I haven’t visited here for a long time.

After graduated from GAITAN, I transfered to Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Nagano.

Therefor, I have continued to sutdy English, and my major is English Lingistics.

Now, I’m doing Job-hunting.

I want to get a job on logistcs.

Going to Tokyo to do job-hunting takes much money and takes long time.

But it’s like a little  trip.

So I’m ejoying my job-hunting!

     My winter holiday was very very busy, because I took two part-time jobs. One was teaching English at a cram school. Another was a waitress at a Japanese-style hotel.

I must have woken up early to go to a Japanese hotel. I served guests with breakfast at 8 a.m. This time was earlier than going to school. After this part-time job, I went to the cram school to teach English. I was happy to meet every student whom I taught in last summer vacation. I worked about 10 hours every day. I was so tired, but I got much money. This winter vacation, two part-time jobs made me feel a sense of fulfillment.

In addition……

     I experienced many things in this winter holiday.  On New Year’s Day, I watched the first sunrise of the year with my brother at a shrine. That day was little cloudy so I couldn’t watch the sunrise clearly. And then, I saw Kazama Kanpei at Kmogawa port. He is just doing Earth marathon. He left in sailboat for America. I will never forget the New Year’s Day.

     I’m going to work a part-time at a cram school in this winter vacation, which I had gone to for 6 years. Last summer, I worked there and taught some junior high school students English. They are candidates for high school, so they need to study hard. I want to give them what help I can. I hope they pass their entrance exam they want to enter a high school in March. I’m looking forward to meet them again!

     There are single-sex schools and co-educational schools. Each has advantages. You have a lot in common with your classmates. Your topics of conversation, value system and ways of thinking and more things can be similar. You can talk with your friends without taking care to talk about your topics. Also, you can concentrate on study, club activities and so on. In contrast, you will encounter more difference views in co-educational schools. You can learn about how to talk with the opposite sex, how to treat and cooperate with them. There are some of the differences between single-sex schools and co-educational schools. You should carefully consider the good points and bad points of each school when you choose school you want to go.

The day is a preparation day to welcome “Toshigami”, New Year’s god. Therefore, traditionally, people clean their home and prepare “Kadomatsu” and/or “Shimenawa” to welcome the god before New Year’s Eve.

Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times on midnight, during December 31st to January 1st. This bell rings are called as “Joya no Kane” in Japanese which means “bell rings on new year eve’s night.” Each bell rings represent 108 elements of “Bonnoh”, defilements, or “Kilesa” in Sanskrit, which is said people have in their mind. The bells are rung to repent 108 of the “Bonnoh”.

On TV, the Red and White Year-end Song Festival is an over 50-year-old tradition involving a singing contest between male and female teams of celebrity singers.

And, we can also watch TV special of Doraemon, Martial arts, Comedy and so on.

At dinner, we eat duckwheat noodles, Toshikoshisoba.

This is one of the  Japanese custom.

If  you come to Japan in December, New Year’s Eve,  you should experience Japanese original cultuers.

     Hi!  I’m Yuuko Masuda.  I’m 18 years old.  I live in Yokohama, Kanagawa in Japan now.  I’m from Kamogawa, Chiba.  There is Tokyo Disney Land in Chiba.  Have you ever been to there?  Kamogawa is famous for Sea World that is an aquarium. Recently, a killer whale baby was born.  It is so cute!!

     Kamogawa is sister city with Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

I had a chance to do home stay when I was 14 years old.  At that time, I couldn’t understand and speak English well, although I wanted to talk with everyone.  I regret this……

So I study English hard at Kanagawa Prefectural College of Foreign Studies.

I want to live in USA or UK in the future.

     I often watch movies and dramas in English.  I like “THE OC”.  

     When a teacher needs to find the results of a quiz quickly, he/she sometimes tells students to swap their papers.  This way to swap papers is general at many schools.  However, there are proponents and opponents with regard to this issue.  Proponents of paper swapping are mainly teachers.  They think that it is the quickest way to check students’ results.  Teachers can save time, too.  Proponents also say this practice motivate students.  On the other hand, opponents think they must protect students’ privacy.  Some students don’t want classmates to know their results.  Thus, opinions are divided on this issue.  You should be careful in deciding which stance to choose.

     There are many kinds of opinions about young children owning a cell phone.  Some says children should own a cell phone for safety.  Others say they are not old enough to own it.  I can understand both opinions.  I maybe agree with the latter.  In my opinion, young children don’t need have a cell phone yet.  Firstly, an extent of action of children is limited. Their parents mostly know where their children are.  Secondly, I think that children with a cell phone perhaps are bullied by friends who don’t have it.  If children own a cell phone very early, it will be strong possibility to depend on it.  They will be not able to communicate with people without it.  Therefore, young children shouldn’t own a cell phone. 

     I feel stress just now!  Because I don’t come up with idea of writing about stress.　Perhaps I can’t realize feeling stress……  No. I can feel stress but I can’t remember when, where and how I feel it.

     Oh! I feel stress about sleep.  Nowadays I have no good sleep.  I can’t get to sleep by midnight so I continue to lack of sleep.  Yesterday I got to sleep at 3:30.  I tried to drink hot milk but I can’t.  I want to sleep enough.  If you know ideas of good sleep, please tell me.

     Human beings have the ability to learn.  Then, do dogs have this ability, too?  To answer this question, Pavlov performed an interesting experiment with his dog.  In this experiment, a bell was rung whenever his dog was fed.  Pavlov repeated this for a week.  One day, after several weeks, the bell was rung but food wasn’t put before his dog.　However, his dog begun to salivate when the bell was rung.  His dog thought that was dinner time when the bell was rung.  The result clearly shows that dogs have the ability to learn.