2015年8月28日金曜日

2015年8月28日金曜日 -

Callum：G’Day from Australia - Part 2

Australia is largely a multi-cultural society and we have many immigrants from all over the world that we welcome; they bring with them their traditions and foods (that we especially like).

Mate ship is a large aspect of Australian culture; this means to look after your mates (friends) and be there for them when times are hard. Australians always support the underdog, and we always have a positive outlook and believe in “having a go” (trying new and hard things without fear). I think this comes from our history with England: Britain controlled Australia for many decades and from this grew a dislike for authority and ruling figures. In Australia we call our boss by their first name – or sometimes even “mate” – and everyone is viewed as equals. Although we still have a high respect for the law, we value independence and equality.
Many people play AFL, also known as Australian rules football, cricket, soccer, rugby and swimming. I think we are quite an athletic nation. But after being in the sun all day, playing footy at the park and going to the beach, this builds up quite a thirst! Australians love beer and some good ones are VB, Little Creature's, Carlton Dry and Emu Bitter.

One of the things I like most about Australian life is sitting out the back (a house's backyard) cooking a BBQ and having a few tinnies (cans of beer) with your mates and family, and watching the sun go down. I think this is what Australians value the most: good times with good people and having a laugh!

So if you go to Australia, definitely try some of these things! Australians are very welcoming and friendly and funny; sometimes a little cheeky. Just be careful of the drop bears if you go...


mate ship：マイトシップ、オーストラリアにおける助け合いの意識
aspect：側面
look after：面倒を見る
underdog：負け犬
positive outlook：楽天的な見通し
many decades：何十年も
grew a dislike：嫌いになる
authority：権威
value：尊重する
athletic：運動好きで活発な
builds up：増進する
cheeky：生意気な







2015年8月21日金曜日

2015年8月21日金曜日 -

Callum：G’Day from Australia - Part 1

Australia: the land down under! A mystical land where the locals ride kangaroos, hunt crocodiles, and are constantly under attack from sharks, spiders, snakes and drop bears! A place where the people drink Fosters by the carton, live in the bush, and are always throwing another shrimp on the barby (BBQ)!

All of the above is not true – except for the spiders in summer, perhaps.

Australia is not as foreign or mystical as some people believe. However, it definitely is a country of natural beauty with some of the best beaches in the world, unique fauna and flora, and friendly, welcoming, relaxed people.

My name is Callum and I have recently arrived from Perth, Western Australia. Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world and has been my home town for the past twenty three years. I am now living in Osaka but let me tell you a little bit more about Australia and our way of life. 

G'day. = Good day. A very relaxed way of greeting someone and a typical Australian phrase.
Some others are:
No worries. = No problem, okay.
Yeah, nah, yeah. = is said when agreeing with someone about a good thing.
Nah, yeah, nah. = is said when agreeing with someone about a bad thing.

bloody = an exclamation, used in a sentence like “The train is bloody late!”

Australians tend to talk quite fast and use a lot of slang words and have a strong accent. Even Japanese people who can speak English well, sometimes find it hard to understand me!


Australian culture tends to be very relaxed and casual, which includes not taking things, or yourself, too seriously. I think a part of why we are so relaxed is because it gets very hot in Australia – sometimes up to 45 degrees celsius! 

mystical：神秘的な
under attack from：～に襲われる
drop bears：クマが落ちてくる
the barby (BBQ)：オーストラリアではBBQをバービーといいます
definitely：間違いなく
fauna and flora：動植物
isolated：孤立している
exclamation：感嘆詞

degrees celsius：摂氏～度

2015年8月14日金曜日

2015年8月14日金曜日 -

Beatriz: Fiestras Patronales (Patronage Festivals)

España es un país muy famoso por la fiesta y sus fiestas, como por ejemplo Los San Fermines en Pamplona, Las Fallas en Valencia, la Feria de Abril en Sevilla, la Tomatina en Buñol, San Isidro en Madrid...

Spain is famous for partying and festivals such as the San Fermines in Pamplona, Las Fallas in Valencia, Feria de Abril in Seville, and La Tomatina in Buñol, San Isidro in Madrid.

Además de estas fiestas grandes conocidas mundialmente, tenemos muchisímas fiestas más. Cada pueblo y ciudad tiene sus propias fiestas, las que llamamos Fiestas Patronales, más pequeñas pero igual de divertidas. Su origen está en los Santos (de la religión católica) que protegen cada ciudad. Las Fiestas Patronales son dedicadas en honor a este santo. Estas fiestas incluyen actos religiosos, como misas y procesiones con las figuras de los santos y además muchas celebraciones paganas, no asociadas a la religión, como desfiles, conciertos, bailes, eventos deportivos, corridas de toros, juegos infantiles, ferias y verbenas. Y tenemos interesantes mercados donde comprar muchos productos artesanales tradicionales y comer buena comida.

In addition to these large festivals, known the world over, there are many more festivals. Every city and village has its own festival. These are called patronal festivals. They are smaller but also a lot of fun.
They are usually dedicated to the saint or virgin recognized as the patron of the city. The festivals include religious celebrations, such as mass and processions with the saint's figures, and secular celebrations, such as parades, concerts, dances, sporting events, bullfighting, children's games, street parties and fairs. There are also interesting markets where people can buy traditional crafts and excellent food.

Los días de fiestas son muy divertidos. Por ejemplo mi ciudad Móstoles, al sur de Madrid, tiene las fiestas nacionales, la Navidad  y las fiestas de Madrid pero tambien tiene sus fiestas patronales. Además somos muy afortunados porque tenemos 2 distintas, una la primera semana de Mayo, para celebrar el acontecimiento histórico del levantamiento (guerra de la Independencia) contra las tropas de Napoleón en 1808 y otras las de nuestro patrón en Septiembre, así que 2 veces al año podemos disfrutar de ferias y bailes y de un mercado medieval donde toda la comida está riquísima.

Festival days are very enjoyable. My city Móstoles, for example, which is south of Madrid, celebrates national holidays, Christmas holidays, Madrid’s festivals and these patronal festivals, too. We are very lucky because we have two different patronal festivals: one is in the first week of May, to celebrate the War of Independence against Napoleon in 1808, and the other is in September in honor of our patron. So, twice a year we can enjoy dances and street parties and a medieval market where we can eat delicious food.
Si viajáis a España no os olvidéis de repasar el calendario a ver si hay alguna fiesta patronal en la ciudad que visitéis. Es fácil de ver, todas las calles estarán adornadas con luces de colores.

If you travel to Spain, don’t forget to check the calendar to see if there is a festival in the city you are planning to visit. It’s easy to spot a festival because every street will be decorated with colorful lights.

fiestas：festivals：祭り
fiestas patronales：patronal festivals：パトロネール祭　
Santo：saint：聖人
patrón：patron：保護者
misa：mass：ミサ
procesiones：processions：行進
desfiles：parades：パレード
corridas de toros：bullfighting：闘牛
verbena：street party：バーベナ(花の名前)
feria：fair ：小さな遊園地
productos artesanales tradicionales：traditional craft：伝統工芸
guerra de la Independencia：War of Independence：スペイン独立戦争（1808-1814）
patrón：patron：保護者
mercado medieval：medieval market：中世の市場

luces de colores：colorful lights：色とりどりの光

2015年8月8日土曜日

2015年8月8日土曜日 -

Phil: Club 9 Lesson

This week I taught Ochanoma Ryugaku's first ever Club 9 lesson.
What is Club 9? Well, Club 9 is a special discussion lesson for level 9 students held every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The lessons cover a variety of general topics, such as society, health, education, work, politics, the economy, culture, leisure, science, technology and the environment. Each lesson concentrates on one topic and during the lesson students discuss current issues with reference to Japan in the world.

In Wednesday's lesson, we discussed the effects of stress on health and ways to deal with stress. We talked about preventative medicine and alternative activities that help promote good health, and we examined how to have an enjoyable lifestyle while maintaining good health.
Here are some useful words and expressions for talking about stress:
l  stressful
l  pressure
l  to be under stress, for example, “She is under a lot of stress.”
l  anxiety
l  distress
l  mental tension
l  chronic
l  fatigue
l  to be prone to
l  peace of mind
l  unwind
 
Here is some student feedback about the lesson:
Ø The sharing aspect was enjoyable. It was fun to give opinions and hear about other people’s views.
Ø It was interesting to study the topic beforehand so that I could improve my knowledge of the topic, and it helped me with my input for the lesson.

12th August: Anthony Hall will be talking about yoga. Is it a sport, a religious practice or an ancient philosophical system? What benefits do people get from yoga? How did it get to be a two billion dollar industry?

15th August: Shawn Mason will be talking about politics, focusing on voter participation. How does Japan’s voter participation compare to other democracies? What affects voter participation? Does participation really matter in a democracy?

16th August: Maria Carbone will be talking about how the media frames news stories. What is “framing theory” and how do news media use it? How information is presented to give alternate perspectives of the same news story. What are the differences in news coverage by Japanese media and Western media?

We look forward to seeing you in a lesson soon.

Phil.


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