2017年11月11日土曜日

2017年11月11日土曜日 -

David: The best food is in Australia

''Throw a shrimp on the barbie'' or so I hear a lot of tourists say in Australia, although most Australians call them prawns not shrimps. Regardless, Aussies love their barbecues and we love our food. It just so happens that Australia is one the best places in the world to go for food lovers and I'll tell you why. Not only can you enjoy barbecues while you're seeing the sights, but also full course meals and snacks. Food is something that you cannot miss while you're in Australia.

     Let's start from the grill. Barbecues are almost as common as there are weeks. Japanese like to go to izakayas and relax, and Australians like to go to barbecues and relax. Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, along with healthy sides of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and potato... we'll eat anything that can be raised or grown on a farm. Seriously, you can bring anything to a barbecue! This includes any sauces or condiments that you feel are necessary to enhance the flavor of whatever it is you're eating. Some restaurants that serve barbecue will even serve kangaroo, although it's more of a try-it-once-in-your-life thing. After you've had your fill of meat and salad, you can move onto the dessert.

     Someone will have already put out the dessert from the beginning so you can enjoy some snacks while you're digesting the meat. In addition to your standard potato chips and lollies, you can try lamingtons (sponge cakes with a thin outer layer of chocolate covered in coconut), Anzac biscuits (crunchy cookies with the baker's choice of nuts and toppings), and Tim Tams (chocolate biscuits that just melt in your mouth). You have to balance all the salt and grease from the meat with something sweet and there will be no shortage when you're in the land down under. As a matter of fact there is no shortage of any variety of food, even if you tire of barbecues.
 

     Australia is a blend of cultures from all around the world. With each culture comes a unique cuisine and Australians welcome good food from anywhere. Huge Chinese yum-chas, countless Vietnamese shops, aromatic Turkish kebab stores, spicy Indian restaurants, high-class Italian gardens, romantic French cafes, even Japanese izakayas,  and so many more from all over the world. Whatever you want, you'll be sure to find it in any major Australian city. The best part is you can always enjoy food without having to take any time away from sightseeing. So next time you come down to Australia, be ready to eat like a king!

Shrimp：小エビ
prawns：(大きな)エビ
Regardless：とにかく
grill：網で焼く
sides：添え物
raised：(家畜が)飼養された、(野菜など)が栽培された
grown：育った
condiments：薬味、調味料
enhance：高める・増す
try-it-once-in-your-life：一生に一度の経験
digesting：消化している
lollies：キャンディ
grease：脂
As a matter of fact：実際のところ

Countless：数えきれない

2017年10月28日土曜日

2017年10月28日土曜日 -

Lucy: British Education

There are many differences between British education and Japanese education. One of the first differences that many notice is the structure. In Japan, the most common structure starts from Elementary school, next is Junior High School, followed by High School and then finally, University. In the UK there are two different structures, and where you live decides on which structure you are entered into.

The most common structure in the UK starts with Pre-school. Children under the age of 5 years attend Pre-school (sometimes called Nursery) and it is here that British children begin their educational career. This is the stage of education where we learn the alphabet and how to count from 1-10. We also make a mess and even make pictures out of pasta!

Now this is where things can get tricky, depending on where you live decides whether you enter Primary or First school. 'What's the difference?' I hear you say. Well let me explain. In Britain school education levels are not by grades, by years. So, instead of 1st grade, 2nd grade and so on, we have Year 1, Year 2, etc. Now here is where it can get a bit bamboozling… Primary School starts at Reception (Year 0, if you like), starting at the age of 5 years, and continues onto Year 6 (11 years old). First School starts at Reception and finishes at Year 4 (9 years old). So you spend 7 years in Primary School, and only 5 years in First School! Wow! Now isn't that confusing?

If you went to Primary School, the next stage is Secondary School. This starts at Year 7 (12 years old) and finishes at Year 11 (16 years old). If First School was your previous educational platform, the next step is Middle School; Year 5 to Year 7. Then you move onto High School (Year 8 to Year 11). In Year 11, every teenager will sit examinations called GCSE（General Certificate of Secondary Education）'s. We don't hold graduation ceremonies at the end of High School like Japan, the only rite of passage event we hold after GCSE's is Prom. But hold your horses, there is one more step before University.

After Secondary or High School, you can choose whether you want to attend College or Sixth Form. College provides more practical courses, such as catering, child care or manual labor (brick-laying, construction, etc.). Sixth Form is the entry level before University. Sixth Form is levelled as Year 12 & 13. During those years, you sit two sets of examinations; AS-Levels and A-Levels. This examinations are similar in retrospect to Japanese University Entrance examinations, and the grades convert into UCAS points. In order to enter University, you have to accumulate a minimum number of these points.

Now, post-University can be a totally different story in Britain, compared to Japan. In Britain, graduate students have a lot of different opportunities they can choose from. In Japan, the norm is to begin applying to many companies before finishing University in order to find a good job. In Britain, students can choose from taking a gap year (sometimes before or after University) to go traveling, or work in a part-time job to save some money. Some students will go on to specialize at University by taking a Master's Degree, and pursuing further education. And some students join a company to begin their working career.

Mess：混乱
tricky：やり難い
bamboozling：当惑させる
Reception：幼稚園と小学校の間
Wow! ：うわー！
educational platform：教育の舞台
teenager：10代の子供たち
right of passage：通行権的な
Prom：ダンスパーティ
hold your horses：はやる心を抑えて
in retrospect：今から振り返って思うと
convert：変換する
UCAS points：The Universities and Colleges Admissions Serviceのポイント
accumulate：蓄積する
gap year：高校から大学、大学から大学院への進学までの期間

specialize：専門的になる

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