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!!

sister Rose

Hello,everyone. I'd like to talk about meeting my sister named Rose. I was very excited to hear the program because I have never seen the sisters in Japan, just on TV so I thought this is a good opportunity. The sister is my conversation partner. We met her for the first time in my conversation class on February 24th. That day, I was tired before I met her because it was far from the campus and we had to walk through a forest. The forest was covered with snow so it was hard to walk. As soon as we arrived there, we introduced each other. Then, our sisters were decided. There is one sister for two students. The first day, I talked about myself and my family. This day, I went back my dormitory after I just appointed next Tuesday for meeting again with her. On March 3rd, I met her again. We lost our way so we were late for meeting, but she welcomed us kindly. She gave us ice cream so I talked while I ate it. She told us about her family and life for about one hour. I couldn't understand all things she said so I hardly answered. I wanted to communicate a lot so I will try to talk and ask her some questions positively if I couldn't understand well. I am looking forward to meeting next Tuesday!!

First Visit

We all got an opportunity to meet the sisters of Holy Names as our conversation partner. I go to their place with Sachiyo, who is my partner, and last Tuesday was our first visit by ourselves. In fact, our sister didn't feel well, so the other sister whose name was Ellen became our conversation partner, instead. I was actually a bit nervous, because I thought it wouldn't be like the teenagers talking. Then, it was different to talk with her, but it was very interesting. Of course she's lived in this world before I was born, but it sounded so funny that what she was talking about was mostly before I came this world. She has been to Japan very long long time ago, and she still remembers what she's done there although it's not all of them. How nice it was! The memory, which is still clear, must give her big impact! We also talked about Seattle and East coast. This time she gave us many topics to talk, so I'm going to bring some topics for next time. Oh! After chatting, she brought us over to her room to show her cat. It was sooooo cute, and looked sleepy, though. I touched it softly. It was a nice time to meet and talk with her.

The great oppotunity to talking!

Every Tuesday, I and Atsuko go to talk to sister Rose. I think this experience is so interesting and precious thing for us. I don't often talk clearly and big voice, so I recognize my bad points again. Because I didn't talk with old pepole so often, first time I met her, I was very confused to talk with her. However I think it's so good opportunity to notice conversation's importance.Last time we met her, we mainly talked about each family. When she talked about her family, her face looked like so happy. I felt her love for her family. Then I missed my family. I thought Family love is same all over the world! Sister Rose is 92 years old, so she can't hear and look clearly, but she is so clever and kind, so I want to be like when I get older. I want to be taught many things from her.

Knowing each country

Ayako and my sisters name is Pat. She has visited Japan when she was young, so she is really interested in Japan. On march 9th, we talked about our country. Pat told about the education in America. I was surprised that in America, there is no junior high school. Pat also told us about some famous places in America. She drew a map, so it was easy to understand the place. We drew a map of Japan and told her about Japanese landmarks. She was very interested in Hokkaido as there is a lot of fresh seafood. I hope she will visit Japan again. I really enjoyed talking with Pat and eating ice cream!!!

Can you find it?-Mt. Rainer

Hellooooo!! How are you doing??

I have a conversation partner whose name is sister Victoria. Everyone calls her sister Vickie. She is very kind and gentle to us. she is from the Holy Names, she used to be a sister but now she's retired.

Yoko and I are partners, and before going the center, we dropped by SFCC to get ......

HOT CHOCOLATE at Starbucks. Yeah!!

We talked about Seattle.

Her hometown is Seattle and she used to live near North Bend where we had lunch on the first day. She calls Mt. Rainer her mountain!! Ha ha!

She told us that the shape of Mt. Rainer looks like a face of Indian when you tilt your neck.

Did you know that??????? If you had taken the pictures of Mt. Rainer, look carefully!!

Vickie

Today I want to talk about my conversation partner, Sister Victoria. I visit her with Saori every Monday after school. We call her “Vickie” because she said us to call her Vickie when we met at the first time. Her students have called her that nickname since she was a teacher. Now, we already have met her 4 times and we enjoy the time.
She is very kind and she let us to have cocoa, ice cream, pop corn, etc. every time we visit her. And she has lived in Seattle, so she loves Seattle ! She has difficulty with her walking, but she always waits us at the entrance of Holy Names. She speaks very clear English, so it’s really easy to understand.
I haven’t taken a photo with her yet, so I want do so next time and show you her lovely smile :)

Yoko

Talking with a nun

We often visit nuns after school,and talk an hour everytime.There are two students per a nun.When I visited nuns for the first time, I couldn't hear what she said because she is above the age of eighty.Her voice was difficult for me to hear.I felt down about my listening skill.But,I was motivated soon, so I could hear and talk a lot to her next time.We talked about many things such as our dream, hometown, family, and so on.I showed her some picutures of my hometown and shrine on New Year's Day, and explained about them.It was difficult for me to explain Japanese tradition or custom, but I think that to exchange each culture is benefit for each other.I like to learn other country's culture.Then, she asked us what the most difficult thing to study English is.I told her about my story in a store. When I went shopping, I wanted to buy a "brush", so I asked a clerk where the brush is. But, she led me an area of "blush". Also,I asked a clerk whether there are some water, but he didn't understand what I said at first.My teacher or RA understands my pronunciation,but it is hard for people who don't get used to English spoken by Japanese to understand my English. After I told the story, she suggested to us we practice pronunciation, so she taught us correct pronunciation, and difference of "R" and "L". As I'm poor at pronouncing "R", I practiced hard with her. I probably got well. Then, I heard what she used to do as her job. She helped poor people and black people, and taught English literature to them or other children. And, she opened a store that sold clothes and sundry goods. She has done everything with charity. She has never gotten married, and lives for other people. I think she is estimable people. I can learn lots of valuable things by the nun,so I'm always looking forward to seeing her.

Sisters!

I and Miyu visit Sisters every Monday. Last week, we have visited Sisters and talked about history of MFWI. Sister Pat gave us paper about it and told us many things. We learned that almost of the house was used by the army or Sisters. I think I want to know about my house and Mr.Clarke. After that we could drink hot chocolate and eat popcorn. This day's weather was very bad of snow so it was very good to drink it. Then Sister Pat said we can see the hall next time. She wiil introduce the hall to us. We are looking forword to going there.

Learning From The Sister

Every Tuesday, Yuma, one of my classmates and I go to the church to see a sister of Holy Names. Our previous sister got sick, so sister Ellen became our new conversation partner. We talked about her experiences in Japan, some historical issues between the US and Japan, and our memories from Seattle trip. She used to be an English teacher in Kagoshima, Japan before World WarⅡ, so she knows a lot about Japan. The story which I was interested in the most was about the people's way of thinking, stereotype. American people were told that Japanese people were not nice, but she told us that they were totally different. She said "Japanese people were really nice. It was just because of war..." I found that the war could change people and their lives. We hope that good relationship will continue for yeas to come. After we talked at the dining room, she took us to her room to show her cat. Her room was not big but it looked cozy and there were two Japanese arts on the wall. The cat, Kitty, one of sister Ellen's great friends was pretty with large eyes. She was a little shy at first, but she became friendly gradually. We had a great time there. It was so nice to talk with her because we learned a little about the history and its issues between the two countries of the United States and Japan, and also about the stereotypes. I'd like to ask her about her life and more about history such as women's history which we just learned in Jill's American studies class next time.

Sister, Mary

We meet one of the sisters, Mary regularly. I can learn lots of things from her and enjoy talking. I always go to see her with Yoshimi Totoku. We go there through a forest. I feel as if we experienced an adventure when we are walking there because the ground is always covered with snow and there are lots of trees. We have already seen her three times until now. Mary is always very kind and smiling. For example, when we arrived there, she always welcomed us with her smile and gave us something to drink, so even if I was tired because of classes, I could feel relief. Until now we talked about lots of things with her. For example, we talked about our dream, hometown, family, study, sister's job and so on. Last time, she talked us about her life. When she was young, she helped poor people and black people. She also taught children English literature. Her life is completely different from my life, and I think helping other people is not easy, so I am interested in her life. I want to know about her helping more from now on. We always practice pronounciation of English. I can't tell her what I want to say, even if it is easy words, because of my poor pronounciation, so she always teaches us how to pronounce the words we are not good at. For example, we were taught the difference of "R" and "L". It is difficult for us to pronounce them, but she taught us politely. I was glad for her kind help. Her kind character was made by her whole life , I think, and I want to be the person like her, so I want to learn lots of things and make lots of memories with her from now on.

Visiting sisters

Every Monday, I visit a sister.For the first time, on Feb 24th, we visited sisters in conversation class.I was so excited.Before I met sisters, I was a little nervous, but they were so kind and invited us pleasantly. My friend, Miho and I decided to talk to Sister Dolores.Her smile is very kind and nice.We introduced ourselves to each other and talk about school life or our family.We had a very good time. We made appointment to meet from 3:00 to 4:00pm every Monday.We visit Sister Dolores after classes every Monday.It takes about 30 minutes and it is a little far from MFWI,so it's a little hard,but I'm excited to visit her every time.She doesn't only talk but also teaches us some interesting words.She is so kind.I really enjoy talking.It's interenting to talk to different-generation-American.I want to talk about more various things.

Highbrow sister.

I usually go to the sisters of Holy Names on Mondays. I already have been there twice. My partner, Airi's and my sister's name is sister Pat. She is 80 years old but she is highbrow and active. She always teaches me a lot of things. Last time, we talked about weekend, then we learned about the history of Fort Wright. We used some papers and read, sometimes searched word's mean. I enjoyed it because it is good for me to learn about the place where I live, and it is interesting to me to learn something concerned with my life. First, I do not like to go the sisters of Holy Names (because there is too far from MFWI and there are a lot of snow on the road!) but now, I enjoy going there. I will meet sister Pat the last Monday in March, so I am going to talk about Seattle trip.

Sister.Pat like my grandmother!!

It was first time to talk with an American elderly person, so I was a little nervous before visiting the sisters. At first, we introduced ourselves, and we talked about our family.In addition, we split into 7 groups.I was interested in sister's experience and her background because I didn't know the sister's routine and traditions. My sister's name is Sister.Pat Basel, and I thought she looks like my grand mother becase she always takes care of my saying carefully and very kind to us.She was energetic and talkative!! She told us about American education and geography, and she gave me a cup of hot chocolate and sweets after talking.I was enjoyed talking with her , and she taught us a lot of things we didn't know. I hope that we talk with Sister.Pat fluently and communicate our feelings more and more.By the way, she has been to Kagosima in Japan once when she was a young ,so she is really interested in Japan, particulary shirines and temples.We want to tell her about Japan by using our knowledges!!I hope that we talk with Sister.Pat fluently and communicate our feelings with her more and more.

Welcome to our class blog!

Hi everyone! Welcome to our class blog. We can use this to post some of our writing and make comments to each other. Remember, writing is another way to communicate, so I hope you will use your English writing to communicate with me and other people in our class. Let's get started! Please write a message to our class. Be sure to include the title and write your name and the date at the end of your post. Label your post with your first name and introduction. Ready? Let's go!