I spent very precious time with my good friends beyond my imaginations. I learned a lots at MFWI!!! If I dare to choose only one, I chose “Ensemble” because it was first time to feel joy and happiness from American people while practically using English songs which we sung. Of course I have sung in chorus since I was a child, but I have never experienced such feelings. We were given chances to go Holy names, retirement center,the ceremony of Japan week and a beautiful church. At first, I was nervous a little bit because we didn’t have enough time to practice songs. Hence, our voice didn’t go with the beginning of the day after we started to sing songs, but our voice became to go beautifully at every opportunity to sing songs. While singing songs with joy together, I was able to see a lot of smiling faces from the stage. After singing all of the songs, the audience stood up, and the hall resounded with the audience. I was really impressed to see and hear the act of audience. In addition, the people praised us to the skies after finishing the ceremony. I was glad to make the people happy by our chorus. I thought it was rewarding for me because everyone listened to our chorus eagerly. Through the life of MFWI with my friends, I spend really great time!! I was able to gain a lot of new things, and changed my way of thinking. It means I became to change the view of thinking widely. I want to express lots of memory but it is beyond my words. I was happy to experience such a great memory at MFWI. I want to make the most of this memory in the future.

#21!!!!!!

I'm very glad to meet #21 members and teachers!!

It's my most remember things.

At first, I was very nervous because everyone already can speak very well! However, I've already known some members so I was little bit relieved. I really wondered about why I am in this class. In the class, I worried about my English but every teacher is very kind and active. I was also afraid of them, but I feel it's getting better than before. And now, I think I am very lucky because one of my friend said her classmates don't speak English. I was very suprised at it. Every #21 members speak English everyday and are very active so I can speak about many things in English. They also tried to understand my English and helped me so I love #21 members:)!!

I really appreciate for your kindness.


THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! AND I LOVE YOU!!

Section21!!

I experienced a lot of things during MFWI like Seattle trip, East coast trip..... Each events were really impressed me. However, the best memory during MFWI is our group, SECTION21!!
At first, I was really worried about making friends. I'm shy, so I couldn't speak to you guys positively. BUT!! It was no problem!! You were all kind and friendly. I could talk easily to everyone. I was very lucky to belonged in Section 21!!
Especially, making NEWS in the conversation class is my big memory. Everybody was earnest and active. I was impressed by everyone. I became a motivated person because of classmates. Thank you very much!!

I'm very sad that we have only 1 week to take classes together...
BUT!! Let's enjoy and have fun!!
If we could, let's have a party!!
I love you all(*3*)

Precious encounter!!!

My best memory in MFWI is that I could meet precious classmates! Honestly speaking, after I got to the first class day, I cried a lot because I thought I couldn't keep up with the class. I cannot speak English well, I'm not good at grammar, I cannot understand English well... I always felt anxiety at that time. However, as I was used to class, I liked 21 class a lot! Now, I don't like, but love 21 class a lot!!!! Do you understand? Though I cannot speak English well yet, all my classmates are kind and gentle for me. I always want to say thank you for you!!! In here, thanks to 21 classmates, I could experience looooooots of precious things! Honestly speaking,in Japan, I was not interested in class... I didn't take part in class actively and I didn't talk with my friends in English! However, now... I cannot believe what I am now. I could change my attitude!!! I don't want to go back to Japan... Please make promise to come MFWI someday again and meet loving teachers with all 21 classmates!

Thank you very much to meet me! I love all of you!

Unforgettable friends!

I really enjoy my life in MFWI. I have stayed here only for 4 months, but I had many interesting and exciting things!! Sometimes, it difficult and hard for me, but most of them were so interesting and became pleasant memories. For example, Seattle Trip, East Coast Trip, visited my RA's house, met elementary school students, high school students, home stay.....I can't count!! However, my best, wonderful, unforgettable thing in MFWI is meeting section 21's class mates:) At first, I was scared of everything I did in my class. It was my first time to go abroad, and most of the class mates were new people for me. I felt nervous when I spoke in the class in English. However, now, I was lucky to be in this class because all of their motivation were so high and also they were super great!! We did a lot of activities. when we made a news cast, we tried to do our best and devised it with each other not only in class, but also after school. I realized this is the great class I love! Also I really appreciate MFWI's teachers. They teach me a lot of things and make our class more interesting and energetic! Thank you everyone:)

I Love #21

I learned a lot and had a wonderful time here in MFWI this semester because I got the best classmates. They are always eager to learn something new, and we could communicate in English. So we shared many cultural observations and had discussions even at the Commons. Also we had many opportunities to work together. We helped each other to improve our paragraphs and a essay in writing class. In conversation class, we had projects such as new casting and drama, so needed to share our ideas and work together. And we didn't have much time. But we cooperate together and we did it! (Actually we are doing well...? Hopefully!) I'm really proud of ourselves and want to thank my wonderful classmates. We have only one more week to left, but I really hope that we could study together in Japan too and wish we could stay here longer. I'll never forget #21 because I love them.

I love MFWI!

I'm sure that I never forget people I met in MFWI. This is the first time to go abroad from Japan,so I was worried about everything. At first, I was so nervous to go to classes because I was too shy and I didn't have any confidence in my English skill at all. However, all classes are very fun and all classmates are so nice and sweet!! I became to love to go to classes all too soon. Also, I love my teachers in MFWI. They are very kind and funny. I want to be their student forever. In my Clarke House, I also made a lot of friends. At first, I couldn't imagine that I become friendly with members of another group in the house like now . I think we are happy because Clarke House has only one door! I believe that we can keep in with them in Japan.
Since I came here, I met a lot of wonderful people! I couldn't forget them and time I spent with them forever. I love section 21! I love Clarke House! I love MFWI!

What you will remember the mosr from MFWI

I believe it's absolutely section 21 classmates. At the very beginning I worried about making friends, but I didn't have to worry about it. Everyone is really friendly, kind, thoughtful and funny. It is so comfortable for me to study or learn with them. However I was really confused about your rich knowledge,but it means I could learn a lot of things from not only great teachers but also wonderful classmates. We passed some projects together, and now we have another one. I think these projects made us closer. Do our best for final project!!! Please keep in touch with me after we go back to Japan. I love you all!! Thank you very much.

Wonderful Encounter !!

I can't decide the best memory to write down here because I have lots of good experiences. This time is the first time for me to study abroad, so I have lots of worrying before I came here. I worried about our class because everyone is very, very smart and they can speak English fluently! BUT! They are super, super kind and friendly, so I could feel relief and enjoy our class. In my days, I could experience homestay, trip of Seattle and East Coast and so on. In these events, the best thing in MFWI was that I could meet great people like my RA, Danielle. First time we met was the time after my friends and I finished the long flight. She waited for us although it was a midnight. The time we were concerning the most was tutorual time. Even though she was busy every day, she made lots of activities for us like some interesting games, sports activities, DVD appreciations and so on. Also, when we have some problems about classes or homework, she always taught us simply and kindly. I owe my successes and victories over difficulties to her. When my friends and I were invited to her house, I could feel relief because her family was very, very friendly and kind. Her sister's and brother's family also took the trouble to come to see us. We could enjoy BBQ, sports and chatting with them. My friends and I played basketball with Danielle's nephews and nieces. They were so pretty and charming! One of them has a big spider as a pet. I was surprised because it was the first time to see the very big spider! When we had to say good-bye, I expressed my sincere thanks to Danielle's mother for inviting us, and I also thanked Danielle for introducing us to her family. I was very, very happy to meet them. Like these, the time we're watching TV, going out, and we're talking in the middle of the night was very short, but it gave me lots of memories. I am happy to see Danielle who is the one of RAs and make lots of memories under the same roof. The memory of these happy meeting and days will last all through my life.

Special weeks

Hi, did you enjoy your East Coast Trip? I'm sure everybody says "Yes!" And I'm one of them.



In this trip, I had many changes. For the E.T.C. we had two special weeks. One week for special units, studying about the U.S. government, TOEIC, etc. and the other week for the E.C.T.



During this special weeks, I tried to do new things as much as I can. One thing I did was speaking to new friends and new teachers. For me, it's kind of difficult to talk to new people, but I'm sure it good chance to keep everyday fresh and interesting. We studied and went E.C.T. with living group members, TG6. It was refreshing.



To talk more about E.T.C. it was great, even the weather was not so good. In Boston, I enjoyed Plymouth the best. But it was Easter, so there were few actors. I think if it wasn't Easter, it would be more interesting. In Washington D.C. I really enjoyed the Smithsonian. I saw a moon rock, the hope diamond, etc.



The weather was not good, but everything was new and precious. I think my new try helped to enjoy the two special weeks. I'll never forget this experience. I hope I could visit there again with my family and show them what I really enjoyed :)

New Places

Hi, guys! How was your East Coast Trip?

Actually, my trip was awesome. I flew to Boston on April 10th as TG5. Luckily, I was with Kate all day in E.C.T. During this trip, we went to visit lots of places.

What I enjoyed the most in Boston was Harvard Uni. You know why? That's because I felt like I became a super clever girl:) I wish I had an enough knowledge to go there. I'm just kidding; otherwise I wouldn't meet you guys:) Anyway, Harvard was very beautiful and the buildings were great. I like those kind of living, so I really enjoyed walking around the campus even though the weather wasn't so nice. I was also surprised to know that Princess Masako used to go there. What a surprise! Am i the only person who didn't know that fact? I hope not:) Anyway, Harvard impressed me a lot.

We stayed in Boston for three days and went to Washington D.C by Amtrak on April 13th. I didn't feel like I was in the capital, though. I really liked Lincoln Memorial the best, because I'm rather interested in Martin Luther King Jr. than Lincoln.:) I was so glad to be the place, where he gave his famous speech. I just remembered the scene, we watched during our lesson. I really want him to know that his dream came true in this world. Anyway, I had a wonderful time there.

Can you guess what I couldn't miss during this trip? Maybe I think everybody has same idea, though. It was three meals! Actually, both breakfast and dinner. My best meal on this trip was Pasta, which we had on 4th day for dinner. I'm not sure, though. It was soooo delicious. Also, I had a big breakfast everyday. The reason why I got up on time every morning was I was sure breakfast was yuuuum:)

I had a super good time on E.C.T except weather and shopping. We were just unlucky to have shopping day because it was on Easter Holiday, and many shops were closed. I still enjoyed it, though. I was soooooo happy to go on the trip with Kate. I wish I were able to go there with class 21 members!!

East Coast Trip:-)

I went to the east coast as kind of the school trip from Apr.9th to 14th.

We had already learned about American history before we go on the trip, so it was easy for me to what happened at that places where we visited. I really enjoyed myself during the trip, especially, Plymouth Plantation. I had lots of fun to talk to the pilgrims and they answered my questions!!!! Although they are actors, they were really like from England!!! I also liked to visit memorials in Washington D.C.. Thomas Jefferson is one of my heroes because, without his job, America might haven't been independent. If I had a chance, I wanted to talk to him!! Around his memorial, there were beautiful cherry trees. I thought i would not see cherry trees this year, so I was glad to see them. I named some places I liked, but the most impressive place for me was the Arlington National Cemetery. It was a quiet but beautiful place and I wish I could be buried in the grave like that. I like the idea that only people and his family who joined the war or died for the nation can be buried there. I think it shows the respect to them and the promise that they'll never forget them. I learned about not only English or American history, but also how what the U.S. exactly was. I am glad to have this opportunity to learn about this nation much better.

We learned a lot

It was an absolutely amazing trip, and also it changed my idea; history is interesting. I learned a lot about American history and society during this trip for about one week. One of the most impressive places was the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. had the "I had a dream" speech. I liked the place because it was the place where he changed the world. Actually, it was really exciting to stand there to make a wish. I was thinking that history is boring but it is not. If we learn more, it will be more fun, and going to see the important places make us easy to understand. Also, learning history helps us to understand the different cultures and people's ways of thinking. It was really interesting to learn about it and how the United States has been changing. At the same time, I thought I want to study something in this American culture because it is totally different. We Japanese should learn some part of them to make a better country.

In two nights, two of my friends in Boston and Washington,D.C. visited me at the hotel, and we had a great time. I'm so happy that I have such good friends.

Lastly, one of the person who made this trip wonderful is our Kate. Even if we were super tired, she made us happy and genki. She was the best escort for us!

It was a wonderful trip, and I want to keep learning. And also I want to keep having a dream.

The Valuable Trip

I went to East Coast Trip for the first time. It was very fun and interesting! I visited a lot of places. I visited Plymoth Plantation. It was very interesting. I could talk to some "Pilgrims". They were cooking, making a house and sewing. I could experience the life at that time. On the third day, it was so cold! I was walking along Freedom Trail, but I wish it had been more comfortable weather because it was like the depths of winter! On the fourth day, we left Boston to Washington D.C. by Amtrak Train. Surprisingly, the train I took was stopped because of engine trouble! We were forced to change the train. I was worried and very surprised, but I enjoy reading, chatting and sleeping on the train after it happened. In Washington D.C. I was impressed to see the real statue of Lincoln! It was bigger than I expected. I could see the view standing on the place where Martin Luther King Jr. had a speech. It was high and I could see beautiful view. This trip was very valuable. I could visit a lot of historical places. They ware really interesting! I learned a lot of things about East Coast. I want to visit both Boston and Washington D.C. again!!

My great memory

I spent great time during East Coast Trip. I was impressed by many scenes, especially in Washington D.C. There are no high buildings, so we can see Washington monument everywhere, and I felt the sky seem to be wide. What a fine sight there were! It was a lot of fun for me to look at beautiful views. I took many pictures of beautiful landscape.

At the Korean War Memorial, I was really impressed. There were 19 statues of soldiers and black granite wall nearby statues. At first, I thought the wall was just stood there, but it has important meaning. Before the statues were built, people planned to build 38 statues, but there were not enough space, so they decided to built the black granite wall next to the statues. The wall reflects the statues, so we can see 38 statues of soldiers! It's interesting. I like this idea.

Then I was looking forward to shopping, but most shops were closed for Easter! Our shopping day was planned the day after Easter actually, but it was changed because the tour guide thought many shops might be closed in the day. I couldn't understand. We could hardly shop, so we spent much time sitting on a bench. I was shocked, but it became one of my memory in East Coast Trip now.

I love Boston and Washington D.C. I want to visit there again!

Happy Sunny Trip!

I had a great time on ECT! I was in TG3, we were very lucky because the weather was very good. One day it was rainy and cold but we were just in the train to move to Washington D.C. When we arrived at Washington D.C. the weather was sunny again.

My most interesting sight is Smithsonian! At first, I went to Air and Space museum. I saw a space suit and kind of car that can operate on the moon. It was soooo cool! I also saw moon rock. I thought it would be bigger but it was very small so I was shocked. After that I went to American History Museum. I wanted to see Oz's shoes so I went there and I also saw many characters. There were very crowded so I was very tired to see it. Before we came here we heard the museum of natural history is famous for movie of "Night at the Museum" so we went to there. This museum was very big and a lot of people came. When we went to see Hope diamond, many people saw it and they are very tall so we couldn't see clearly! But I had a good time in here. I also had a good time in Boston and Washington D.C.! I wanna go again!

My Impressive Trip!!!

I had a really fantastic time with TG5 on ECT, and it is beyond my words. In Boston, I was very impressed "Orchard house" the most because I had just reading "Little Women" and I know about her story since I was a child. I was really happy to see her house and May’s (Amy) painting on her house’s wall. I was amazing to hear she was writing story for 14 hours per day. It is crazy, isn't it? However she was poor then while working as a nurse, she was writing some stories on her small desk. I become want to know about Louisa May Alcott’s life after visiting her house.In addition, I was excited to stand the place of Harvard University because this university were turned out 7 presidents of the united states and princess Masako. !! This university is very famous all over the world and known ad the smartest university. By the way,It is tricky about John Harvard because he was not a founder and the statue of him is not what he looked like. I think it is interesting and mysterious! While in Washington D.C, it was also fantastic! I was sad to look around Arlington cemetery, especially John F. Kennedy’s grave and his younger brother’s grave. I think he is really a great person like Lincoln to devote his life to make a better country. I quivered after knowing Kennedy’s brother's life. At Smithsonian Institute, I really enjoyed seeing famous painter’s wonderful arts like Da Vinci, Monet , VanGogh, Rembrandt , and Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond was very beautiful and sparkling! I want to take my family Washington D.C and Boston someday, and show many precious things, and I want them to feel history and the scale of both of city. I had a really fantastic time on ECT ! I won’t forget this experience forever.

Great opportunities!!!

From April 6th to 11th ,our TG1 went to East Coast Trip.It was my first time to go to East Coast. First surprising thing I noticed was the difference of pronunciation between Spokane people and East Coast people.I was a little bit confused, but I was very glad to feel difference directly! In Boston, the most impressive place was Harvard University! I didn't know Mrs.Masako who is the wife of crown prince graduated from there! When I know that, I was really proud of her. I could see many ethnic people in there, so I felt how great and interenational school it is. Then in Washington D.C., it was warm weather like Japanese spring season, so I missed Japan a little... However, Washington D.C. relate to Japan, so I could see Cherry blossom. I was really happy and felt comforable when I saw that! In Washington D.C.,the most impressive place was Korean & Vietnam war memorials. It taught us a lot of important things. When I visited there, I saw a few survivors who cried in front of monument... When I saw that, I felt really sad, and also thought war has no advantages. I wanted many people to visit there directly, and feel many things! Thorough the trip,I could do really great experiences! I appreciate many people who related me in East Coast...of course, my friends and teacher!!!

!!P.S!! I missed 21 class members and teachers for 2 weeks... I'm sooooo looking forward to having usually classes!Let's enjoy the rest of class!

Great memory!!

The most excited place at East Coast Trip was the Lincoln Memorial. I was really surprised at the size of the statue. The view from the memorial was very pretty. I was impressed by the words on the wall. At there, I stand the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream " speech. It's my best memory. The most delicious food during the trip was the Cheese Cake Factory's cheese cake!! My friends and I bought a different tastes of them and shared, so I could eat 5 types of cheese cake!! They are all excellent!! It's my best cheese cake in my life.

If I could, I really wanted to see president Obama at the White House. The defense was strict, so we couldn't see the house closely. I don't have good impression on White House, so someday, I want to join the tour of the White House. I bought a Obama T-shirt at Washington,D,C. I really like it, but maybe I will never put on it in Japan. East Coast Trip is my best experience in my life. I had a sense of fulfillment everyday!!

Travel Group 4 !!

I had a really good time during this East Coast Trip! The trip had a lot of enjoyable things. It was very good to visit the Orchard House which means Louisa May Alcott's house after reading Little Women, but I wanted to take some pictures in this house... On the fourth day, our train was broken so we had to switch a train. I was very surprised because that experience was for the first time. I was very confused but also excited! On the fifth day, we visited some memorials. The most impressive memorials were Korean war memorial and Vietnam war memorial. I was moved by these memorials and I also felt sad. I could learn a lot of things, American history. It had some good points but also some bad points such as war. If I have a chance, I'd like to go there again!!!

Pretty Great Trip!

It was my first time going to the East Coast. Everything I saw was new and interesting for me. Now, I like Boston and Washington DC a lot! One of my favorite places is Beacon Hill. They have no shopping, but I like old, antique and classical things, so the walking tour of Beacon Hill made me a little bit tired, but it was interesting for me. I was surprised at the preservation. Most of the houses are made of red brick and some of them have purple grass. Also they still have cobblestone street. All of them matched the cozy atmosphere of Beacon Hill. My other favorite places is the Lincoln Memorial. The statue of Lincoln is so big! It looks like a huge statue of Buddha in Todaiji! Great views unfolded before me when I stood in front of the statue in which Martin Luther King, Jr. had his speech. However, the place I really wanted to visit was the White House. I could see it but it was too far from me, and I just looked it in front of the fence and many people. I thought I can enter or go close to it like the Capitol, so I was little depressed. During this trip, I took a lot of pictures, and bought many souvenirs. The funniest souvenir is Obama's T-shirt:) I really enjoyed this trip!!

super fun!!

HI!!

I had a superrrrrrr fun trip! I do love Boston and Washington DC !! My favorites are the Quincy Market and the White House.

At Quincy Market, I ate lobster gratin for lunch. It was amazing! Yummy :) I talked with lots of local people and tourists. One of them was a old Japanese couple from Hokkaido. They told us Yuri, my friend, looks like their daughter very much, and she is 35years old!!!! Ha ha ha! I got a parka and jersey pants which are written, "BOSTON", I like them. Chisato and Emi got matching pants on the day before!!! WOW

In Washington DC, the White House excited me the most. It was smaller than I expected but still it was beautiful. I put on a picture on the top. There were many pretty flowers around the White House.

I was in the travel group2 so Ron went there with us. He is such a cheerful teacher! He knows lots of things such as history and shops. He often said, "Say WOW" when we got new information.

It was very very very exciting trip, and I want visit again. Both Boston and Washington DC were beautiful!!! SAY WOW!!!!! :D

One Of The Best Memories

It was the first time to go to Boston and Washington DC. My friends and I went there from April 7th to 12th. I love travel, so I was really looking forward to going there. Especially, I wanted to go to Harvard University, Plimoth Plantation, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Institution and The White House. At Plimoth Plantation, I spoke to some actors. They taught me the difficult things to live there, foods, clothes, bath and so on. My friends and I took lots of pictures and enjoyed there, but I thought, I couldn't live there because I love big city and TV! I couldn't live without them! I ate a lobster humburger at Quincy Market! It was very good. I also went to Starbucks THREE times in Boston and DC. I love Starbucks. When I went to see Lincoln Memorial actually, I was surprised because it was very big. I have seen that in a movie, so I was excited. At The White House, I wanted to see Obama, but of course I couldn't. There were lots of people and flowers. On that day, it was raining, but when we went to The White House, it stopped raining! I was glad to see that with beautiful sky. I thought, in DC, the buildings were shorter than Boston ones, so I could see The Washington Monument from everywhere. If I go there again, I want to go to the top of the building. When I was on the way to DC, I saw lots of graffities from the Amtrack train. Did you notice?! I was really surprised because every wall was painted with sprays.I could see New York city, but I couldn't see The Statue Of Liberty. I want to see it some day. Last day, we went to Smithsonian Institution. I went to Air and Space Museum and Museum of National Hostory. The museums were very big! I bought a pink teddy bear at thier shop. I named it SAKURAKO because it is the pattern with cherry blossoms motifs. I liked it. We didn't have enough time in this time, so if I have an opportunity to go there some day, I want to visit again. I had a very good time there!!!!

Dear Class 21,
Thank you so much for your cards, letters and the present. I love all of them and the surprise singing after American Studies. And of course I love you all!
I just want to thank you because I'm sure that you were really busy because we have news casting and East Coast quiz. You guys are amazing! Since my birthday is so early, I had never been celebrated by my classmates on the exact day, so I was really happy. Thank you again, and I'm just so glad that I have such wonderful classmates. Let's stay genki and enjoy the rest of our days here in MFWI!
Love, Sachi

Cooking!

I went to homestay two times. First, I went there with one of my roommates. My rommmates are four people and our host family permitted four people so we could go homestay after they went there. Then, they made many dishes so we could also have many dishes. My host father is Pat who is security boss in MFWI. He is very good at cooking and my host mother Cheryl is good at making cookies. They taught us to make cookies,smoked chicken, smoked almonds, grilled chicken and so on. We also made breakfast that was bacon, sunny-side up eggs and toasts. The bacon was very thick. It was very good for breakfast. I love it. Cheryl doesn't like white eggs so she feed to three dogs. It was very thick so it was very delicious. We also made cookies. It was difficulut to make because the macihne is heavy and strong so the cookies flying somewhere, but it was very fun and cookies were very delicious! After dinner, we also made dessert. I forgot the name. It was cracker with the melting marshmallow and chocolate. It was so yummie!! And the second day, I went to homestay with all of my roommates. Host father's sister came and taught us to make tacos. It was very tired to make but it was very delicious. And we had a great time!!! Next, we can join an easter egg hunt! I'm looking forword to going again!!

My great homestay

I spent a wonderful time with my host family, Lloyd and Marcia.They took us to many places around Spokane to see countryside and neighborhood.We went to a Japanese garden, a pet store, an animal shelter, some shopping malls, a theater, a Jewish temple, and so on.
At an animal shelter, there were a lot of dogs and cats that people didn't need or lost. They were in a narrow corridor, and barked as they asked our help when we came. I have a dog, so I was much affected by their appeal, and learned the sorrowful fact. I thought I cherish my dog more. After that, we went to their house. I was surprised because their house looked like Japanese house, and they have many Japanese things. It made me comfortable. I served them powdered green tea as I belong to the tea ceremony club. They love many kinds of tea, so they were very pleased, and I was also glad. Then, Lloyd served us Chinese tea. It was a little bitter and strong, but it tasted good. At night, we went to the theater to watch a movie named "Marley and me." It was difficult for me to watch the movie in English, but I could understand by context. Watching a movie in English is good practice to study English.
My host family was really nice. Lloyd is gentle and he can use a computer very well. Marcia is good at cooking. She made a lasagna and a Dutch baby (it likes an apple pie) for us. I was very happy and enjoyed the meal. She gave me a recipe of Dutch baby, so I will try to cook when I go back to Japan. I really appreciate for them, and want to keep in touch with them.

Super Nice Home Stay

I had a wonderful home stay weekend on Mar.13 to 15. I can't realize it's already been a couple of weeks!! On the first day, which was Friday, we had a birthday party for a friend of my host mom at our place. My host family's house was very huge and so nice. Actually it was very different from my imagination. I mean it was much nicer than I guessed. Anyway, many people came over and had dinner and chatted together. My friend and I helped chopped tomatoes, set the table and so on. I was a little bit nervous to meet new people, but we talked with almost everybody. I met a woman whose name was Jessica, and she used to be RA, so she knew my RA, of course. We enjoyed talking so much ,and her Japanese was great, too. I also met a man who used to work in MFWI. How nice to meet him! I was so glad to meet those guys who relates to MFWI. To meet new people was so exciting and fun, because I met a nice guy as well. lol The next day, we had a big waffle which my host dad made, for breakfast, and went shopping at Valley Mall. It was my first time to go there, so both my friends and I were soooo excited. We first went to 'Old Navy', because my host mom-Karen had a coupon, so we could get stuff by 30% off!! It was very kind to my wallet.lol After that, we had 'Krispy Kreme Doughnut' for lunch. Do you know that? It's very popular doughnut shop, and it is only in Tokyo, in Japan, and I hear it takes almost a couple of hours to buy them. The doughnut was very yuuuum:) Then, we went back to the mall and looked around. As I guessed, I spent lots of money though it is okay Cuz I enjoyed it so much. On our way home, we stopped by 'Costco' to get two kinds of pizza for dinner. We had them while watching 'Manma Mia'. That was a nice movie and all music was fantastic. Karen gave us a piece of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Terrific dessert!! Our mistake was that we fell asleep later on, though. On final day, we left home around 8:00 a.m to go to the church, where Karen works, and we had a special day for St.Patrick's day; therefore, all stuff were green and of course I wore green clothes. It was very interesting to meet people who came the party. I was so happy to meet them again so quickly. That afternoons, we all set the house for 'Easter' and the house became soooooo cute!! Time flies so quickly, and I had a super good time with Karen and John. I wish they will take us home again.

Can you imagine?

This weekend (March 27th-29th), I went to host family's house with my partner Satomi. It was the most special weekend for me in America, or maybe I can say it was the best weekend which I've ever had.

I've been to Australia and stayed with an Australian family for two weeks when I was 14. All friends who went there together enjoyed talking with their host family. But unfortunately, my host family didn't like talking with me. I was really lonely and I missed "my family."

To tell the truth, I was little worried about this homestay weekend because of the experience. Can you imagine? How fantastic my American host family was! My worry was totally silly! They were very kind and gentle. They talked with me a lot. For them, Satomi and I were the first Japanese students they've ever had, so they didn't know so many things about Japan. They enjoyed our Japanese dinner, souvenirs, cultual differences, etc. I'm really impressed with their treatment for us. They showed us many placees downtown Spokane, went to a church together, taught us how to make bread (host father used to be a cook!), etc.

I miss my "American parents" but my host mother said to me last night "It's a small world." I'm really looking forward to meeting them again!

Homestay!!

Homestay was an exciting event for me. It was my first time to go to homestay, so I was a little nervous at first. However, my host family was very kind, so I felt comfortable all day. There are 5 people in my host family: parents, 2 sons and 1 daughter. The youngest girl, Danielle, was interested in japan, so I taught some greetings to her. She told me that she wants to go to a Japanese university. I never thought about university when I was her age, so I was surprised to hear that. On the second day, we had a "potluck party" with neighbors!!(a meal to which each guest brings some food, which is shared out among the guests) I ate a lot of homemade pizza. It was yummy!! At homestay, I learned some new vocabulary and family's lifestyle in America. Almost all day I ate junk food, so I got fat, but I really enjoyed living with a new family. I'll meet them again on April 18th. I'm looking forward to seeing them!!

The great family

I went to my home stay from Friday, March 13th to Sunday, March 15th. This is my first home stay, so I was a little nervous, but very excited. On Friday, my host mother, Laura picked us up at 4 pm. I was very nervous, but she warmly welcomed us with a nice smile. When we arrived at their house, she showed us all the rooms. In their house, there are a lot of pictures of their family. My host father, Jim and Laura, have six children and three granddaughters . All children have already moved out, so there are only Jim and Laura at home. In the evening, we ate dinner together. Laura made fried chicken. It was so delicious. I was very happy. After dinner, they taught us some games. It was fun to learn new game. I feel we could open up through playing games. On Saturday, we went shopping with Laura after breakfast. We were shopping for about two and a half hours. It was very fun. After we came home, Jim made milkshakes for us. It was very good! I knew he loved sweets very much. In the evening, their oldest daughter, Jenny and her daughter, Bronte and Norah came home and had dinner together. Their granddaughters are cute and very affable. On the last day, we made pizza with Laura. This is the first time to make pizza, so I was very excited. It took about three hours. It was very fun! I was happy because Laura taught us how to make pizza very kindly. Every Sunday, their children gather at their house and have dinner together, so four of the six children came home. It became lively all at once. We ate pizza we made and chatted together. I think they get along very well.They all looked so happy. I felt I want to have happy family like them. After the children went back, they took us to our dormitory. I felt sad because I really had a good time with them and they are so kind and warm. When we arrived at our house, we hugged. My heart was full of thankfulness. I'm really happy that my first host family is Jim and Laura!

I miss my hostfamily.

I went to my host family's house from March 20th to 22nd. I really enjoyed it!! My host family was Linda and Steve, and they were so kind for us because they told us a lot of new things closely. For example, I learned some peculiar spices and other stuff for American cooking and kitchen utensils while making dishes with Linda. On the first day, it was the first time to be with American family, so I was a little nervous. This feelings flew away as I talked with them.After showing all of the rooms of their house, we ate a turkey and some steamed potatoes with butter or sour cream while talking a lot with them. The turkey was so big and looked so yummy. They cooked special for us because a turkey is only served on Christmas or special days!! After eating, they took us to "Cold stone creamery" by their car. I have never eaten ice cream like that! Furthermore, we watched a comedy movie after returning to the house, however I fell asleep in the middle of the movie because it was Friday! On the second day, we met their son a little bit in the morning, and we cooked "chocolate cheese cake" with Linda while talking with. She was very good at cooking. In the afternoon, we went shopping at the valley mall,and then we went to the movie theater to watch "Caroline"! It was a really fun movie and understood all of the story. On the third day, we went to Mt.Spokane to walk with snow shoes. There are a lot of green and these trees were beautiful with rain, and also we found the footprint of a wild dog, it was very interesting. In addition, they took us to the fish hatchery because Steve's work relates to that company,and then we saw Whitworth university which Linda went to. That night, we ate Mexican food, and it was also the first time to eat it! I had a really precious time with them, and I hope I see them soon.I have already miss them!

My second family.

It was my first time to have a homestay. On February 27th, after school my friend, Yuki and I had our homestay. At 9:00p.m, our host mother came to see us. She was a cheerful person, so we could talk with her although we were nervous. She is funny, and her joke sometimes evoked a laugh. My host family's house was cute and country style. When we arrived at their house, my host father and children welcomed us kindly. Our host father is a gentle and mild man. He always smiled. They have lots of pets.For example, they have two dogs, three cats, ten chickens, horses, llamas, goats and so on. I was surprised because I have never been to a house like that. On February 28th, we went shopping with our host sister. She is 17 years old, and she is very talkative. We also went skating and to a theater.At night, my host family thought we were missing Japanese foods, so they took us to a Japanese restaurant, Sushi.com. Their kindness made me happy, and I could enjoy the day. On March 1st, we had the most impressive experience. We went to the birthday party of our host sister's friend's daughter. She bacame two years old. She was really cute. There were almost 20 people there. We were the only Japanese, so everyone talked to us. I felt as if I were in a movie scene. There were lots of people without age limit. I was surprised because when I was a child, I also had a birthday party, but it was just a small party. I invited only my friends, not relatives, but the American birthday party I went to was different from what imagined. There were relatives and her friends. I was interested in it. I appreciated that my host family let me experience American life and the party. Through these three days, I thought I must apologize to them because I couldn't talk with them too much, but they took care of me. They spoke to me lots of times because I was quiet. Thanks to them, I could enjoy my homestay weekend, and I am happy to have good memories with them. I am going to go to my host family's house again, so I am looking forward to seeing them!

What do you think ?

"Do you think that children should always obey their parents? Why or why not? Please give me an example to Support your opinion.

I think children should NOT always obey their parents because having your own opinion is one of the stages of growing. Without having their own opinion, children would be too dependent. I don't mean children should always resist. Children should "talk" with their parents. Sometimes parents say their opinions just because they did that when they were children, and not because they think it's important for their children. But the important thing is the age of them. If they are too young, they should obey their parents because their parents say something to avoid danger. Then when is the good age to have your own opinion? I think it's not decided because each child grows with different timing and in different circumstances, so they should be allowed to say their opinion gradually as they grow.

To Have Own Opinions

'Do you think that children should always obey their parents? Why or why not?'

In my opinion, I don't think children need to obey every time, otherwise they won't know how to express their feelings and thoughts. It seems that the situation could be worse if children are not free to do whatever they want. As you watched 'The Painted Lady', Blanche went crazy finally. She must have been tired of being a good daughter. I guess that's because of her dad, and he didn't rescue her so she became such a crazy woman. This shows that just following parents' opinion is not a very good idea. To have self confidence is also significant even though it is for parents. After they listen or know what the kids would love to do, they can still consider what kind of advice or suggestions might fit them. To share opinions is better than just making children obey parents' opinions. Through my experience, I appreciate my mom, because she understands me very much and never makes me just obey her opinion. She listens to my thoughts and feelings, and if it's not okay, she puts me in a correct way. We have an argument as well, though. I really wish Blanche's dad were like my mom. Anyway, that's the reasons I don't think it is a good way for children to obey their parents all the time.

Relationship

I chose the topic about the relationship of father and daughter. I think Blanche and her father's relationship is very strict and she has to respect her father so they have distance in their relationship. But now, fathers are not so strict. They are very friendly and we can say anything so there is not so big a distance between father and daughter. Then, we also can speak and quarrel with our fathers. Modern father and daughter relationship is more friendly than before so I think it is very different.

Is My Mom Everything?

I don't think it is always right to obey our parents. I have learned English since I was 12 and I like it still now. I used to want to be an interpreter because it seemed interesting for me and I thought that it was one of the rewarding jobs. I tried hard to be that for a long time. I often talked about my career goal with my mom and I believed that she was pleased with it. When I entered high school, she said, "There are lots of people who speak both Japanese and English. Being a interpreter is a good goal, but you can be that after getting older. You are so tall, so you'd better be a flight attendant!! " I couldn't say anything back to her. That was my first time that my mom said anything about my future goal. Since I really love my mom and I was not sure what I wanted to be exactly, my future goal changed into being a flight attendant. I was young at that time and it seemed very far to get a job from then. Now I am a university student and I am often asked what I want to be in the future. I have thought about it for a long time, and I started to wonder whether being a flight attendant was my goal. Then I realized that I believed that was my future goal but it was not. That was my mom's. That's what she wanted me to be. Now I am not sure what I want to be again, but at least, I want to be what I would like. My mom means well but I am absolutely not her. Obeying the parents is very necessary, but there is certain time to make decisions by ourselves. We should live our own lives and believe in what we are looking at.

Too Much Attention

1) How is Blanche Sweet and her father's relationship the same or different from modern father/daughter relationship?

I think father's attitude to two of his daughters was a little different. Blanche Sweet was a "good daughter" and she always obeyed her father. She didn't put any makeup on and didn't have a boyfriend. On the other hand, the modern sister who had general father/daughter relationship wore makeup all the time and she was attractive. She was totally different from her sister. Perhaps the father should have treated his daughters the same way, but it was difficult. If the father told Blanche something, she did whatever her father hoped and decided, but another one didn't listen to him and did whatever she liked. So the father seemed to give up to tell something to his modern daughter. But Blanche was a perfect daughter for him, so he cared about Blanche too much. I think "too much attention" was the thing that was different from modern father/daughter relationships.

For being beautiful!

"Do you think young women now still feel much pressure to change their appearance to be more beautiful?What do young women do now to be more attractive?"

I think young women now still feel much pressure to change their appearance to be more beautiful. In 'The Painted Lady', both of the sisters want to put makeup on though Blanche doesn't wear makeup. I think almost all women want to be more cute or beautiful.I feel younger girls are interested in being beautiful lately. Teenage girls often dress up and wear makeup. I feel they try to look more mature. Also, I was surprised to see some girls put makeup on even they are about 5 years old since I came here. Some mothers put makeup on their children. I feel some mother also feel pressure that their daughters become beautiful lately. Not only wearing makeup, young women are interested in fashion very much. In the cities of Japan, almost all women from young to old dress up. I feel even women compete to look fashionable. That is why I think young women feel pressure to change their appearance to be more beautiful the same as before.

My great host family!!!

I went to homestay about 4 weeks ago. However I remember every events I experienced. My host father's name is Gary, he is so gentle and a good cook.He also a good musician because he plays the piano in church. My host mother' s name is Laurie, she is so kind and gentle. I thought she was like my real mother. When I met them first time, I couldn't speak to them a lot because of nervousness. Then I decided to speak more positively and actively, and also not to fear mistakes. The most impressive experience was going church on Sunday morning. It was so different from my first imagination. My imagination to church was so silent and grave, but it was only my imagination. People who came the church talked so friendly and they sang a song cheerfully. Because my host father didn't play the piano on that day, I really wanted to listen to his playing. I felt differences about religon between Japanese and American a lot. I also met their grandsons,cooked Japanese food together, went sightseeing, and so on! I could spent really interesting and precious time with them. On Easter day, I will visit them again and see American Easter custom directly. I'm so looking forward to meeting them again! Homestay experiences is one of the most great experience in America!

female beauty

4)Do you think young women now still feel much pressure to change their appearance to be more beautiful? What things do young women do now to be more attractive? What do you think about it?

I think there still is the idea of changing appearance to be more beautiful is important for young women. Of course, all women wants to be pretty and get a lot of attention from men. I like wearing natural makeup, but I often see some girls who are wearing surplus makeup. They put on eyeliner too much, so they look like a panda. It's very strange for me. Many young women dye their hair these days. Maybe, more than half of students in MFWI have dyed hair. I never dyed my hair, so I don't know the feeling when the hair color changed. I think it's cute and nice, but hair will be damaged. I like my hair color; however, I want to try it someday!!

Obey our parents?

"Do you think that children should always obey your parents?"All of us have our own opinions, so we have to be honest with ourselves. I have some examples of it. First, if we follow our parents all the time, we can't enjoy our life. When I had to decide the high school I went to, my parents and I had different opinions. My parents made a thing of the level of the school, but I didn't care about it. I just wanted to enjoy high school life and a club. I talked about it with them seriously, and as a result I could go to the school I wanted to go to. If I had followed my parent's opinion without talking to them, I wouldn't have enjoyed my high school life that I was hoping for. Second, if we follow our parents every time, we may not be able to give our opinions when we get out into the world. It is important to show our opinions to others, I think. Third, if we follow our parents when we have to make some decisions, we may regret them after that. We cannot help regretting some decisions that we make, but if we regret decisions that someone makes for us we might feel more depressed, I think. Finally, our lives are ours, so we should do what we want to do, but I don't mean we should disobey our parents all the time. It is important to listen to our parent's thinking, and it is sometimes correct for me. For example, when I was a high school student, I wanted to have my ears pierced, dye my hair and put on makeup, but my parents had never permitted to do those things because of the school rules. My friends did those things, so I wanted to do that then, but now I could undersatand to obey some rules is a natural thing, so my parents opinion wasn't a mistake. I think that will help me when I get out into the world because schools are the place we learn not only study but also customs or rules for the time we get out into the world, so I appreciate that my parents were strict with me. Like this, we need to listen to our parents opinion, I think. If our parents and we have different opinions, we should listen to their opinions, but also remember our own opinions.

relationship between father and daughter

*How is Blanche Sweet and her father's relationship the same or different from modern father/daughter relationships?

I think their relationship is not so different from modern father and daughter's relationship. I think it's a natural thing that father care about his daughter eagerly. Of course my father also care about me and give warnings so often. However, I know the reason why he acts like that. The reason was that because he loves me a lot! A long time ago, I hated to hear his warnings, but now I appreciate him saying things like that. I respect him and I love him. I want to marry a man like my father. I wonder did Blanche have the same thinking for her father. I think she did not respect him, but just feared him. I know her father loved her a lot, but it was too strict. My father regarded my opinion, so I can try many things. I think his too strict care caused her sad death.

The generation gap

I think there are different ways of thinking now between our parents and us. Some parents have modern ideas recently, but many parents still have traditional ideas. For my mother, she has really conservative views. She is quite strict with me. For example, she is unwilling to let me go on a date with a boyfriend, go out every weekend, come home late, and not study hard. When I was a junior high or high school student, it annoyed me very much, so I resisted her, and we often quarreled about the difference of the way of thinking. However, my parents didn't care about my personal appearence. Many parents don't allow their children to dye their hair, wear makeup, and pierce their ears. I thought it is an old-fashioned idea, but now, I noticed that parents just want to protect their children because they love their children. Feelings that parents think of the child don't change in any age. Though it is important for parents to be strict with children, to scold too much is not good because children might go a wrong way. I think it is also important to respect the values of the children.

good appearance

Do you think that women now still feel much pressure to change their appearance to be more beautiful? What things do young women do now to be more attractive?

I don't think so, because they often put on some makeup younger than before. Recently, some junior high school students go to school wearing makeup, dyeing hair or wearing pierced earrings, even some elementary school students. Now, young women keep doing them since they were younger so it's not pressure. One of the things which are to be more beautiful or attractive is to put on some makeup, but some young women, especially the students, they put on too much makeup. I think this is not beautiful. The other thing is to be skinny, so most young women are on a diet, but it's not good for their health to diet too much. The other thing is to read women's magazines. They wear some clothes the same as or similar to the clothes which some models wear in the magazines. I think modern young women are more interested in their appearance than before.

different way of thinking

I think there are different ways of thinking now between my parent's generation and me. At first, the circumstance is very different. For example, the teachers' teaching style is different, so the way of thinking is absolutely different socially. Furthermore, I think the relationship of local people was very closer than now. Second,my mother told me about the situation for going to college, employment situation and marriage then. It is a different way of thinking now because then it is common to go to junior college unless you want to learn specific subjects more and more. In addition, the flight attendant was the center of attraction then, and also almost all of women's employees were graduated from junior colleges. As I listened to my mother and my father's stories, there were some strange things and conservative ways of thinking, but it is only the generation gap. There were also good points which we have to continue to next generation.Sometimes my parents and I complained about the difference of the generation gap, but I always realize some new things and share opinions with each other.I think it is very important things to know opinions from the different generation.

Follow your own value!

Question: Do you think that children should always obey their parents? Why or why not? Please give an example to support your opinion.



I don't think that children need to obey all the time. Even parents can make mistakes sometimes, so we should follow our own value. They can be too strict because they love their children. In my case for example, I wanted to accept an exchange student as a hostfamily when I was in jr.high school. I really wanted to know another culture and the way of thinking. I was a kind of volunteer, but I thought it would be a great experience for me. It was a easy way to talk with foreigners. my parents however, never allowed me to be a hostfamily. They told me that our house was too small to host a overseas student. I was completely against them. In my opinion, we don't host them but accept them as a family member. We don't need a big, gorgeous house, we need a welcome heart and curiosity about another culture. I told my parents that again and again but they didn't change their mind. My parents might not have any interests in learning a new country so much. It was really important for me to touch different culture. I couldn't be a hostfamily because it was my parents' house of course, but I joined ESS club. Sometimes parents and children have different opinions. Parents can give advice to their parents, but children decide what they do. It's a little bit hard, but I ask to myself if it is my opinion or not so that I won't regret at all.

My parents' generation and my generation.

I choose the question 'do you think there are different ways of thinking now between your parent's generation and yours.' There are many different ways of thinking between my parents' generation and mine. In my parents' generation, it was not a good thing to go to a coffee shop with their friends. It was not a dangerous place, but their parents thought it was not a good place for children. I was surprised that my mother was not allowed even to go to a movie theater with her friends until she was in high school. Moreover, it was unpopular to make a band especially a rock band. It was okay to play the acoustic guitar, but electric guitar was not okay. The electric guitar's sounds too different from the acoustic guitar, and their parents did not accept the sound. In fact, if someone played the electric guitar, they were regarded as bad. However, in our generation, there are many kinds of coffee shops, place of entertaiment like Karaoke, and also we have a lot of useful systems. For example,we could get a student discount in the movie theater. It is not unpopular to make a band when we were students. We have wider circumstances of play than our parents's generation, and our and our parents' ways of thinking is more adaptive than our parents'. I think that we are gifted with the circumstance that surround us.

Hi Gang!

I just wanted to tell you all how wonderful I think these blogs are. It would be great to have the sisters read some of these. Can I suggest that they be invited to view the blog? I'm sure they would be interested in your lives and your opinions about what you see around you. It's just a thought, but perhaps something that would really let them know how much you enjoy and appreciate their help.

Precious memory in the US

Hello! I stayed with Reedy family last weekend. Parish and Tanya are our host parents, and their daughter is Jaquelyn who is just 2 years old. I was not so nervous because it was not my first time to stay with people from another country. My roommate was really nervous. They had 3 dogs, Ginger, Bailey and Mausey.They were so cute and smart. We went to the Doggy race, and there many dogs jumped into the water to catch a frisbee. It was super exciting! They didn't know anything about Japan, so we told them about Japanese food, fashion, education system, family, environment. I learned a lot about ethnicity from them. Both of them were from Germany and still keep German culture. I was surprised that Parish and Tanya kissed Jaquelyn often and never said "Don't do that", they said,"You were supposed to not no do that, thank you". I was a little bit surprised they were really respectful to their child. I enjoyed their American food, and also we made Tempura for them. I think we shared the cultures of different countries. I had a great time with them.

Miss Them Already!

I love to go to homestay because I love my host family. Actually, I was staying with them for a month two years ago, so we know each other, and they even stayed with my family in Japan. I can talk to them about anything because they're just like my real family, and I just love to spend time with them. During the first homestay from March 6th to 8th, we did a lot of fun things. We all went to the civic theater to see my host sister's musical with tap dance on Friday night. On the second day, my host sister, brother, my roommate and I went to a craft show and downtown to hang out. Dad made great huckleberry pancakes for breakfast and BBQ for dinner for four hungry kids and mom that day. The next day, dad took me for a drive to show the familiar views. It was interesting to see Spokane more, and I had fun to talk with dad for about TWO hours. We ate mom's special sandwich for lunch, and four kids made fondue for our dinner. We bought different kinds of cheese, and French bread, vegetables and apples to dip into the cheese. It was great and fun though we spent for a long time to prepare it. I learned a funny rule of fondue; If you dropped something in the cheese, you have to kiss the person who is sitting next to you. I had to kiss my host sister, and it was mom's favorite part. I had a wonderful time. I miss them already though I meet them every weekend and talk with them on the phone once a week. I really enjoyed the homestay, and I'm so excited to stay with them again next weekend.

American family

I did home stay at the Perdue family on March 13th to March 15th. It was the second time to do home stay, but I felt nervous because I couldn't attend a match-up. I had a fever. I felt comfortable soon because my host family was very kind. On the way to the house, I couldn't talk with my host father because I didn't know what I should talk about. As soon as we arrived, my host father introduced his family to us. There are four people in his family. The son's name is Brendan. He became 9 years old on March 15th so we had his birthday party. A daughter's name is Myah. She is 4 years old. Brendan was good at playing a guitar. He was very cool!!! On the third day, I did cross-country skiing in Mt. Spokane. I was tired because I had to walk on the snow, but I enjoyed very much!! I'll meet them until I am going to go back Japan so I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Sharing Differences, Learning Many!!!

I visited my host family with my roommate last weekend. We had already known her because we met her in the Host family Match Up. When we received the slip that told who our host was, we were a little bit surprised because there was only woman's name. I had stayed with 3 different family before. My image of host family was there were parents, children, and might be a pet. We could not guess what she was like from just one piece of paper. At the Match Up, we found that she is single and lives with her younger sister. We also found how nice and kind she was. Actually, we had a lot of fun!!! We went to a theater to watch the movie called "Marley and Me". We also visited her friends to have lunch together. She is a really good cook so we enjoyed all her dishes,too. Our host family is different from others, but we can learn many things that others might not learn.　She is very interested in Japanese teenagers because she is much younger than other host families. She asks a lot and tries to share differences with us. I have learned that being interested in differences makes our life more interesting!!! We are invited for lunch tomorrow and we will see her brother and his wife. I will ask them a lot and try to get to know each other well!!! So excited!!:-)

The Great Opportunity

Every Monday, after school, Aki and I visit Holy Name to see our conversation partner. We both love to see her because it is such a great opportunity to understand various people. We were told that we should visit her at least 5 days this semester, but we have already been there 4 times!!! We enjoy talking with the sister every time we visit her. Because we go there on Monday, we usually talk about what we have done for our weekend. In addition, she teaches us new English words or phrases. That is also fun!!! I think it is very important for us to talk to elder people because we can learn or understand more deeply about Americans lives or culture. I am so glad to have the opportunity like this. I am looking forward to seeing her next time. I cannot wait :-)

My first Homestay

Hello, everyone! I went to Homestay 4 weeks ago. It was my first time to go to Homestay and visit with an American family. I felt nervous, but not too much because I realized my Host Family are kind when I met them in the Host family Match Up. There are 4 people and one pet, Host Mother, Host Father,2 children who have already got married and moved so I couldn't meet, and their pet Kit. They have been a Host Family 25 times .It's so many! So we were the 26th Host Daughters. Our Host Mother, Diana is good cooker. She made us different countries food each day. All of them were so good. My Host Father, Richard can play the Tuba. He has played it since he was a middle school student. His Tuba's sound made me relax. Kit is a Scottish terrier. He's cute and I like him. One of my best memory was cooking. I and my room mate, Mayumi, made Okonomiyaki for our Host. We went to the grocery store together and bought some materials, for example,cabbage and green onions. They were looking forward to eating our Okonomiyaki and they told us it was delicious. I was so happy when I heard. I was surprised they didn't know Umeboshi. I think it is one of the famous food in Japan and many time when I used the word, all foreigner understood. One of other memory was to go to Coeurd' Alene in Idaho State. We went there on cold day, but the water was calm and also there were many ships on the lake. Mayumi and I enjoyed there, but Kit enjoyed more than us. We ran around the lake and played together. Richard and Diana followed us like our parents. The view was great and it's one of the famous cruising spot in summer. I wanted to come there in summer, but I really enjoyed winter's lake. This weekend, I will meet them and we will watch ice hockey!! I like watching sports game, and I have never watched ice hockey game so I can't wait!!