| FOREWORD |
| We
want to publish your stories. If you have traveled somewhere and
English helped you or if you have had an interesting experience using
English, please write it down and give it to your teacher. Either the
teacher or the director will help you correct your story so that we can
print it in our newsletter. This is a good opportunity to practice
writing English and also share your experiences with other students.
You can include your name if you wish or sign your story anonymously. Director Top |
| GIVE ME A DISCOUNT |
| I traveled to India with my friend. We
visited Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. The historical buildings were so
beautiful and I was shocked at the big differences between poor and
rich people. We were taken into the room of a souvenir shop by a
"volunteer" tour guide and the door was closed and locked. The shop
people threatened us that they would not release us unless we bought
their product. Then I decided to give them a $50.00 travelers check to
be released. However, their cheapest product was $100.00. I said. "It
looks more like $5.00 to me. GIVE ME A DISCOUNT". The shop clerk said
"$95.00". We kept negotiating and finally we achieved a price of
$50.00. Then I paid and we were released. English saved our lives! If I didn't understand what they were
saying and if I could not have expressed myself in English and resisted
them I don't know what would have happened to us. Anonymous Top |
| APRIL FOOL'S DAY |
| Before Pope Gregory
introduced the new calendar for the Christian world in 1562, the start
of the New Year was April first. Some people didn't hear or believe the
change in date so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April
first. People played tricks on them or sent them on some foolish
errand and then called them "April fools." Today Americans
continue this tradition by playing practical jokes on
their friends or relatives. This is supposed to be done in such a way
that no one is really harmed but everyone can have a good laugh. Ask
your teacher to tell you an April Fool's Day he or she remembers. Director Top |
| WHICH MEANS? |
| My company sent me to our
subsidiary factory in America for a temporary assignment. I worked with
many American people. Of course Japanese people working there had to
speak English. Sometimes I could not understand what Americans told me
due to my poor comprehension. One day I attended a conference. There
were a couple of Americans and several Japanese. I saw one Japanese
person who often used the phrase "Which means" over and over. He would
use this phrase in a question like manner. When he could not understand
what an American said, he would then say "which means" then the
American would explain in more detail or change the expression so the
Japanese person could more easily understand. I felt it was a helpful
expression to use compared to, "Sorry I could not understand. Could you
say that again?" I found that if I said, "Could you please say that
again?" or "Could you please speak slower?" the American would continue
to use the same words over and over just usually louder and I could
never understand. After I began using, "Which means?" I found that
people tried harder to explain things in a more simple manner to me. Anonymous Top |
| DON'T FORGET YOUR GREEN |
| March
17th is St. Patrick's
Day in America, when Irish-Americans and many people celebrate by
wearing green. If you don't wear green on this day, you will probably
be pinched! We Americans want to have the "luck of the Irish" and we
honor our Irish immigrants on this day. A typical St. Patrick's day
party has a menu of corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, and lots of Irish
beer! We decorate with green shamrocks because St. Patrick explained
his idea about Christianity to the Irish using the three leaves of this
clover-like plant. He taught that the Trinity represented God the
Father, God the Son (Christ), and the Holy Ghost existing as separate
parts of one whole. St. Patrick lived in the 5th Century and
died on March 17th. Today St. Patrick's Day is not so
much a
holy day as a secular holiday when Americans have one more excuse to
have a party! How many of the words written in italics are new vocabulary for you? If you have questions, ask your teacher or check the April Newsletter for the definitions. Beginning next month, we will include a vocabulary column. Director Top |
| MEMORIAL DAY |
| Memorial Day, a national holiday
in the United States, is the last Monday of May. The history of
Memorial Day dates back to 1868 after the Civil war between the North
and the South. At this time it was called Decoration Day to honor those
who had died in service of our country because many people decorated
the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. The South refused to
acknowledge Decoration Day because they had lost the war and
southerners honored their dead on a separate day. In 1882 the name was
changed to Memorial Day to honor all soldiers who had died in any war.
We Americans particularly enjoy this holiday because this is when we
unofficially start the beginning of our summer fun and vacation season.
This is a long weekend when we can go on our first camping trip, hike
our favorite trails, organize boating and water-skiing outings or
simply bar-b-cue with friends in our backyards. This Director hopes to
introduce the idea of a summer fun kick off when we have our school
picnic and bar-b-cue the last Saturday of May at the Kujigawa River
Park.. More information about this event is on page 2 of this
newsletter. Director Top |
| VIENNA |
|
"It has been a long cold winter till
April in Vienna. Then every park is filled with flowers and every
square is crowded with many young people and old women and men. Saying
it is good to see Vienna only in this season is not correct, one of my
friends who lived there said to me". Just like the season of four years
ago, I was there to present a paper for an international conference
entitled " Nuclear Safety Culture " sponsored by both the ASME and the
IAEA. It was one of the most prestigious meetings for all nuclear
engineers like me and it had been my dream to do so. I needed about a
month to prepare it. A native speaker had rewritten my draft for more
accurate English expressions and made a tape for practicing my oral
speech. I don't remember how many times I rehearsed it. He pointed out
that you should say the most important words using a strong, slow tone.
Other, less important words, can be spoken with a weaker voice and at a
faster pace. Actually I tried this, but it didn't work out exactly as I
had planned and I felt sweat moving on my face.
Having meals, especially a dinner with my colleagues at an outdoor restaurant on a main street, and visiting a nuclear power plant in Czechoslovakia where Madam Curie had worked were really enjoyable experiences after I had finished my presentation. Studying English has given me the opportunity to enjoy the best in life. It was not only the good view of Vienna I could see, but the sense of satisfaction I felt in doing work in a foreign country using my English skills. O.A |
| FATHER'S DAY |
|
The
third Sunday in June is Father's Day. Mrs. John Bruce Dot, a resident
of the state of Washington in the United States, started this tradition
to recognize fathers after Mother's Day was established in 1908. Her
father had raised his six children by himself after his wife died. To
thank her father, Mrs. Dot tried successfully to establish the same
tradition for her own dad and finally Fathers Day was recognized in
1916.
In America, men usually get off work between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. In the summer, due to daylight savings time, it doesn't get dark until about 9:00 in the evening. Children have three months vacation from school and there are many children's sports activities. Fathers can go to see their children's baseball or soccer games after work. When I was working in America, I was surprised that my American manager often left the office to see his son's hockey games in spite of serious work situations where others were inconvenienced by his absence. Which do you prefer, the traditional Japanese work ethic or the "American way"? Why not discuss this topic in class with your teacher? S.R |
| GUAM |
|
I visited Guam with my friend for my summer vacation last September. It was the first time for us to visit the southern country and we were so excited. Of course, we wanted to enjoy a 'foreign country' using English. When we arrived at the airport in Guam, we saw many ads written in Japanese. We thought a lot of Japanese visit there. Indeed, we didn't need English all the time. At the coffee shop, I ordered in English,"Two cafe au lait, please." The waiter said to me in Japanese, "Dai, chu, sho doredesuka?". At the department store, I asked the clerk by showing a shopping card, "What is this for?" He answered, "Hosho no tamedesu." That was really a strange conversation. I enjoyed my vacation so much, but I didn't recognize that Guam was a foreign country. H. K Top |
| JULY 4TH AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY |
|
The second great summer outing for most Americans is the day we celebrate winning our freedom from the British Empire. After the War of Independence, the United States could govern itself as a separate entity and no longer was subject to rule by the King of England or liable for taxes or other tariffs imposed by the "mother country". These days, Americans generally celebrate with outdoor bar-b-cue parties and plenty of fireworks. Of course, our fireworks display don't begin to compare with those we can witness at Tsuchiura, but we have plenty of fun and often churn ice cream in old fashioned tubs. Sometimes we have silly games like pie eating contests or watermelon seed spitting contests. This is an official holiday and if it falls on the weekend, the Friday before the 4th will be a holiday for most employees or the Monday following. This is another one of our "long weekends" when we relax and enjoy our family and friends.
Director Top |
| MY VISIT TO AMERICA |
|
There are
many differences in Japan and the USA. When I was staying there, I
attended a Middle School - like Junior High School in Japan. I was
shocked when I got there how many gangs there were and that graffiti
was everywhere in the schools and in public restrooms. Terrible things
were written all over the walls. I lived in a safe place and attended a
nice small school. About 400 students ages 12, 13, and 14 were there
and I had two Japanese friends who also went to the school. We were
lucky because there were not too many drugs or guns - but there were
some at the school. Most kids just got in trouble for graffiti,
starting fights or bringing cigarettes or alcohol to school. Also in
America kids aren't required to clean the schools like we are in Japan.
If kids had to clean in America, and they saw how much work it was to
clean, I think graffiti would stop. American children need to clean up
after themselves.
Another thing that is very different in school in the US is the lunch menu. In Japan, we get nutritious meals with many different food groups. In America, they offer a variety of things that are not healthy. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we were served hamburgers and French fries. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we got pizza and a little bit of fruit or vegetables. Also, I thought it was very strange that the cafeteria had many vending machines. There were candy, soda, and chip machines, and unfortunately most of the students spend their money on junk food and snacks. I am happy to be back in Japan and eating a healthy school lunch again. Anonymous |
| THE TOWER OF BABEL |
|
Have you noticed the latest addition to our
puzzle collection on the center back wall of the classroom? This is a
replica of Pieter Bruegel's depiction of the Tower of Babel story
taught in the Bible. According to this book, the people of ancient
Babylonia were trying to build a tower that would reach to Heaven. When
God saw what success the people were having, He decided to confound
their language so no one would understand each other. At this time,
according to the Bible, all the people on earth spoke one language. God
stopped the building of the tower by giving everyone a different
language. If you are interested in this story, you can read more about
it in the Bible in the first book of the Old Testament. You will find
the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis, Chapter Eleven. I chose
this puzzle for the school because I enjoy Bruegel's work and it seemed
a fitting theme for our language school. What do you think?
Director |
| TASTING LESSON |
|
How did you enjoy the tasting lesson? We practiced how
to
describe the taste and texture of food while eating different foods.
More advanced students also used this opportunity to learn which
adjectives have comparative and superlative forms. They practiced using
other adjectives that must take the form "more or most" when comparing
the taste or texture of one food to one or more similar foods.
Followings are examples of adjectives we studied:
sweet mushy
salty
fresh
sour
crunchy
burnt rotten
bitter
crispy raw
stale
hot
delicate
tangy delicious
spicy smooth
hard tasty
sticky
lumpy soft
tasteless
dry
chewy fishy
bland
juicy bubbly
pungent creamy
CAN YOU GUESS WHICH ADJECTIVES NEED MORE OR MOST?
Any students liked this lesson. One intermediate
student
who often entertains foreigners when they visit his company said, "Now,
I can be more talkative when I have dinner in restaurants with
foreigners. This kind of lesson was very helpful for me". We plan to
have other lessons like the tasting lesson in the future. We have been
requested to do an encore of this lesson again in March. We will add an
additional program to coincide with the tasting party that will focus
on dinner conversation with foreigners and how to start a conversation
with someone you have never met at a party. |
| WHY I STUDY ENGLISH |
|
I'm a nurse, and I often meet foreign patients
in my hospital. I want to understand them and make them more relaxed. I
think English is the most widely used language in the world. I want to
make use of English in my job. That's why I began to study English in
this class.
K.S |