The First day of San Francisco trip

From December 28th to January 4th, I went to San Francisco with Nao-chan! SF is the place to go! I love it. We had a great time in there.

This is the place we went to on the first day of our trip!!

Thai food----We went to a Thai food restaurant to have a lunch! I tried a bowl of noodle tasted spicy! Yummy, as I guessed before!

Cable car----We took too many pictures of cable cars, which might have been a kind of waste of memory of our camera. www Anyway, we were so excited to see some cable cars for the first time!

Grace cathedral----This is a very beautiful building! Also, a very big church! But the only thing we couldn’t understand was that there was a maze on the floor of the building. This maze might have a very important meaning we don't understand. Of course, we tried the maze for nothing!

Cable car museum----It was for free to enter. You can see a big wheel spinning to move a cable car and a classical style of cable cars there. I remember I pretended to be crushed by the classical cable car to take a funny picture!

China town----China town in SF was totally different from Japanese one. That was the “real” China town, which means Chinese people live there naturally as if the place is in China. Also, We found a funny sign saying “高級髪型設計.” The shop with this sign was actually a hair salon!! Wow!!

Seattle

Perhaps, I might be able to meet him called Ichiro-!! I was excited to think about that before I went to Seattle, where he lives and plays baseball!Yeah!!

Seattle was a very good place to visit, though I couldn’t meet him finally. I went there with my friendship family, who is taking care of me during I’m staying in the U.S. We went to the Public Market, where lots of stuffs were.

The most interesting thing I thought was that I grabbed a huge fish, as you can see it on the picture above. I think I can never forget about that, and that was the first time and might be the last time for me to do it!

People in the market were very friendly, that’s why I could grab a fish. Also, at the other place of the market, when my friendship family mother asked one of them to let me see throwing a fish, he really threw a fish toward me!! I was almost screaming, or, perhaps, I might have screamed at such a surprising service.

But actually the fish was fake, not real. To throw a fish was very famous act at the market, I had heard so before we went there. That’s why I really wanted to see it, and that’s why she asked them to do it for me. But Everyone, including me and her, didn’t expect for such a funny show by the people of the market.

Now, I’m kind of wondering if Ichiro has been there, and seen the funny show, or not. He lives a wonderful place!

Christmas

Here comes an American Christmas!! I could spend my Christmas time in the home of Christmas! This is the real Christmas!!

The most difference between Japanese one and American one is, I think, that people in America spend their Christmas time with their family. In Japan, Christmas is getting more for couples or friends. But here in America, family gather at home, eat dinner, and open lots of presents together, which might be a traditional of my friendship family, not in general.

Anyway, in the morning of Christmas day, I was waken up by one of their daughter and went downstairs to open presents! I think, it was before 7o’clock in the morning. I was kind of sleepy though... Then, we all opened our own presents one by one. I mean, everyone, of course including parents, could get some presents! What’s a wonderful holiday the Christmas is!!

I also got many presents from each person. I was happy not only to get lots of presents but also to spend a happy Christmas time with them. Ho-ho-ho---

Farewell Party

Unfortunately, one of my friends will transfer to the other school. I was so sad to hear that, even if the school is located in the same city as L&C is.

So, we had a farewell party for her!! Ummmmm, that was so fun as long as I was awake. I mean, I was asleep during the party..... because there was a very very big bottle of wine!! I couldn’t believe myself sleeping there at the farewell party for somebody else, not for me.

Anyway, the party was very fun! So it’s OK!! Maybe…
I’ll miss my friend who will leave here after this semester. She is a funny and cheerful girl from Kenya. I love her

Saying good-by is always very sad, as I left Japan I thought so again.

AES Christmas Party

Today we had a Christmas party only for international students. Everyone had been required to buy something as a present and bring it to the party, and then during the party, we picked up one of the presents on the table one by one. We drew lots for turns, and my turn was 39! No comment about the turn.

Anyway finally I got a necklace, which one is not so cute but funny. Everyone who saw my necklace said so to me. It must suit me definitely!!

By the way, the present I bought for this party before was DVD!! I wanted to see the DVD, though I have no idea what kind of movie it is.....but it must be fun, because when I went to buy something as a present with my friends, everyone(only two though) said to me that the movie is very good!! They were all of one voice. That’s why I chose the movie as a present, and also I had a plot to watch the movie after the person who will get my present watches it.

However, actually he was the person I have never met before.....I gave up the plot unfortunately. Please enjoy the movie without me. I’ll enjoy my funny necklace.www

Anyway, We had a really good time singing some Christmas music together and ate various kinds of deserts some professors made for us.

Cross Country Ski

Yeah!! I went skiing today, which is one of College Outdoor activity. But this is not a normal ski but a Cross-Country ski. I signed up for the ski, though I had never Cross Country skied before. Just try, try, try!

Actually, Cross Country Skiing itself was not so difficult. I think it is almost same as a normal ski, but it was very tiring me. We didn’t use any lift, but we just walked and walked, went up and went down a slight slope with ski board, ski boots and ski stock. It sounds tough and in fact it was so tough that I feel pain on every part of my body.....but it might be one of sign of youth that I feel pain soon after I skied. www

Also, I realized that Japanese ski and American one is a little bit different each other. In case of Japanese one, ski boots and ski boards are fixed tightly so that our feet can’t be away from the ground. On the other hand, as American one, ski boots and ski boards are connected only by toe parts of ski boots, so your feet are not fixed with your ski board. It was a little scary for me because I used to the Japanese ski.

The girl of the picture hae never skied before, so this was the first time for her to ski....HOWEVER, she was much better than me... Whyw

By the way, I gonna go to ski again during this winter break!! Next time is a normal ski. I can’t wait!!

Christmas Tree

Christmas tree came up to Portland at last!! I saw it on the Pioneer square on my way to the Sushi restraint today, but every my friend said to me, “Haven’t you seen it before? It was there from a couple days ago!!” Oh really!? This time was the first time for me to see it because I hadn’t been out of the campus for a long time. www

I wonder if I can see it again or not before the tree is removed. I’m not the person who goes to downtown often unfortunately.....Anyway, the tree made me feel that Christmas is coming up sooooooooon!!

Big Birthday Party

Surprising party worked out!! We kept a secret only to our friends whose birthdays are on December. Then today all of them looked really surprised at the party more than we had expected.

But actually I didn’t do anything for the party. I just went to join the party, while some of friends were preparing a lot for it. Sorry…anyway, Happy birthday 6 of us!!

By the way, some of us tried strange drink. I can’t explain it well even now, but it was a drink flavored with something strange for drink, such as Turkey flavor, Corn flavor, Mashed potato flavor, and so on. The first time to drink was too bad to stand it, but “fortunately” I became used to the strange flavor. Moreover, I felt even tasty......huh..

Japanese Cooking

I joined Japanese cooking party! One of my friends, Lindsay, invited me in. She told me that she will have a Japanese cooking party with her classmates and her teacher. So before going the place to cook Japanese food, I was kind of nervous because I’m not good at cooking even Japanese food. I’m very good at eating very fast or a lot though. www

Actually I had met them before in their Japanese class when I joined the class as a volunteer. So when I arrived the place, I could tell who some of them are. And then when I started speaking something to Lindsay in English, she told me to use Japanese there! Yes, it is true, because this party is one of activity of their Japanese class. I should use Japanese, not English here. It made me relieved from a little nervousness.

We made Chirashi-zushi,Inarizushi,Udon,and Okonomiyaki. Everything was so tasty that I enjoyed Japanese taste. Also I thought it is not so difficult to make Japanese food if I can get some ingredients for it. So I decided to make Japanese food for my friendship family if I have a chance to do it in their house! It should be good.