Reverse Culture Shock

By Kanna

Not only good aspects but also there are bad aspects in both of countries, United States and Japan. I came back to Japan two days ago and I still have jet lag right now, and I actually haven’t felt any culture shock yet, but I have an opinion that differences between Japan and America. Today, I would like to talk about two point that I respect to the United States. First of all, American people have strong opinion and they can share it into words to other people. I really respect this, and I want to learn from it, but it is very difficult in Japan because Japanese people feel ashamed to share themselves opinion to someone and would not like to stand out, so they prefer to majority and they hate minority. It is very bad point of Japanese people including me. Second, students in the United States are more talk about world issues such as gender problems, politic problems, and environmental problems than Japanese students. Japanese youth tend to would not like to talk about these things, especially in front of friends. They think talking these problems is boring and, if someone talk these things, they probably think what a show-off, and everyone really afraid this. They always talk about their hobbies, TV programs, and entertainments. I am interested in problems what happens in the world and I want to talk with friends and listen other opinions. I think it is very important to have a ourselves opinion and to learn from other opinions, and it makes us more good person who is independent. In conclusion, I prefer that people in the United States have strong opinion and they talk severe problems more than Japanese. I want to be a person to cherish my opinions and values individuality like American people.

Reverse Culture Shock

By Sayaka

After returning to Japan, I felt some reverse culture shocks.

There are three things. First, I felt Japanese food is little taste because I ate strong taste food everyday when I was in America, for example, hamburger and pizza. I got used to strong taste of American food, and I like it, so I feel it is missing something for Japanese food. Second, I felt culture shocks to take a bath between America and Japan. When I was in America, I couldn’t soak in the bathtub, because there is no culture of soaking in the bathtub in America, and  I heard that it is normal for American people just take a shower. Also, Japanese usually soak in the bathtub, because Japan is the country with very rich water resources. I took a bath in fifteen minutes everyday when I was in America, but after returning to Japan, I have a good long soak in the bath everyday. Third, I felt my lifestyle in Japan little changed by American life. Before I go to study abroad, I got up at eight every day, but I was in America, I got up at six everyday, because the time class start was earlier than Japan. I got used to get up early in America, so I still get up early in Japan . For these things, I found some reverse culture shocks after returning to Japan, and I felt my lifestyle little changed by the American life.

Reverse Culture Shock

When I returned to Japan, I felt two differences between America and Japan.  First, I felt Americans are friendlier than Japanese.  When I took a bus in Spokane, some Americans talked to me even though we didn’t know each other.  They often talked to me at restaurants, bus stop, department, on the street and so on.  At the first, I was surprised and afraid of them because I didn’t be good at speaking English and they were stranger, but I was getting used to it and I was happy to be talked by them.  After I came back to Japan, I felt Japanese is very shy and a little bit of cold for stranger.  It’s Japanese character, but I had felt lonely for them.  Second, I realized that Japan is cleaner than America.  In especially, Japanese toilet is the best cleanest.  I usually saw trash on the road and dirty shops in the America, but nobody cleaned them.  I was surprised at them because I have an opportunity to clear them if it happens to Japan, for example, my town has an event called clean campaign once a month.  I look like they’re care about them, but it’s also American character.  In short, Japan and America have many other differences, but we should understand and accept them each other because every difference have to respect in the world.

JAPAN AND AMERICA

Reverse Culture Shock

By Maiya
On March 24, I left MFWI at 4:30.  I felt 2 things that differences between Japan and the United States when I arrived in Japan.  First, Japanese food is healthy and fresh.  About a month and a half, I lived in the United States.  American food was very good.  I ate french fries, chicken, sausages, and so on every day.  I was happy, but my body hated them.  It was made a lot of pimples on my forehead and chin,  and I gained weight.  When I arrived at Haneda airport, I found a Udon restaurant.  I and my friends went to the restaurant, and ate Udon.  It has weak taste, but very very good.  I was proud of Japanese food culture.  I thought that we should eat a healthier and fresher than greasier food for our body.  Second, Americans have friendliness and kindness.  Of course, Japanese people are kind.  However, Americans are kind and talk to someone all times.  This studying abroad was my first oversea, so I learned about Americans personally directly for the first time.  When I went to the store, the clerk and I started talking and we were fun.  In Japan, the clerks say "Ilasshai- mase" every times, but customers start shopping without saying anything.  I think this is one of the not good parts of Japanese culture.  In short, these are the difference of the 2 cultures.

Maiya Suzuki

Writing12

04/07/2020

Returning to Japan

On March 24, I left MFWI at 4:30. I felt 2 things that differences between Japan and the United

States. When I arrived in Japan, I felt them Clearly. First, Japanese food is healthy and fresh.

About a month and a half, I lived in the United States. American food was very good. I ate

french fries, chic

Reverce Culture Shock

      There were some culture shock when I came back to Japan. First, the cause of that is junk food.  I wanted to eat junk food. When I was in America, I ate strong taste food. For example, I ate hamburger, chicken, pizza, and so on everyday. Japanese food is lighter taste than American food, so I missed American food. I bought a orange sauce of panda express. I sometimes cook  with it,  I miss the taste of American food. It is very delicious. It was good to buy it. Second, that is jet lag. I had difficulty suffering from jet lag. There is a time difference of  sixteen hours between Japan and America. I couldn’t get up in the morning, and I often took a nap. Besides, I was hungry at strange time. It was tough to keep regular hours for several weeks. Third, that is Coronavirus. I want to meet my friends, RA, and teacher. I can’t meet them, because I came back to Japan, and I was isolated at my home. I miss them. I want to talk with and play with. I was very sad. However, I'm glad that I can talk with them using Zoom. I hope the infection of a coronavirus will not spread, and I want to see them. For these things, I want to study abroad again, and I want to eat them or see them!

Reverse Culture Shock

Today is one week later from I came back to Japan. I'm very sad and regret for a few reasons. First, this study abroad is my first experience to go to overseas, so I wanted to stay America more, and have a lot of special experience. I wanted to spend more time with my group, RA, friends, and MFWI teachers. Now, I’m isolating from my family in my house for two weeks, and I can’t go out, so I can’t believe I’m in Japan yet. Second when I arrived Japan, I heard a lot of Japanese and see a lot of Japanese letter. I was glad, but I was sad. I thought “I came back here finally…”. I miss my friend, RA, MFWI teachers, America, but my RA and teachers keep contact with me, so I’m happy and I can feel America and I can learn new words, expressions, and culture. When I came back to Japan, I ate rice, miso-soup, and natto. I didn’t eat natto in America, so I was glad. I felt difference between America and Japan. When I sneeze, people say “Bless you” in America, but in Japan, people nothing to say. Signs are all Japanese. Almost people speaking Japanese, so I miss English. I felt character difference between Japanese and American, too. I think Americans have confidence in oneself more than Japanese. It is one of good point of Americans, so I respect them. I came back here about two months earlier than first plan, so I think I can’t accept this reality more. I want to go back to America soon, but I can’t now, so I will go America in the future:)

Reverse Culture Shock

     Culture shock can learn about differences between countries. I felt culture shock when I was in United States. First, I was surprised at American people spoke to us friendly. For example, when I got off the bus, the driver said to me with smile over the mirror"Have a nice day!". I was happy because I have never been said that in Japan. Also,when I watched the ice hockey game, I was spoken to a stadium officials. He said to me"Are you having fun?" and "Thank you for coming!". I thought that almost of American people are friendly. In Japan, most people don't speak to people unless job. Japanese people are cool compare with American peopple. Japanese peopple don't like to be speak to clarks in the shop because we are quiet and we want to take distance to them, but almost of American people are close between ckarks and customers. Second, working people in America looked fun. For example, when I went to cafe, clarks were talking with colleagues and cooking their own pace, I was jealous that everyone worked happily. In Japan, I have to provide food for customers as soon as possible, so I always have to rush. I don't think that my part time job is fun, but American people look enjoy working their job. To sum up, I felt two difference; friendly and job between America and Japan.

Reverse Culture Shock

There are two things what have been difficult for me to adjust to. First of all, American people can assert themselves and they always think more positive than Japanese. For example, when I lived in my house in Spokane, my RA used to do positive thinking even if she faced difficulties. If I was in her position, I must have been too anxious to do so. Also, I realized that American people was not shy like Japanese, and they expressed themselves without shame, so I was really envious of them. In addition, our teachers in MFWI often praised us, and it makes me want to try harder. In Japan, I think it is not so usual for people who are students are praised greatly, and also, they are not used to being praised by someone because almost Japanese usually don’t have their confidence. However, I prefer American style to Japanese one, so I wanted to stay Amarica a little longer. Second, I didn’t feel much stress while taking classes in America. For example, when I was taking classes, my teachers were always bright and they were telling some jokes, and also, they were playing songs and gave us some candies, too! I was really surprised for that because these things are so unusual in Japan, but the classes were very fun, and I enjoyed learning English than doing that in Japan. In conclusion, it is difficult for me to adjust these things, but I had a really great time in America, and I believe that these culture shock will bring me new value.

Reverse Culture Shock

There are many difference between American and Japanese culture. I felt them during the study abroad period has through study abroad experience. First, it is the toilet private room door. American toilet door has a gap above and below. Japan, on the other hand, nothing a gap. I didn't think the toilet style was different and I felt discomfort and worried that someone could see myself from the outside. So, I like the Japanese toilet more than the America toilet. Second, is the food . American food is very oily and large quantity but Japanese food that there are mainly vegetables food. I like both food, but I was not used to American food. So I missed Japanese food a little while in the United States. Third, is the personality. Japanese people feature is shyness but American people is friendly. I was impressed by the kindness of Americans. Finally, is the home culture. For example, in America, wear shoes at home, but in Japan remove shoes. In this way, there are many cultural differences between the United States and Japan. I think both cultures should be attractive and respectful.

           

Reverse Culture Shock

By Tomoka

Reverse culture shock appears when people feel the difference between countries, but if they respect that difference, they will not feel like that.  In fact, I didn't feel any reverse culture shock when I returned to Japan. There are two reasons.  First, I wasn't able to much time in the United States by the result that coronavirus spread through in here. We intended to stay until the end of May, but we had to return to Japan at the end of March. Therefore, I couldn't really touch or experience American culture directly, and most of what I could do was a cultural difference that I knew originally. So I wasn't surprised or upset by the cultural differences. And, I hadn't been in here long enough to feel a reverse culture shock after returning to Japan. Second, I respect American and Japanese culture and can accept cultural differences. There are a lot of cultural differences between Japan and the United States, such as food culture, language, communication style and lifestyle. For example, in Japan, we don't have much physical contact when we greet, but in the United States, we take a lot of physical contact. I think Japan is polite and the United States is friendly and has a good culture with each other, so I will not be shocked by such a difference. For these reasons, I don't have a reverse culture shock because I think cultural differences are important.

Revers Culture Shock

I have some reverse culture shock when I returned to Japan. First, the size of house is small. Of course, there were 25 people in my dormitory, so it was very big. When I was in Japan, I had never felt that my house was small, but I felt my house was a little small when I came back to my home because my dormitory was very big. Also, the furniture are very big, too. I liked a big and fluffy sofa that can sit 4 people. I want to sit and lie in the sofa again. Second, all voice that I can hear in my life and traffic signs are all Japanese. Of course, it is obvious because I am in Japan. It was very hard to translate everything when I was in America, but I got used to it and I felt my English skill was improving little by little. Also I was happy because I could find new vocabulary and new phrase everyday in my life, so I am a little confused because I can understand all word very easily without looking up words now. Third, I am in Japan. I was very looking forward to study abroad, so I was so happy to stay in the U.S, but I returned to Japan when I got used to stay in the U.S. It was a dream time for me and I had very good time in Spokane, but I was returned to reality. I realized I really came back to Japan. I was happy to meet my family, but I wanted to stay in the U.S more! I am surprised that I have some reverse culture shock.

Reverse Culture Shock

   I really wanted to enjoy life in the United States a little more, but I'm sorry to return to Japan. There were various reverse culture shocks whem I returned to Japan.

Japan and America

 I have three reasons. First, when I talk to someone in person, I often find it difficult to see my  opponent. For example, In a one-on-one situation, even though I was looking at the other person's eyes and listening, I felt that the conversation often progressed with the other person's gaze at hand or away from her eyes. In the United States, eye contact was a matter of course, but in Japan it is rare to make eye contact. I was used to making eye contact in the United States, so it was very strange not to do it in Japan. Second, the impression of Japanese clothing was that there were many calm colors in general. For instance, many people in the United States wear colorfully designed shirts or fluorescent clothes, but rarely in Japan. Although there were variations in color, I felt that there were many dark tones overall. I thought that I couldn't wear clothes that I could usually wear in the United States because I felt too flashy in Japan. In the United States, personal expression is important, but the Japanese hate being conspicious. Third, as I was used to the size of the United States, I felt again that Japan was a very small country. For example, Spokane had many trees, but Japan has few trees. In addition, while American roads usually have three lanes, Japan has only one lane. There are lots of parking lots in U.S. stores, but there are no more than 10 in some stores in Japan. The area of Japan is smaller than of the United States, so it can't be helped, but I was able to really feel how small my comany is. For these reasons, I was shocked by culture.  It was a good opportunity to learn again what kind of country Japan is. 

When Life Gives Me Lemon

     This study abroad program is lemons for me because some bad things have continuously happened.  First, our trips were cancelled.  Second, all other events which I was looking forward to, such as home stay, shock football game, shrine circus, and blooms day, were also called off.  Finally, we will have to go back to Japan on Tuesday.  Corona virus is spreading both in Japan and in the U.S. and each government has started restricting those who enter the countries.  Though I know I must receive this bad situation, I’m extremely sad and disappointed.  If we were able to continue studying English at MFWI, we could learn more about American culture and real conversation.  Unfortunately, we can’t do that anymore, which is too bad for us.  However, if we give up now, we will waste the time when we stayed at MFWI with our RAs and teachers, so we must continue studying English hard.  In Japan, I intend to keep studying English in the same way I had been studying at MFWI, and I will touch real English.  For example, I will watch a lot of movie in English and BBC news, keep studying TOEIC exam, and speak English as much as possible through contacting my teachers, my RA, and my friends.  Therefore, life is giving me lemons just now, so now is the time when I make lemonade out of lemons.

Reverse Culture Shock

     There are three things which I realized after I came back to Japan.  First, in the airport, I was really relieved to meet my family and I realized that my parents and relatives were extremely worried about me.  This is because they had heard corona virus was spreading rapidly in the U.S.  In fact, the number of corona patients in the U.S. got the most in the world on March 26.  Second, I got tired of Japan in a few days.  Though I love Japan and I’m happy to stay with my family, I feel a little bored now.  This is because I can’t feel stimulated in Japan.  While I stayed at Spokane, I could learn a lot of new things about American culture and vocabulary every day.  Third, the dampness in Japan annoys me because the dampness causes a lot of trouble.  For example, my hair is easy to receive bad influence from moisture, so the dampness makes my hair messy and makes me feel unhappy.  On the other hand, Spokane is very dry, and the dryness had a bad effect on my body.  However, my skin cream could stop my body from getting dry, so the dryness didn’t make me uncomfortable.  In short, I’m happy to see my family but I miss MFWI and Spokane.

When LIfe Gives Me Lemons

    I have been facing various problems until now. For example, I was belong to tennis club when I was junior high school  student. My club was many people and teachers was too strict, so every practice was very busy. My tennis club was doubles and we participated in the tournament many times. We often played the same opponents every time when it was important in the tournament. That opponents were very strong. When we played them for the first time, we completely defeated. We were very sad and thought that we want to win them someday. We studied them thoroughly, also we practice many times. Next tournament, we played them again, of course we couldn't win them, but we got more points than last time, that encouraged me. I thought that I want to be stronger more. When my retirement approached, we played them again. At that time, I was in good shape, so I continued to attack. As a result, we could win them finally, and we were said that " You're really strong." by another junior high school teachers. I was very happy to hear that. I learned I need to be mentally strong to win and I have to keep trying.

When Life Gives Me Lemons

The college exam is one of the hardest I have ever experienced and has overcome a big wall. This is because university exams have a very wide range of exams and a large amount, so I have to memorize and understand everything I learned in high school and it’s hard for me. It was very difficult to pass the university exam at a different level from junior high school and high school exams. So I felt like my heart broke many times and gave up. But I did my best until the end because of the support of my surroundings. I was helped by friends, teachers and family. First,My friends calmed me down and encouraged me to talk when I scored bad points in the trial or when I couldn't concentrate. Second, the teacher always gave me gentle and easy-to-understand questions no matter how many times I asked them. Finally, my family gave me a pick-up at the end of the cram school, made a lunch every day, and provided a lot of support in various aspects. These supports were very supportive and helpful to me and I was able to get through college entrance exams. Through this experience, I realized that I could never get over this college exam alone. I think I can overcome the big wall thanks to the support around me. I thank everyone!

                                                                                     

When Life Gives Me Lemons...

By Kanna

When life gives me bad things, I want to be strong and I try to make changing situation better. There are two ways to be happy in bad situation. First of all, I always try to be positive thinking. For example, I face cancellation of studying abroad right now and I cannot to go out anywhere, but I am trying to find something to make me fun. I have many free times, so I watch movies a lot and I am into Origami now, and I play many games such as Wii, Uno, and Mafia Game. When I am in Japan, I cannot do these things because I have many things I must do like part-time-job, helping my mother with the housework, and a lot of classes, so I cannot spend times on these pastimes. If I think positively, I have many free times, so I can do these things. It is very sad to leave here, but I decided to enjoy the rest of time as soon as possible!

 Second, If I face bad situation, I have to forget it and think about other things to make me better. If I keep thinking about only bad things, it definitely will be worse, and it is the worst thing.  I don’t want to waste my precious time worrying about bad things. Worrying won’t change anything. We can make our life more interesting by ourselves to find new hobby or pleasure. For example, I am thinking to try drawing pictures and embroidery. I heard from my grand mother these hobbies make people relax and she gave me a set of embroidery. I actually didn't use for a long time, but I would like to try it.

In conclusion, when life gives me lemons, I try to be positive thinking and forget bad things and find something new. I know these are hard, but if I believe and try to use these ways, bad situations definitely become better! We have to stay positive!

When LIfe Gives Me Lemons

 By Tomoka 
   If difficult things happen, I always challenging without giving up. There are two reasons. First, I never want to regret. When I was junior high school student, the high school which I wanted to go to, but my teacher told me that it was impossible. However, I studied hard without giving up and took an entrance examination for the high school. Then I was able to pass it. If it was given up at that time, I couldn’t go to the high school, and I was regretted. So I thought it was important to challenge without giving up. Second, I can’t change the difficult situation if I give up challenge it. For example, if someone asks for something for me and I abandon it, nothing will change. But, if I challenge it, I can get myself known and a chance to grow up. I think that taking a challenge is giving me a lot of knowledge and experience, so it was important for me. In addition, I think that the person retreats at the moment when I gave up a challenge. For these reasons, I want to challenge it if a difficult things happen.

When Life Gives Me Lemons

     When I face difficult things, I usually overcome them three ways. For example, our study abroad was cancelled because of the Coronavirus. When I heard this bad news, I was so depressed, and I felt really frustrated because I couldn't go out anymore, our homestay was cancelled, and also, I couldn't talk with my RA and my teachers anymore. It was the one of the worst news in my life, but I think it's not good to have been depressed all the time, so I usually do these to overcome it. First of all, I often try to think positively even if I face really bad situations. For example, I think that how much my English skills have improved during this study abroad, or how my values have changed since I came here. Second, I think about only fun things, such as my favorite singers, clothing stores, coffee shops, and planning of travel with my friends. By doing these. I'm able to be relax or calm myself down. Finally, I try to do whatever I want to. For example, I watch comedy shows on YouTube and listening my favorite songs. These things make me happy, relieved, and smile. For these ways, when life gives me lemons, I can overcome bad situations.

When Life Gives You Lemons

By Sayaka

I experienced some problems in my life. There are two problems. The first is college exams. When I was a high school student, I studied hard everyday because I wanted to pass the entrance examination of the school of my first choice, so I was attending cram school everyday. I tried to study hard, but I was not admitted to the school of my first choice, so I was depressed and totally lost my confidence. When I was depressed, I was encouraged by my family and they said “ Never give up, you can do it.”  I was helped many times by this word, so I am very grateful to my family. The second is my personality. I was shy until I entered junior high school, so I was not good at speaking in front of people. When I was junior high school student, I went to China. It was the first time for me to go travel abroad, and I was very excited. I trie to speak to people many times, and then my personality changed little by little and I became able to speak in front of people. Now, I can think positively about anything. In conclusion, I think it is important to listen to good advices from others and to try something new.

When Life Gives You Lemon

　I had two troubles in my life. First, when I was junior high school student, I quarreled over trivial things with my friend. I was very confused and sad. Also, I didn't talk with her, and I was scared her because I had never had such a big quarrel in my life, but my friends helped me to talk with her, gave some advice to me, and encouraged me, so I could apologize to her, and I could repair our relationships. Second, when I was high school student, I studied a lot to pass the university entrance examination, but a judgement of pretest was always not good, so I was so sad and lost my motivations. Then, my teachers and family found my situation and encouraged me. They told their own experiences and gave some advice to study. Also, my friends and I encouraged each other, and I imagined what I want to do when I pass the university, so I regained my motivations, and I could pass the entrance examination. I was very happy and said thanks to them. Also, I thought it is important not to give up. Finally, I found if you have troubles, even if it is painful, you can always solve it someday and make lemonade!!

My Best Memories Of MFWI

I have a lot of memories of MFWI. First, my dorm member's birthday. We have 2 members. Actually, 3 members, but her birthday is April 7th, so we can't celebrate her birthday. We had birthday surprise for each person. It was great success! I was very happy. We were go out and eating delicious foods, each day. One person's birthday, we went to MOD PIZZA in downtown, and another person's birthday, we went to NUDO. MOD PIZZA is Pizza restaurant, and NUDO is ramen's restaurant.  They were very delicious.Second is outgoing. The best impressive outgoing is second. That day was very cloudy. We went to Downtown and water fall. Suddenly, we caught in a storm. We were very wet, but it was so funny and excited. Almost people in the city didn't have umbrella, so I was impressed. We played with my group members and RA. We played "Just Dance Wii" many times. When I was in high school, I was in dance club, so I love dancing. We danced with my RA. It was great time for me. We played outside too. We played badminton, basketball, and catch ball. There were so fun. One day, I did cheer dance stands with my RA and friends. I was excited!! I have a lot of memories in here. I already miss here. I want to come back to America, someday.

When Life Gives You Lemons

By Maiya
In my life, I experienced many problems for me.  I have 2 troubles that remain in my impression.  The first is in junior high school's club activity.  I belonged to a tennis club, and when I became a 3rd grade student,I was a captain of the team.  I always think about 2nd grade students.  Their attitude is sometimes bad.  I had to take care of them and practiced tennis, so I was very tired every day.  I thought that I have to talk to my friends because that is the best solution.  I talked to my friends, and they helped me.  I could afford my heart, and became to think about all the team.  The second is in my living alone.  From when I entered Mukogawa women's University, I started living alone because I'm from Miyazaki.  There is about 600 km from Miyazaki to Nishinomiya.  I have many things that I don't know what should I do.  For example, I had to submit a lot of my documents. Also, there were not enough furniture.  I didn't know when is the next classes.  However, I have some friends who have the same situation to me.  I asked my friends and considered this problems together.  Speaking of their situation, when I have some happenings, I always talk to someone.  I could relax and considered this situation.  If you have some troubles, I want you to talk to your friends or family

When Life Gives Me Lemons

   
　I have ever hardest experienced is when I was taking college exams. I always attended a supplemental school every day from morning 9 am to 10 pm. I studied English words and grammar desperately. I also wrote the marker for my mistake and solved it for many times. I especially took a lot of history lessons, because I was not good at remembering history. It was very hard for me, but I didn’t give up studying. I wanted to pass the entrance examination for university, but I couldn’t pass the first-choice school. It was painful for me. I nearly discouraged many times, but I was able to make it this for thanks to the encouragement of my friends. I asked my friends and teachers what I didn’t understand and managed to overcome my weak subject. I went on to major in humanities or social science because I was not good at mathematics and science. I was able to enroll to Mukogawa Women’s University thanks to my continued studying until the end. I was happy to be able to enter this university now. With this experience, I realized it was important not give up anything.

When Life Gives You Lemons

When I live, some problems are sure to happen.  For example, When I was third-year high school student, I was faced with university entrance examination.  I was really worried about it, but I barely could overcome it by ways of fourth thinking.  First, I studied hard to get rid of my anxiety.  When I was third-year high school student, I studied about 10 hours in a day.  The more I study, the more my confidence level ups, so it was good way for me.  Second, my friends and I mutually enhanced each other until we took exam.  For example, I taught my friend English because she was poor at it.  In contrast, she taught me math because I was bad at math.  Also, I shared her sadness about the test when she felt depressed.  Sometimes I talked with her my worries I couldn’t talk with my parents because she understood my feeling better than my parents.  Third, I talked with my family or my teacher who are reliable persons.  I felt so much better and got the feeling that I can overcome the problem through the conversation with them because they often advised me what I should do.  Finally, I compared my worries with another harder problems, for example, poverty, conflict, education problem and so on.  When I thought of their stories, I always feel they are very small ones.  In short, I think these ways are the best way to overcome my problems.

The New Discoveries Of America

by Mizuki
Until coming here, I thought that the U.S is far from Japan in distance and others. I didn't know well about America, such as Americans, hobbies, customs. I also thought that most of Americans keep guns in their houses, and they all are friendly. Some images against the U.S are same exactly as I thought. Otherwise some images are very different as I though. Living in and lookinig at America in real, and talking with people in America, I learned more about the U.S. I found many differences from Japan. For example, the busses are bigger than Japan's, the roads are wide, there are some distances between each houses, the doors of the each spaces of toilet have some blanks, and it is common for Americans to wait a waitress when they order cuisines in restaurants. I also found other differences. As almost people feel uncomfortable when they visit another country.I also felt uncomfortable, but the differences are interesting because these are not common sighs in Japan, these are new discoveries about America. I like America more than before.

The Necessity Of English For Me

by Mizuki

English is necessary for me because I am planning to travel around  the world in the future. If I can speak English well, I can easily communicate with many people from all over the world without a language varrier. Many people studying English to communicate and break down the language varrier. Actually, I am also in this situation. The language varrier makes me uncomfortable, so I think I have to study English more to become a more fluent speaker. If I can speak English, I can talk with people from other countries about many things, such as food, fashion, their cultures, politics and others, and speaking English lets me look at things from different viewpoints.  It will broaden my horizons and help me to be a more global citizens. In short, English is necessary for me to go abroad and develop as a person.

Travel Attraction

I think that traveling is very important opportunity in my life! I like travel and traveling around the world has been a dream since my childhood. Traveling has many good points. First, I can contact with culture, language, and scenery. For example, I can eat a lot of local food, go to see historical buildings and visit famous spots, so I can experience something different from usual and widen my view and can know more about the local. Second, there are various encounters when traveling.Talkin with local people makes traveling more enjoyable. Also, can improve communication skill. Third, traveling is good opportunity to face myself. But there are some dangerous situations when traveling. For example, it is not safe for theft or insecure places. So I think it is important to travel and enjoy it safety so that do not encounter any trouble. Finally, for three reasons. traveling is important opportunity and I want to travel in the future.

Bad News For Us

     I'm very sad because I head some bad news recently. First, face-to-face classes was called off, so I have to take classes online. I can't meet my friends and my teachers in class so, I'm boring all day. I wanted to talk with them more. I take online classes for the first time, so I'm anxious whether I can communicate with my teachers for to study English property because in my case, I like better to study in school than in my dorm. In particular, I think that I want to improve my pronunciation, but I can't learn from my teachers directly, so this is very disappointment. Second, we can't go outside of MFWI site. We can't go shopping, watch sports match directly, and visit another schools. I have to stay in MFWI site with my friends and my RA. We lost a lot of oppotunity to talk with American people. Third, homestay program was called off. I was very looking forward to it, so I was very shocked. I know it's fun because I have experienced it once when I was eleven years old. I think homestay is good for us. For example we can learn American culture and language also we can make friends from it. I want to homestay someday if coronavirus is gone completely. Honesty, I didn't think coronavirus very spread around the world, so I'm surprised, but I think I want to do my best as much as possible in the currrent situation.

I hate coronavirus!!

I hate coronavirus. Because coronavirus suffered people and ruined our study abroad. Corona infection began two month ago and hasn't stopped. I didn't think that a coronavirus would do so much
damage. The infectiousness of coronavirus is expanding rapidly and the world is now panic. Impact on us as Traveling to Newyork, Seattle, going out and homestay has been lost due to coronavirus. Also, the class was lost and it turned into an online class. I was very sad because of the trip I was looking forward to and I'm sorry that I no longer had the opportunity to meet our teachers and take classes. I'm lonely because studying abroad for 4months is shortened to 1 month and the time with RA is shortened too. I want to make more memories with RA. But studying abroad in the United States was about a month, but I was able to create very pleasant memories. I hope the coronavirus wil disappear soon and we also need to be careful not to get coronavirus. Finally, thank you Mr, Bridget for always gentley teaching us English!
                                                                                   

                         

   
       

Why I Need Languages

Kanna
There are three important reasons why I need languages. First, I want to study English, Korean, and Chinese. I especially want to speak English and Korean. I like these two country’s cultures, such as their music and movies. I want to understand what they say and what they think. I really enjoy studying with TV programs, movies, and music because these are also my hobbies! I watch English movies with English subtitles, but my Korean skill is not good yet, so I watch Korean movies or videos with English subtitles, not Japanese. This is a very good way to improve my language skills!

Second, I think I cannot be a global citizen only speaking Japanese in the future. The Japanese economic condition has not been good lately and the population of elderly people has increased, so we have to become more global. Almost all Japanese people, even people who work for major corporations cannot speak English fluently. Globalization is progressing in many areas of society and I need to adapt. I have studied English since I was 10 years old, but I cannot speak English well yet. I really feel It is very hard to study languages, but I will do my best!

Third, I like to travel abroad, and I want to talk with local people. English is a very useful language because there are many people to speak English with all over the world. If I can speak English more, I have more choices. For example, there are a lot of articles and websites written by English on internet, so I  could get more informations and knowledges. Also, many tourists come to Japan. The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2019 was over 31 million and this number is increasing every year. I want to help these people to understand Japan better by using English with them.

In conclusion, these my three important reasons for studying languages are that I can understand the cultures of other countries and I can improve Japanese economic condition and I can travel abroad and help people understand Japan better. Therefore,
It's really good for me to be able to speak other languages. That is why I need languages.

Why I Need Other Languages

by Sayaka 

There are three reasons.  Why it is necessary for me to study other languages, in particular, English and Chinese. First, English and Chinese are the most global languages. It is because there are approximately 1.5 billion people who speak English, including second-language speakers. Also, approximately 1.3 billion people speak Chinese as an official language. 

                 

Textbooks for people studying Chinese and English 

Second, it is necessary for me to speak English for my job in the future, so I need to improve my English language skills. Now, I’m studying English and Chinese. When I was a junior high school student, I started to study English, but I’m not good at English yet, so I’m studying hard to become fluent. Also, I want to speak Chinese fluently because speaking Chinese is an advantage when finding a job, but it is a little difficult for me to study Chinese pronunciation. Third, I want to go to more countries. For example, I would like to travel to Europe because I have never been there. Also, I want to communicate with people from other countries smoothly. When I was a high school student, I went to Singapore on a school trip. When I was in Singapore, I was surprised that Singaporeans speak a lot of languages. For example, they speak English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. I wanted to speak their languages. For these reasons, I think I need to study other languages in order to communicate and connect with a lot of people around the world.