Typhoon No. 24

A strong typhoon is approaching the main islands of our country.
Facilities such as airports and stations are preparing for the expected damages.
Kansai Airport was severely affected when its connecting bridge and a runway were damaged.
Therefore, the airport will be locked down for about twenty hours to avoid accidents.
I hope no serious damages will happen.
In the middle of this month, many people died because of landslides in the Philippines.
I heard that some of the casualties refused to evacuate.
I will pay attention to the latest information to protect myself.

Chorus Contest

Our school held the chorus contest at a large hall outside school.

Each class sang a song and some of the teachers and a guest judged their performances.

Although our class failed to get the first prize, we were proud of doing our best at the stage.

We, teachers, also sang two songs after all the classes finished their performances.

I was satisfied after singing because some of the students clapped their hands when I went back to my seat.

Both the students and teachers practiced for this day very hard.

The big school event was over, so regular peaceful days will come back on next Monday.

Autumn

Summer is almost over, a typhoon is approaching our country. 
We need to be prepared this coming Sunday as the typhoon will fall.
I am going to join a tennis competition this Sunday, however the said tournament will be cancelled or moved to another date if it's going to rain.
The weather will be cold in the morning 'till dawn.
It will be very cold if you will wear a short sleeve when you go out in the morning.
For me to have a healthy body, I will take care of my health especially when there is a sudden change of weather.
Last night I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. to have enough rest.

Haircut

I went to a barber shop to have my hair cut yesterday.

I usually go to the shop once a month but this time, I had it earlier in time for the chorus competition that will be held this Saturday at the school.

Students and teachers will present song numbers on stage.

I strongly feel that the audience will look at each of us, so I had hair cut earlier than usual.

The owner asked me “what kind of hair style do you prefer?”

And then, I showed a picture in my smart phone to the owner.

I showed him my favorite Japanese singer’s picture and said, “Please cut my hair in the same way as his.”

This Saturday, I can sing songs confidently, imagining that I was the singer.

Meeting

How fast time flies! 
It's been five months since I started teaching in this school. Yesterday, I left at 7:45pm because I attended a meeting regarding school events held in October. 
For the record, this is the latest time I had to stay in school; I usually leave early.
After the meeting, I realized I am not a team-player. 
To be honest, I prefer to work on my own, at my own pace. However, working in school requires our cooperation with other teachers in every aspect. 
Thenceforth, I should learn to work with and as a team.

Popularity of Starbucks

I considered why Starbucks is so popular among all generations.
The first reason is cleanliness inside the entity.
In some restaurants, there is dust on lamps dangling from the sealing, but I didn’t see any dust on it inside the coffee shop.
Secondly, the variety of menus attract a lot of people.
I don’t really like coffee so I sometimes order tea instead of coffee.
Also, new menus are launched regularly, so customers enjoy different seasonable tastes.
The final reason is location.
When I think about the locations of its branches, they are at very convenience places to visit.
Those are the reasons why Starbucks are popular all the time.
I want to make an interview to the staff someday.

Healthy Diet

I joined a cooking lesson yesterday.
There were four males and females.
At first, we introduced ourselves briefly, and then listened to a lecture about practicing healthy diet.
After that, the participants were divided into four groups which have one male and female.
Two each for each group, a male and a female.
My partner was so good at cooking that I followed her directions and advice while cooking.
We cooked four kinds of dishes such as miso soup, baked fish, deep fried vegetables, and a dessert.
All of them were very delicious and I found cooking with somebody was very fun.
From now on, I will eat nutritious balance each meal to keep me healthy.

Cooking Session

I am going to join a cooking lesson this afternoon.
The admission is free.
This is my first time to learn about new cooking skills.
The lesson is run by the city hall to promote healthy diet.
It starts from 1:30 p.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m.
I don’t know why but only single men and women are qualified for it.
According to the flier, there will be 10 male and female participants.
We are supposed to listen to a lecture about practicing a healthy diet besides learning how to cook.
I hope I can learn some 
new cooking techniques and make new friends.

Cebu Island

I watched a TV news that twenty people were buried because of a land slide in Cebu Island, Philippines.
The island is very famous for sightseeing and scuba diving.
Also, some Japanese people stay there to learn English.
I met a guy who had experienced studying abroad in both America and the Philippines.
He said he was able to learn more in the Philippines than in America.
Cost of living in the island is reasonable. 
It is also much closer to Japan than U.S.
I hope the damaged areas in Cebu will be restored and no more accidents will happen again.

Cooking Lesson

A long weekend is forthcoming.  
This Sunday is Autumnal Equinox Day; ergo, the next Monday is a holiday.  
I plan to join a cooking lesson on Sunday.  
The session is especially for single men and women, and admission is free.  
I have never laid my hands on cooking before, so I am looking forward to learn new cooking techniques.  
Also, I hope to make new friends with whom I can share my cooking skills from there on.  
By the way, the second term in our school began this month.  
It will last until the end of December, so we have three more months to go.  
I want to make the remaining months meaningful and fun with the new friends I'll gain at the cooking session.

Disasters

The super typhoon, Mangkhut, caused damages in the Philippines.
Every time I read a newspaper, there is an article about the typhoon.
In one article, some people tried to steal things at the damaged areas.
I cannot imagine how dangerous the typhoon is.
The pictures of the damaged areas clearly showed us the devastation it can bring not only to the place but also to the people's individual lives.
North and South Carolina were also affected by the typhoon, Florence, and a lot of places were flooded.
There was a big earthquake in Hokkaido on September 6th.
The schools near the epicenter resumed yesterday.
I realized that we cannot defeat the wrath of nature.

Dog Meat

People in Vietnam eat dog meat traditionally.
However, because of criticism from other countries, Hanoi is planning to ban the tradition.
If we eat disease-contained dog meat, we can get some disease.
Also, people come to think dogs as pets these days, so they think that killing dogs for our diet is cruel.
There are, on the other hand, stalls that sell dog meat for tourists and the shops are busy despite the city’s statement.
I don’t want to eat the meat because it might have some virus and I feel sorry for dogs killed for human consumption.
This is a good occasion to rethink that our lives are on other species’ devotion.

Lady with Ambition

My three consecutive days off were allocated for a seminar to get registered as a tour guide.

There are also three days off at the beginning of October and I am going to attend the second part of the seminar on the days.

About 80 people attended the seminar and I met a lady who had lived in America for a few decades.

In the ferry on the way to our city, I talked with her about her experiences.

She went to New York to learn dance techniques and later started her own NPO.

Her parents disagreed her adventure at first, but she explained about her ambition and promised she would pay everything by herself.

After a long life in America, she came back to Japan because her mother is not in a good condition.

Her story made me think that I must not waste my limited time and give up my dream.

Naoshima Island

Today was the third day to learn how to guide foreigners.

We went to Naoshima Island in our prefecture.

The island is famous for art.

There are architectures designed by Tadao Ando, a Japanese architect who won Pritzker Prize.

I saw a lot of westerners on the island and asked one of them about their purpose of their visit.

He said the main reason was to see the architectures of Tadao Ando.

Besides his works, we can see paintings, sculptures and beautiful sceneries.

I felt like being a foreign country although the island is far only for 50 minutes by ferry.

I want to take my foreign friends to the island someday.

Interpreter

I participated in a seminar yesterday to be registered as an interpreter.
It was the first session out of the six-day seminar.
There were around 80 people in a large room.
Most of them are older than me and I assume 70 percent of them were female.
We listened to several kinds of lecture from a university professor, a tour guide and the president of a travel agency.
I especially liked the lecture from the president because his topic seemed difficult but his detailed explanation made me understand the contents easily.
Today is the second day of the seminar.
We are supposed to attend a field trip to learn how to guide foreigners.
I hope that I can learn new things and make friends.

Tour Guide

Today I will be enrolling to a seminar for interpreters to which it will also be our first day for our lesson.

Per our class schedule, we have three consecutive days from today until Monday.

Our prefectural government is recruiting people who can work as a tour guide. 

I was fortunate that my resume was accepted.

After completion of my seminar, I have to take an exam by next month. 

Once I pass it, I can get a license as a tour guide.

I am not sure how many people will participate in this seminar.

Although we need to pay for this seminar, we know that we can get a salary once we get to be hired as a licensed tour guide.

I am looking forward to meeting the participants and make more friends with whom we could study and speak English altogether.

School Lunch

I like the food during lunch time in my school because it is well balanced and we can enjoy different kinds of menus everyday.
Since I am living alone, I want to shorten the time in preparing for my meals that is why my cooking recipes don't vary so much.
The students seem they like the school meals during lunch because they always checks the menu for lunch at the corridor.
We always thank the farmers and the fishermen for producing us the ingredients that we always used in making school meals.
Yesterday, they served us hot pumpkin soup, salad, bread and muscats.
Being able to eat hot meals at school gives us happiness and energy for studying in the afternoon.
We always looking forward for what will be the next menu next week.

Chorus Contest

A chorus contest is going to be held in our school on September 29th.
I am in charge in handling the second year students and they need to sing two songs.
First, all the contestants are going to sing altogether after that each group will sing a different song.
The judges decide which class is the best among the three.
We practice every morning and after school.
I also join the students in singing during our practice.
The contest is one of the biggest events in our school, so they practice hard to win the first place.
I want to support them so that they can focus on their practice.

5 Months

It has passed just five months since I started to work for the school.
Although I have new experiences every day, these months taught me how to behave as a teacher.
First and foremost, I have to study English more than any other students and even the teachers.
Also, I realized that each student has a comfortable way to talk to me.
That means some students would like to talk to me one by one, and the others would like to talk in groups.
There are, of course, other patterns, but I am figuring out when and how to talk with each student.
My job is one-year contract, so I want to learn many things from the teachers and students as much as possible.

Interpreter

I am going to take a seminar this weekend about training for interested students to become an interpreter.
Our prefectural government is recruiting people who can work as a part-time interpreter.
There are some criteria that are to be complied with, such as a TOEIC score and the house location of the interested applicant.
After checking the guidelines of the seminar, I sent my resume.
Fortunately, I got accepted and I will be able to join the seminar.
I am not sure how many will be able to join the event.
There will be an orientation on the first session for the participants to get to know the objective of the event, the schedule, topics, exercises that will be taken up with us as part of the training.
I hope I can make friends and get to practice speaking to them in English too.
The job description, the possible income and the tenure had not been revealed yet, but I am looking forward to working as a local interpreter.

TOEFL

I took the TOEIC exam yesterday and I hope the score will be better than the previous one.
Honestly, the test is no longer that difficult for me, so taking the TOEFL exam and getting a good score is my next goal.
TOEFL scores can be used even in applying for jobs in foreign countries.
Thus, having a good score will be an advantage while looking for job opportunities.
Unlike TOEIC, TOEFL has the four types of exams: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
It lasts for more than four hours.
Also, it is too expensive to take the exam, it costs $235 per shot.
Therefore, I will study for the exam so I won’t waste my money and I will broaden my future path.

LED

I read a book about the life of Shuji Nakamura, a Japanese Novel Prize winner.                                  
He used to work for a company in the country side of Japan, where he devoted himself into developing LED.       
Later on, he invented the blue-color LED for the first time in the world and contributed to the development of producing different colors of LED.               
At present, he is a Physics professor at Sta. Barbara University in America.
He observed that in America, the facilities pay a good salary to the skillful researchers.
However, researchers in Japan cannot receive a good reward in spite of their efforts.
He insists in the book that researchers should be evaluated based on their contribution to the company or society.
Those evaluation system is required to motivate people for making better products.                        
I learned that evaluation systems in Japan and the U.S. are totally different.

TOEIC

I am going to take the TOEIC exam tomorrow.
This is my second time this year following the last one held in July.
My previous score was 945, so I will do my best to get a better score this time.
Section 5, which has many grammar questions, took a long time for me and I didn't have enough time to answer the last set of questions.
Answering these grammar questions quickly will probably give me a better score.
It is raining heavily today and it might be the same tomorrow.
I will leave home early so I won't be late for the test.

Earthquake

A huge earthquake happened before the breaking dawn in the morning yesterday.
Who was able to expect this disaster?
Japanese Government has spent a lot of money to predict possible earthquakes so that people can get secured before the disaster.
I realized we humans cannot overcome nature.
Kansai Airport was required to stop their operation because the leading bridge from the main land to the airport was damaged by a tanker drifting by the sea brought by the extremely powerful wind of typhoon "JEB".
Within the week, we read and watched the damages in many places and we realized how vulnerable our lives are.
What if a big earthquake and a tunami happens at midnight?
I am going to prepare an evacuation set which contains emergency food and water for the case of emergency.

Previous Teammate

I went to Toyama Prefecture to meet my best friend.
He and I belonged to the same tennis team in the university.
We met almost every day both inside and outside the tennis courts.
He got married a few years ago and now he has a one-year-old son.
I look up to him because he can efficiently balance his time at work and at home.
His wife may play a major role in child-rearing, but my friend helps her once he gets home from work.
I am still single and I cannot imagine getting married, because I am not financially nor mentally ready for it.
If I start earning more in a short period of time, that's when I will think about marriage more seriously.

Typhoon

A strong typhoon made yesterday’s classes suspended for all levels in all school.
The warning signals of heavy rain and violent wind were issued in the morning of September 4th.
Thus the students don’t have to come to school.
We, teachers, went to school in order to check the buildings in the campus.
Fortunately, no serious damages were caused by the typhoon.
Water was leaking from some part of the ceiling of the gym, though.
I personally got bored because there was nothing special to do.
What I did was working on questions in the workbook which contains the previous high school entrance exams.
For today, an exam is going to be held, so we don’t have any classes.
I hope the exam will go through without any problems.

Evacuation Drill

The second term began yesterday in our school.
We didn’t have classes but had an evacuation drill and periods to decide their chores.
Each student has at least one role at school such as supervising the students while cleaning, and collecting their homework, and so on.
The evacuation drill is held annually to remember that disasters such as earthquakes can happen anytime and to recognize how to protect themselves in case of emergency.
By the way, a strong typhoon is approaching our prefecture and probably today’s classes will be cancelled, although I need to go to school regardless of the weather.

Second Term

The summer vacation was over yesterday in Japan.
Some part of the schools already has begun the second term, but today is the first day in our school.
There will be two major events to be held in this semester.
There will be Chorus Competition and On-the-job Training for the students.
We, teachers, are also going to sing two songs regardless of the competition.
As for the training days which will be held in November, the preparations are being done gradually while the school is consulting with the companies.
Unlike the beginning of the first term, I feel less nervous because I am getting used to the culture of the school.
My mission is to accomplish English classes without any mistakes.
In order to make it through, I will prepare for the classes enough to make the students enjoy learning English.

Festival in Toyama

I enjoyed staying in Toyama Prefecture yesterday.
Owara Kazenobon Festival, a famous and traditional festival held in Toyama, became an unforgettable event for me.
A lot of tourists went to the rural town in the prefecture to see the dance performances and the beautiful Japanese architectures.
My friend who lives in Toyama said he had never seen such number of people at Toyama Station.
The festival was not that loud one such as Yosakoi Festival in Kochi Prefecture.
Many dancers performed with the melody of Shamisen and chorus sung by an old person in the group.
I think the festival is a good example to know about Japanese old atmosphere.
I realized that going to see traditional events makes me notice that Japanese people had kept the harmony of their on towns.
I would like to come back here again soon to explore new scenes in Japan with my friend.

Toyama

I'm heading to Toyama Prefecture to visit my friend who was in the same tennis team in the previous university.
It's been a year since I last met him.
He already gets married and has a son, although I'm still a single.
It rained heavily in the Kansai region yesterday and the train which I am supposed to ride on today was suspended to operate.
Therefore I strongly hope that the train runs this morning.
Since we both belonged to the tennis team, we are going to play tennis this afternoon.
In the evening, a big festival will be held in the area.
I'm looking forward to seeing the events and people who flock there.
But, first and foremost, I want to enjoy the time spending with him.