2015年11月27日金曜日

2015年11月27日金曜日 -

Mitch：The Village of Clinton

As some of you know from my lessons, I am from New York. When I say New York, most people think I mean the city, but I am really from the countryside. I have spent time on farms and even more time wandering in the woods. When I was in college, I lived and studied in the capital, but I grew up in the countryside in a small place called The Village of Clinton.


My village is located in Upstate New York, in a valley between the Catskill Mountains and the Adirondack Mountains. It is a great place to see autumn leaves and you can see deer or cows every day there. There are a lot of trees, hills and mountains and many small restaurants and shops. The tallest building in town is only three stories tall. There are less than two thousand people in the whole village. When you walk down a street, you regularly see squirrels, deer and rabbits. It is a village in the middle of nowhere, over four hours from New York City. However, if you like nature, music or even Italian food, it is a great place to live. If I wanted to go for a walk in the woods, it was very easy to do, as the village is in a forest. Living in Osaka I sometimes miss living in a forest, but most of all, I miss my dog.



 Once a year the village holds a music festival when bands from other parts of the U.S. come and play. There is always lots of loud music and good food. It is a good way to meet with old friends and hear new bands as well. The festival lasts for three days and is a good break in the middle of the summer.
Every Thursday during the summer we have a farmers' market during which farmers and people who make handmade goods come to the center of the village, and sell food and goods in the park there. You can buy fresh bread, cheese, cakes and pies from farmers or even candles, homemade dog treats, and bacon covered in chocolate from stalls there. In my village it is easy to get delicious fresh food, and to relax in the summer. In the winters there is always a ton of snow, so if you enjoy hot choclate and staying indoors or skiing and sledding, it is a very nice area then, too.
In Clinton, we have many events like the farmers' market or the music festival. You can watch fireworks on the Fourth of July or see a parade on Christmas and Thanksgiving. There are many small shops in the village center and there is always good food if you like bakeries, cafes or Italian food. Although there are more cows than people, it can be a very relaxing place to live. It has been a very different experience living in Osaka. Having grown up in a town of less than two thousand, I miss the food and nature of my village, but I love being in Osaka, too.

capital：首都
Upstate：北部
valley：谷
three stories tall：三階建ての高さ
less than：～に満たない
squirrels：リス
lasts：続く
stalls：屋台
sledding：ソリ滑りをする
miss：恋しくなる

2015年11月20日金曜日

2015年11月20日金曜日 -

Beatriz：THE DAY WE WERE WORLD CHAMPIONS

A los españoles en general les gusta el fútbol, pero siempre hay excepciones claro. Muchos piensan que a las mujeres no les gusta, pero por ejemplo a mí sí.

Spanish people in general like football, but there are always exceptions, of course. Most people think that women don’t like football, but I do, for example.

Los españoles a los que le gusta el fútbol siempre recordaremos en especial el día en el que España ganó el Mundial, un 11 de julio de 2010 en Johannesburgo, Sudáfrica. Fue una alegría muy grande, porque nuestro equipo siempre llegaba solo hasta cuartos, y antes en 2008 habíamos conseguido también ganar la Eurocopa.


Spanish people who like football will always remember the day that Spain won the World Cup: 11th July 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a great joy because up until then our team had always been knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals; and in 2008, we had won the UEFA European Championship as well.

Recuerdo que ese día fui con mis amigos a Madrid, al lado del estadio Santiago Bernabeu para ver el partido en una pantalla gigante con muchas personas. Durante el partido fue my divertido y emocionante, todos estabamos muy nerviosos.

I remember going to Madrid with my friends to watch the match on a giant screen near Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with a lot of other people. As the match went on, it was a lot of fun and very exciting, and everybody was very nervous.

El partido fue contra Holanda y hasta el final no supimos quien ganaría. Gracias a las paradas de Iker Casillas y al gol de Iniesta conseguimos un sueño. Recuerdo que fuimos a celebrar la victoria por las principales calles de Madrid (como la Gran Vía o el Paseo de la Castellana), cortadas al tráfico y nos bañamos en una fuente, algo muy típico en España. Volví a casa muy tarde, de madrugada, fue una gran e inolvidable experiencia. 


The match was against Holland and until the end we didn’t know who was going to win. Thanks to our goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Iniesta’s goal, we achieved our dream. I remember going to celebrate the victory in the main streets of Madrid (such as Gran Via or Paseo de la Castellana), which were closed to traffic, and we jumped in a fountain, something very typical in Spain. I arrived home very late, in the early morning. It was a great and unforgettable experience.

recordaremos：we will remember：覚えている
Mundial：World cup：ワールドカップ
equipo：team：チーム
cuartos：quarter finals：準々決勝
ganar：win：勝つ
divertido：fun：楽しい
emocionante：exciting：わくわくする
nerviosos：nervous：どきどきする
partido：match：試合
fuente：fountain：噴水

madrugada：dawn, early morning：早朝

☆Beatrizのブログ☆
☆Beatrizのブログ☆

2015年11月13日金曜日

2015年11月13日金曜日 -

Adrian：　Self　introduction

Hello! My name is Adrian. I'm twenty four years old and I'm from a small city called

Halifax on the East coast of Canada. This part of the country is known as the Maritimes. I was born and raised there, and grew up enjoying life next to the Atlantic Ocean. This is probably the reason why I love seafood. Halifax is actually famous for its lobster, which is a popular meal to have for special occasions. When I was young, I always had lobster for dinner on my birthday, which is a tradition that I continue to this day! Halifax is also known locally as the City of Trees, because so many of the residential areas and even parts of downtown are lined with huge, leafy trees. So, in the summer, there is green everywhere, and it is a beautiful place to walk around and spend time outdoors. I personally love going to lakes with friends and my dog, as well as eating out at patio-restaurants downtown. Winter is a different story, however, because we usually get hit with more snow than any of our neighboring provinces. Every Canadian, especially from the Maritimes, is never surprised when they have to shovel through a few feet of snow just to get to their car in the morning once February rolls around. But harsh winters have made Canadians tough, so we don't often complain about the cold or the snow during the winter.


As for some other things that I like to do, cooking, playing and watching soccer, and listening to and playing music are probabaly my favorites. I have been a soccer player since I was six years old, and was lucky enough to represent my Province for Men's soccer in the 2009 Canada Games! I also played for my high school team, my city team, and went on to become captain for my university team! When I'm not playing soccer, I like listening to music, as well as playing guitar, bass, drums, and piano—I was always inspired to play music and learn to play instruments by my uncle, who is the drummer of a famous Canadian rock band called Sloan. Other than that, I love travelling and meeting new people all around the world. I have gone on trips to England, Italy, Spain, Australia, and now I'm living in Japan! I love Japan so far, and have been trying to learn Japanese language and cooking. Sashimi is my favorite dish here, but since I live in Osaka, Okonomiyaki is a close second favorite. I'm looking forward to making many new friends in Japan, as well as teaching English and learning Japanese! 
the Maritimes：カナダの東海岸の沿海州
the Atlantic ocean：大西洋
residential areas：住宅地
downtown：中心地
patio-restaurants ：パティオのあるレストランと
get hit with：被害に遭う
provinces：州
shovel ：シャベルでかき出す
harsh：厳しい
tough：タフ
represent ：代表になる
Other than that：それ以外では

so far：今のところ

2015年11月6日金曜日

2015年11月6日金曜日 -

Shawn: The best kept secret in Kyoto: Zenrinji Temple (Eikando)

Of all the cities in Japan, Kyoto is easily the most iconic. It is one of the most historical cities in the world, full of all sorts of temples, castles and wonderful sights. Famous places such as Ginkakuji or Kinkakuji are visited by thousands of people every year and well known by nearly all Japanese people; but have you heard of Zenrinji temple?

            I had the chance to go to Kyoto this summer and after doing some research on interesting tourist spots, I discovered many people praising Zenrinji Temple (A.K.A. Eikando) as one of the best places to visit in all of Japan. I asked some Japanese friends about it but no one had ever even heard of Zenrinji temple. I decided to make Zenrinji Temple the main attraction of my trip to Kyoto and I am very glad that I did.
              

Right away I knew I would enjoy Zenrinji Temple more than the other temples I had been to before due to there being absolutely no line to get into the temple. It seems that very few people know about it and as such it was not crowded at all. At the temple I was treated to all sorts of wonderful sights such as a lovely Japanese garden and some fascinating statues of the Amida Buddah with his head turned sideways. Legend has it that the statue came to life, turned its head, and spoke to the priest of the temple.
The best part for me was the traditional peaceful atmosphere. The temple is far enough away from the road for it to be very quiet and peaceful. Cameras are not allowed throughout much of the temple so everyone can just focus on enjoying what is in front of them instead of trying to take a perfect picture. I highly recommend this temple to everyone visiting Kyoto. I had a great experience there and I hope you do, too! There may be a few more people there in certain seasons, though...

best kept secret：穴場
iconic：象徴的な
A.K.A. ：（also known as）別名
praising：賞賛する
due to：というのは
fascinating：魅力的な
legend has it：～という言い伝えがある

focus on：～に集中する


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