Friday, November 16, 2007

Korean + Spanish Class COOKS lunch!

Today, Friday, for my Korean class and the Spanish class who's class is always next to us...
and we always have Korean class on Tuesday and Friday for 2 hours...
.. today we went to the kitchen room (which is big) for home economic classes...
...and we cooked!!!

For the Korean class (my class), we made Kimchi Bogeumbab and Duk-gook w/ gyoza on top.
Here are some pictures ! Enjoy! <3

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In my Korean Class, we only have three students total including me and my Korean teacher (who really is Korean and is fluent and living in Japan). Both classmates are 18 (3rd year).

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One of my classmates in Korean Class... what do you think?
Boy or girl? hehe


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Ai and the Spanish teacher (forgot her name).
But the teacher teaches Ai (Thai), Brin (Canada), and I (USA) Japanese on Fridays!


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Spanish food!
Yeah I tried saying the name.......... I can't pronounce spanish for shit. lol. Nor French for that matter.

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The guy in the back is a 3rd year in Matsubara High, and he was an exchange student in
America (Minnesota?? Wisconsin??) for a year. His english is really good fyi.

The teacher knows Spanish fluently and can speak/translate some english.
At first I thought she was Filopino, until Ai and Bri told me she is 100% Japanese!! lol

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Mansions

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Big apartments that actually has space are called 'Mansions'.
In reality, we would called these Mansions, Apartments.
Yes I was very shocked at first too.. lol.
Small apartments are just called Apato (apartments).
Look on top! There are TREES!
Lol, i thought that was so cool the first time I saw it.
This mansion is right across the street from me from the other side.

Japanese McDonalds

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This is what a Japanese McDonalds COULD look like.
There are many versions of the outer look.
There can be a house look, a stand-in look, 3 stories look, etc.
Since everybody uses a bicycle, there is even a bicycle parking lot (4 of them).
COOL HUH!? haha


All the sizes here are smaller compared to American version.
Even the big mac is a joke here, lol.

The McDonalds here is REALLY GOOD.
If Americans ate this McDs.. omg they would never stop.
Now American McDs taste like crap, b/c the people there don't care...
You guys have to agree on me with that one lol.

In Osaka, they nickname McDonalds, "Makudo".
In Japanese full, it is called "Makunarudo".

Japanese Hot Pot!!


Many asians has their 'own' version of Hot Pot.


Here is Japanese's version of Hot Pot.
After the basic broth, there are three kind of tastes you can pick.
Whether it is Soy Sauce, Miso, or Kimchi.
On the right side of the picture is Kimchi Hot Pot (very similar to kimchi jigae..),
on the left, Soy Sauce Hot Pot.
I only ate the Kimchi Hot Pot, lol.
It reminded me of Kimchi Jigae... omg I want Kalbi now.


JAFS: Halo Halo F-Lunch 11/02/07

The Japanese Asian Friendship Society had invited me on Friday, Nov. 2nd, 2007
to talk in detail about the melting pot of America (diversity, etc.).
After we ate, I lectured a great deal. I wanted to tell them not only positive things in America,
but also the Negative things that are everywhere in America.
I also compared Japan and America in many ways.

The tallest guy in the picture is actually from Chile.
He was an EXCELLENT translator!
However, everything he translated (from my words), I understood everything.
It was like, 'why didn't I just say it in Japanese?'

Anyways, I was paid 6 bucks for transportation, and they gave me an extra 10 bucks!
Afterwards, Pahnee (the woman next to me in green) went to Starbucks right next door.
We talked a lot, and talked for 2-3 hours straight!
She is married to a Japanese man, and has been for 7 years.
She told me many of her stories and encounters.
And it really related to me.. and I saw how even a woman who is married to a diff. culture
becomes. She is a wonderful woman. And I am so happy to meet all these wonderful people!!!


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Volunteer @ Miyake Elementary School

This morning I volunteered at Miyake Elementary School.
The foreigners from my high school, Matsubara High School were to volunteer as well.
Canada: Brin
Thai: Ai
America (Texas) : Teacher Vincent
Vietnam: Minshi
South Korea: Jino
France: Kamiyo (girl)
France: Ekutoru (boy)
Sorry I don't have all the foreigners' pictures!
So I was right on time, right? Even more so early.
But my teacher gave me the wrong directions...
It was my first time in that part of Matsubara so I had no idea where anything was!
Haha, so I was waiting at this one school for like 10 mins.
But nobody was there, so I asked a girl.
And she said that Miyake Elementary school was right around the corner.
So I was standing in front of Miyake Elementary school, but nobody was insight.
There were bikes and the doors were open, but I didn't know that this was THE school.
The name was in Kanji, and I don't know the kanji for 'Miyake'.. lol so I was asking people
who were walking pass the place.
Fortunately, this little child was walking in and led me the way.
And then there was this old guy in the teacher's room, and so he tried to lead me to the groups.
lol, he didn't know where everybody was, he was like giving me a tour.
Finally, I bumped into my teacher.
Yep, I ended up to be 15 mins late.
And my teacher was laughing cuz he knew he gave me the wrong direction, lol.
Each foreigner had their own space/room and group.
Each foreigner had to teach and play a game originated from his/her country with the little kids.
For my game.. I picked 'Green light, Red Light'!
Do you guys remember this game?
In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her.
The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says "green light".
At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight.
At any point, the stop light may say "red light!" and turn around.
If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out.
Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green light".
The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to touch him/her.
Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game.
It was really fun with each group, and the Japanese has a version like this game.. they said
American version is much cooler, rofl. XD
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OMG! THE FIRST TIME I SEEN A MONGOLIAN PERSON!!!
AND I WAS ABLE TO MEET 2 OF THEM TOO!!!!!!

SO COOL!!!!
I've never seen a Mongolian person in my whole entire life!!!


Ai and I!

Hahaha get it? Her nickname in Thai is Eye, but in Japanese it's Ai.
She is here through AFS.
Anyways, she has been here in Osaka since February 07 (ish?).
She will be leaving in February 08!


Brin is Canadian and has applied for University of Toronto! (Good luck!)
She is through YFU as well and we will be leaving Osaka the same day!
I am not sure the same plane.. but same day!
She has been in Osaka since Feb/March 2007.


I met Miku through Ai!
(Because both of them are 2nd years, and I am first, even though I am older than both of them....lol).
We and Brin eat lunch together sometimes.
Great times XD

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

1st Time - Real Japanese Tea (Bunkasai Cont.)

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Fact for first-timers: Japanese REAL green tea is GROSS!!!

Since I was a study abroad student, then let me in for free!
(you would have had to pay a couple dollars)...

A teacher showed me how to drink the tea properly.
It is like this matte, green gooey stuff.
It wasn't even like liquidy water stuff...
They gave me this really delicious sweet snack though.. that was good lol.

In all actually, you are suppose to stand the strong tea and it is suppose to feel good or something. But it takes time and practice.