英語学習にも役立つ、札幌の外国人英語教師の英語日記 札幌 英会話 [ステップアップ]

Flowers in bloom

2012年5月24日 (木)

Hello everyone! I hope you are all fit and healthy. Recently my knee condition has improved a great deal and I feel like I might finally be able to start doing exercise and sports again. Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on. Having an injury is never easy, especially when you aren`t in your home country.

Anyway, today I saw that there is a flower festival in Odori park and I thought I might go and check it out this weekend. I am not such a flower person because I have hayfever but I enjoy looking at the beautiful colours of the flowers. I am hoping this year to finally visit Furano and see the lavender fields. According to the website the lavender blooms in late June and reaches its peak at the end of july. I have never seen them, so I think I will plan a trip there around that time. If you have been there, please let me know the best time to go. I also heard that there is lavender ice cream, which i can`t even imagine!! I once tried some natto flavored ice cream and I`m sorry but it was TERRIBLE. This year I`m definitely going to try lavender ice cream, there is no way it can be worse than natto ice cream!

Taxi会話

2012年5月19日 (土)

I don’t often ride in taxis, but when I do, I usually like to chat with the driver.

Nine times out of ten it is an interesting conversation.  Many drivers ask where I am from, what I do, and so on.  They often talk about the weather.  But sometimes the conversation turns toward politics, or family life, or the economy.

Recently I was asked who I favored for the Presidential election.  We talked about the two parties in America, and the Japanese political system, too.  It was an interesting opportunity to hear someone’s opinions.  He was an older man, and very conservative, and even though I am now living thousands of miles away from where I grew up, he reminded me of my uncle.

I have had nice chats about family – grandparents telling me about their childredn and grandchildren, and asking if I miss my family back home.

I’ve even had people give me advice about what I should do with my life.

Taxi drivers in Sapporo are often a little bit dangerous when it comes to driving, but I am usually impressed with how friendly they are when I get in the cab.

Making Music

2012年5月14日 (月)

Hey everybody, happy spring! The temps have finally risen to comfortable levels and it’s nice to see more people walking and riding bikes. But there are still some chilly areas in Hokkaido. Yesterday, I went with my band (The 3 Skins) to Mourai to take pictures for our first CD. It was fun having our pictures taken by a professional photographer, but it was super windy and cold by the ocean! We had to wear short-sleeved shirts and pretend not to be cold.

Anyhow, making this CD has been a long process and we’re very excited to complete it soon. After it’s release, we’ll be playing live shows in Sapporo and other Hokkaido cities. Playing live is my favorite part of being in a band. Hopefully, our efforts will pay off and we’ll sell a lot of CDs. Who knows – we may even become popular!?!

Hurry up spring

2012年4月3日 (火)

Hello everyone. Today I am feeling rather frustrated. I want to yell out “HURRY UP SPRING!”. It is April already and I personally feel it`s about time that winter packed it`s bags and let the lovely spring come.  I don`t like to complain but I want to start riding my bike and the roads are still too icy for me (and my bad knee). I really hope the weather will change soon.

Talking about spring reminds me of touring on my bicycle although this year I`m not sure I will be able to go very far, I`ll certainly give it a go.  Has anyone made any golden week plans? I hope everyone is going to have a great spring and summer.  I can`t wait for the cherry blossoms to come to Sapporo however I must be patient, first spring needs to come!!!!!

Spring

2012年4月2日 (月)

Hello everyone!  It`s been a while since I last wrote a diary entry.  Sorry!

Spring has now finally come to Sapporo… Or has it???  The weather report says that it will snow every day this week.  Can you belive that?  But I`m sure the snow will melt quickly during the day.  We still have to be careful of the icy roads at night and in the early morning.

What do you think about when you think of spring?  Do you think of cherry blossoms?  Do you think of sunny weather?  When I think of spring, I usually think about cleaning!  Does that sound crazy?  Well, in North America many people do Spring Cleaning.  We clean the entire house, inside and out.  In Japan, Japanese people usually do the cleaning at New Years, but I think it`s too cold to clean at that time.  Spring is the perfect time to clean up and start the year fresh!

I hope you enjoy the spring weather and spring activities!