Students at Embassy

Adventurous (Challenging or Pushing your limits)

A dictionary shows the definition of adventurous as "willing to take risks and try new ideas ; enjoying being in new, exciting situations". These days my situation was just like this definition. Everything was a new experience and it seemed like I willingly took risks. They were such adventurous experiences for me.

Hanging out with English native speakers is so adventurous to me. About two months ago, I met an English native speaker at a softball game and he and I became friends. We said to each other that we wanted to hang out together some day. A month later to the day, I got a chance to hang out with him for a long time. It was such an adventure to me because this was the first time hanging out with a native, in addition, to experience real conversation one on one for a long time. At the end of the day, we promised to go to Mt. Rainier together with three other natives.

The day my friend and I went Mt. Rainier with our new native friends were also full of adventures. In the car, real and high-speed English was spoken by them. Before the day, I was afraid of whether I could get along with them with my limited English, and sure enough I could hear only a little words and respond only a few times.  However, in such a adventurous situation, I could join a game in the car and asked a question about English words. There was no gain without adventure.

After we arrived around the middle part of Mt. Rainier, a different type of adventure was waiting for us. To tell the truth, we willingly challenged the adventures though. We chose a way which meant we would ascend on snow all the way to waterfall. It was very steep hill covered by snow, so we slipped down time and again. What an adventurous choice! We sometimes  jumped over a creek and slid down the snowy steep slope. After climbing for about two hours, we reached the ridge near the top of the moutain and could see amazing landscapes.

The dictionary adds an explanation about the word 'adventurous': "full of new, exciting or dangerous experiences". I think new and dangerous or exciting and dangerous are so close. I believe I can feel excitement or enjoyment after I try something new or challenge myself to be in dangerous situation. That is why I always push my limits or challenge myself to something new. Actually, I could drink amazing water from the extremly clear stream near the top of the mountain, and could bond with my native friend after the trip to the mountain. Hope you push your limits  and enjoy an even more adventurous situation!

The Day I Cried

Occasionally, people are touched by warm-hearted people or by beautiful relationships with their family or important people. I cried for the first time since I came to the U.S. It was not because of being homesick, having a disease, or pain. It was because of my beautiful host parents. I love them but I decided to live on my own.

Students from abroad who want to live in a Homestay house mostly look forward to being a member of the family. I am one of them. However, in many cases, some problem or trouble happens between families and us because of cultural differences. Fortunately, I became a son of beautiful parents and my life as a member of the wonderful family started.

My beautiful host parents love their two sister dogs. I like to see when they play with the dogs. They take care of the dogs like their little daughters. In addition, they are taking care of me like their real son. I call them dad and mom. I think my dad and mom are real Christians who always thank god, never waste food, and love their neighbors (and they used to have a foster daughter).

I learned and experienced a lot of things from my host family and they connected me with their cousin's family and their friends. Everything was great exprience for me. I joined parties, played baseball with them, and sometimes I looked after or played with their kids. In every dinner time, I enjoy talking about what I learned in that day's class. I have been happy from bottom of my heart since I started to live with the host family. However, the beautiful life is going to end.

I am going to have to live on my own at a cheaper appartment. I told about that to my host parents. They tenderly listened to me and undrestood my feelings, and said gently that I am going have to invite them to my graduation on December. At that moment, my eyes got warm and something fell down out of my eyes. It was a wonder that I could not stop crying. Beautiful minds move people. The day that I cried for the first time in the U.S became a touching day that I will never forget.

Think of manners, customs, and common sense

Do you have common sense? Do you have appropriate manners in the community? Actually, I can not say I have enough common sense. As we are living in such a small world, we regularly come across people in public places such as socials, school, the bus, bank, and so on. What we need when we are in such situations is good manners: thinking of the customs or feelings of others. There might be something you forgive in your own culture, but in other societies, manners can cause trouble or a reason for other people to think you are a freak.

Three months have already passed since I started to reside in the U.S. As I am getting used to the life here I have learned customs little by little. I was not familiar with some of the manners which I learned here. In other words, some manners are different from my country's. Depending on cultures or people's character, manners or rules could be changed. There is an interesting story. In a baseball game, a batter is occasionally hit by the pitcher's ball. In Japan, right afterwards, the pitcher takes off his cap and bows to the batter. It means that he is sorry to throw at the batter. Unlike in the U.S., where it goes that the pitcher did it on purpose. Guess what happens to him next.

A big key word is "distance" in manners. Do you know how far you should position yourself from strangers? In general, in North America, you should keep the distance which is the length of your arm away from them. It was suprising to me. I came from Japan but I have never heard or cared about the distance before, though I try to get not too close to women. I think Japan is too small to think of the distance. We, Japanese people are accostomed to riding in crowded trains.

After I learned some manners including the distance from others, I observed my mistake when I was in a bus. The bus was uncrowded. I was with my 2 friends and they sat the middle of the bus. As I wanted to sit near them, though a girl was sitting on the seat right in front of them, I sat on the same seat next to the girl. Before I sat, I asked the girl "can I sit here?" I did not contemplate but I can recall the image of her resigned and slightly worried face. In addition, I addressed her and asked a question about English grammar. What a freak man!

This trouble is such a small thing. Actually, I did recieve the answer for my work and she was willing to respond to me, even though she was doubting at first if I was safe. Anyway, what I want to mention is that it could make someone anxious or angry if you have no common sense or manners. When you are in a different culture from your own, you should be careful with your actions, and think of the feelings of others. By the way, why did I sit right next her? There were empty seats near them, Keita!   

Which do you like - Nature with Healthy or City with Unhealty?

After 10 days training camp at the farm in Kamloops, Canada, I went to Vancouver to see my Japanese friends by Greyhound bus.  On the long way to Vancouver in the bus, I was thinking of the experience at the farm.  I was touched as I left the nice mountain guys and the place where I spent for 10 days, though it had been a hard time and just a little too healthy and natural.  Half of my mind, on the other hand, was getting excited as the bus was approaching to the city.

Vancouver was totally different from the place I stayed.  It was much more different than the difference between Tacoma (where I live) and Seattle.  I can not choose which better is nature or city if you asked me.  I like nature.  I hope I am always healthy and I am trying to eat healthy food in daily life.  However, I have got used to live in the city with unhealthy food, such as noodles, french fries, fizzy drinks, and so on, more than in nature.  People always choose the way which they feel better or easier.  As for me, I chose the same way as them at the day in the city of Vancouver.

My answer was just "Ramen" (Japanese noodle) to the question from my friend what I want to do in Vancouver.  As I had stayed away from my favourite Japanese food Ramen since when I came to the U.S (for 3 months), I wanted to eat it.  It was one of the big reasons.  Ramen is not good for our body because it is oily.  I guess the biggest reason was my body wants to have kind of oily food as I had lived with too healthy food in the nature.  I enjoyed Ramen with my friends, and then we went to the famous cheesecake shop.  A piece of cheesecake after Ramen was a perfect course of unheathy food!  There was pleasure, there was lots of fat too. Maybe that is the point of my question as a title.

Joy or pleasure makes us happy and smile.  That is one of the healthiest essences which make us healthy.  At times, we try to take care of our health and it can cause unpleasant or boring lives.  That is kind of ridiculous.  We should enjoy meals as we think about our body, to keep eating fat food is not a good idea though.  By the way, the Ramen and cheesecake was an amazing taste!  Well, I am going to eat instant noodle and ice cream today.