I started to teach English to little kids from the past April. Since I gave a birth to the first child, I hadn’t had enough time for myself until I got a chance to study English at Suita Church about a year ago. Every time I attended the class, I really had a wonderful time and was influenced by other students’ career regarding English studying or teaching. Since then, I had thought that I would like to do something using English. At last I found the something that I’d had been looking for. That is an English teacher for little kids. Now I’m very satisfied with my decision.
Teaching English
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Wednesday Jun 28, 2006Chion-In temple
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Monday May 15, 2006Yesterday, my husband and I visited "Chion-In" temple in Kyoto. My mother came to my house to take care of my children.
It was the first time for us to have a date since I got birth the first child about 6 years ago. We took a train from JR Suita station to Kyoto station using a local line. It took us about 40 minutes. We talked a lot in the train, which is very difficult to do in daily life since my husband works late at night.
"Chion-In" is the head temple of all the "Jodo-syuu" temples in Japan, so there were so many people visiting there. At the temple we prayed and were explained various things about how the temple was built from the historical viewpoint and about the meaning of beautiful Buddhist paintings in the main gate called "Sanmon" in Japanese.
As yesterday was a mother’s day, I bought a flower basket and a cake for my mother at Isetan department store in Kyoto station. I was glad to see my mother seemed to like them. Without her, I had never experienced that beautiful day. I really appreciated her.
religion
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Tuesday May 9, 2006It’s difficult to talk about religion. What I mean ‘difficult’ here is that people don’t talk about religion in everyday life especially in Japan, therfore it’s difficult to talk about it with my friends or even family members. I think quite a few Japanese people don’t have any religion that they really believe in.
I was one of them. But as I wrote the prior article in my blog, since I experienced the very valuable worship in "Jodosyuu" and learned about the profound religious thinking, I now started to study about Buddhism more thoroughly.
As I study English at church once a week, I learn about Christianity and I’m interested in learning about it. As a matter of fact, I have been interested in Christianity since I studied English literature at University. I knew that I couldn’t study English literature without knowing about Christianity. But unfortunately, that religion was above my head at that time and had been so until recently.
Fortunately, I’ve got a chance to study about the two religions. There are so many things that I don’t know. It means that there are so many things that I can study from now on. I’m very happy about that.
Buddhism
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Monday May 8, 2006From May 3rd to 7th, My husband and I participated in a Buddhist worship seminar. My family believes in "Jodosyuu", one of the Buddhism denominations.To tell the truth, before I participated in this worship seminar, I wasn’t sure whether I was a Buddhist or not. But after having studied various things about Buddhism this time, I’m confident that I’m a Buddist. It was a hard work but at the same time or more than that, my heart had been filled with peace. It really was a good experience to me.
About myself 2
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Saturday Apr 8, 2006During the winter vacation while I stayed in America, I had to get out of the dormitory so I looked for a winter home stay program.
As I wrote before in my blog, when I first read the famous speech "I have a dream" by Martin Ruther King Jr. in my high school days I got impressed by his bravery so that I’d been thinking that if I’d had a chance I’d like to visit his hometown in the future. Therefore, I decided to apply for the program in Georgia. Before I left Washington D.C. for Atlanta, I got a call from my host mother. Her English had a southern accent and her voice sounded very soft and gentle.
It took about an hour from the airport to the host family
About myself
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Wednesday Apr 5, 2006I’d like to write about myself concerning English study. The first time I studied English was when I was in the first year of a junior high school just as many Japanse do.
After I entered a high school, the homeroom teacher was an English teacher and one day he suggested me that I would go to Osaka University for foreign languages. Since then, somehow I blieved that I could enter the university. I took the examination for that university, but unfortunately I didn’t pass it. Instead, I entered Kansai University majoring English literature.
After I entered a university, my goal was to get the ticket to study in America. Kansai university had a sister’s relationship with George Washington university in Washington D.C.. I tried the exam that was held at the university when I was in the third year and failed it and I tried it again when I was in the fourth year and I passed it. How happy I was when I was told that on the phone by the professor I studied for graduation thesis.
Three months later, I was in D.C. and studied English literature. I took 5 classes except English as a second foreign language during two semesters. Studying there was much more difficult than I expected but I was satisfed with the way American professors taught. It was quite different from the way in Japanese universities. Students in a class are supposed to express their thoughts so they don’t just listen to the professor’s lecture. Every class I took was exciting. I’m not sure "exciting" is a proper word but anyway, I really had a wonderful time at George Washington university.
I stayed in a dormitory and had an American roommate named Jennifer. We became very good friends. Her father was from Philippine and he was a good cook. When I visited Jennifer’s home in Philadelphia, her father cooked delicious Filipino dishes. Her mother was a minister at church.
On weekends, I used to go to Smithsonian museums. Those museums are all free. I love pictures by the Impressionists. Most of all I love Monet. I was so happy surrounded by his "Water lilies".
I have to go now. I will write a sequel in the next blog.
Keeping a blog
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Friday Mar 17, 2006About 2 months ago, Kyle, my English teacher told all the students to keep a journal in English every day so that we could have an opportunity to think in English at least once a day. Since then for about 3 weeks, I was able to keep my journal every single day. If I have time, I have kept the journal using blog. However, now I start to find it difficult to do it every day. I would like to post some pictures to my blog but I don’t know how. I’m trying to find out the way following the explanation page how to put pictures.
Costco
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Thursday Mar 9, 2006Today I went to Costco, an American supermarket in Amagasaki, for the first time. It was a very interesting place. I was surprised by the each product’s size. Everything was so big! I found English picture books for kids though I didn’t have enough time to read. I also found a loose-leaf notebook that I used to use when I studied in America as an exchange student about 15 years ago. That yellow notebook reminded me of that wonderful year I spent in Washington D.C.. I wish I could go back to my student days.
The girl’s festival
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Friday Mar 3, 2006Today is "Hinamatsuri", the girl’s festival. According to my daughter, they celebrate the festival, singing songs, watching the puppet show and listening to the choir by mothers’ circles at her kindergarten. She also ate some cookies that the eldest students cooked. She was so happy.
At home I cooked "Hina-zushi", sushi topped with egg and several seafood such as tuna, salmon roe, and shrimp. It was delicious. When I was a child, my mother also cooked "Hina-zushi" every year on March 3rd. She also displayed "Hina-Ningyou", dolls displayed for the festival. I was so happy to see those dolls and listen to the song "Hinamatsuri" through a music box.
International understanding education
Posted by Kansai Blogger | Under General Thursday Mar 2, 2006Today I went to an elementary school near my house to see the international understanding class. One of my friends teaches English and gives international understanding lessons as well. Today she was with a Vietnaminese and gave a lesson to have students understand about Vietnam.
Before the class students were told to study about Vietnam and each student wrote what he or she learned. Various things about Vietnam such as foods, religion, clothes, and history were written on a piece of paper.
In the class, they were taught how to count one to ten and how to play
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