Oliver Kelly Farm

The Wednesday of my second week in MN, I went to the Oliver Kelly Fram with my classmates. We watched several animals and learned the lifestyle of old Minnesotan people.

It was a big mom pig.:)

She had about 5 babies!!

How cute the baby sheep is!? Hey babe....(^-^)

They wore Old Minnsotan clothes at a historical house. However, the house was very hot and wet. Additionally, many flies were flying there. (> <)

Just a normal house......nothing special.....

The farm was very historical and Western, so I remembered "Little House on the Prairie".

Modern Art

The Tuesday of my second week in Minnesota, I went to the Walker Art Museum for a school trip. There were lots of modern art works, like Picasso. I remembered that there was a cyber dolphin, which could communicate with humas through the computer. He was so sweet!! However, that day was so terrible for me because I was sick. That's why I couldn't enjoy watching them so much......(><)














After we looked around inside the building, we went outside. There was the Sculpture Garden, that had many works of art. At that time, I was sick, but I felt better than earlier. I was happy to be with Yumi because we found some squirrels and chipmunks!! I was really excited to try squirrel fishing!!!!!!!!!!!! We spent a lot of time for watching squirrels and chipmunks than we looked at the artwork............
Again, I realize how beautiful America is !! (^ 0 ^)

Test in Fukuoka

Today I went to Fukuoka to take a test with my friends.
The test was really hard because I didn't study for it at all. I regreted being lazy><
There is no hope to pass the test.......
However, it was cool to travel with my friends.
I bought 2 souvenirs, Hakata Ramen and Hakata Bijin, in Tenjin.

Happy Birthday to Me 21

Happy Birthday to me!!
Today I became 21 years old at last.

Unexpectedly, trang gave me some spring rolls and my sister bought a mille crepe for me. :)
However, I can't eat cake too much because I am going on diet now.

Anyway, it was special day to me!!!!

Won an eco bag

On June 6 th, a man delivered a big box to my home during the morning.
When I saw it, I wondered what was inside. It was an eco bag that I applied to get with beer seals.
I was very happy!!!\(^0^)/

To tell the truth, I have been crazy about gathering SUNTORY beer seals to get eco bags.In order to get the bags, I have to gather 24 seals (one seal a beer can), put them into a special applicant card and drop into a mailbox. It is easy to gather many seals because my father likes to drink beer.He sometimes gets seals from his friends. That's why I have applied 7 times at least from the last of April. There are 30 kinds of eco bags and 30,000 people can get the bags.

So I finally won the eco bag!!!! It was the first time that I won a present like this way. Maybe, I won't use the bag because it is very precious to me. :)However, I want to get more eco bags, so I am looking forward to getting some more again!

Vietnamese visitor

During last Golden week, my family became a host family to a Vietnamese boy.I talked about it on Ayumi's Vietnam blog, Hostfamily, Host family2 and Host family3 but I will summarize here again.

Dung, a friend of Trang visited my grandmother house on May 3 rd. We waited for him for a long time, and he finally camed here with Trang on 10 pm.I wanted them to come earlier because I wanted to talk about Vietnam.

On May 4 th, all four of us went to the Kumamoto castle togeteher. Before arriving there, we dropped in some places like the Fujisaki Shrine. We enjoyed sightseeing around Kumamoto city and the Kumamoto castle. We also had Kumamoto ramen for lunch with my father!!
After our lanch, my father took us more places by his car. We drove to Foodpal, Melondome, Yatani Valley and Yamaga city.

That night, we had a grilled beef party at my grandmother house. :)
Trang didn't take part in the part cause she had something to do at her dorm.
After dinner, we present a stamp for Dung, and we all took some photos!!

On May 5 th, we waked up early and went to the Kumamoto station to see Dung off.
Trang, my grandmother and I saw through him.
I want him to visit here again!!!!!!!!!!!

Unhappy day again!?

Last year around this time, I was bitten by a centipede and went to the hospital. It was an unhappy day. :( Now I am scared of beign bitten by a centipede. If I am bitten by them again, I will get an allergic reaction called Anaphylaxis. It is very dangerous to my life. It is a matter of Dead or Alive!! I heard it can stop my breathing and even can be lethal to my life. However, my mom already found two centipedes at home this month. (> <) I will do my best to bug them as soon as I find them!!

Asthma...

Recently, I can't get to sleep well because I can't help coughing during nighttime. I am afraid that it is asthma. When I was a pupil, I was suffering from asthma. Because of it, I went to the hospital twice. However I haven't suffered from it since. Now I keep coughing since I got cold on the first April. I don't think it is just cold. Maybe I will go to the hospital later. I hope I don't have to worry about it and get to sleep well. (> <)

Meow Meow Meow

Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow......................
It is my favorite American CM. (^ - ^)
I got to know it recently. Maybe, many Americans are familiar with it!!

New friend from Vietnam

Today I met a new student from Vietnam at 4 th period. I became her Japanese teacher through Japanese education class, so we met today. However, we met before, so she remembered me. (^ - ^)

Her name is Trang, so I call her Trang chan. (*Trang is pounced like Chan in Japanese) We chatted over one hour and then I learned about Vietnam a few from her. She is really friendly, so I am sure we can be good friends. (^ 0 ^)

Xin Chao is hello in Vietnamese!

In fact, I will research about Vietnam through my seminar this year. Now I have interest in Vietnam. I will do my best to study Vietnam this year!!!

Driving license★

Today I went to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Center to take my final driving paper test. I have already past my final drving skill at my driving school. I worried that I didn't study about driving enough. I was so nervous.......and then

To my delight, I passed the test!!
I got a driving license at last!! (^o^)

It almost took two months to get it. I spent my spring vacation going to a driving school. However, I was lucky that I could get it before my university started.


I wanna graduate from the passenger seat and be a good driver soon!! I want to drive now. (> 0 <) If you have the courage to ride in my car, I will take you anywhere!!!

Koh-san

Today I met my Chinese friend, Koh downtown. She is an exchange student from Shenzhen here. We had a good time together.

We went to McDonald's and then we enjoyed eating and chatting. (^-^)

We also visited a game center and there took a "purikura" which is a photo stricker that you can have made in a booth here in Japan. It was really funny!!

But sadly, it was last day that we could meet here. She had to go back to China. （> <) However, she suggested that we should go to Hong Kong next summer. I really wanna go there with her. I hope we can meet there again!!!!!!!!!!!



←This is a present from her. She had traveled in Hokkaido before we met. It's a big and really cool sheet. I like it. (^-^)

Past driving permit test☆

Today I passed my driving permit tests, and got my temporary license at last! I am really glad now. There were two kinds of tests. One was a skill test and the other was a paper test. I didn't expect that I passed the skill test. I though that I was a terrible driver and that I would fail the test at least once. Because I passed the skill test, I could take the paper test. To my surprised, my score was perfect. Today was a really miracle day for me. That's why I bought a little expensive custard pudding and two tiramisus for myself and family at a department store. My family celebrated as if I had passed an entrance exam. I thought they were over the top, but I was happy, though. I will drive on the road from now!!

Kinoko soup

Today I went to the Horn Yamagoya with my sister and Maiko for lunch. My sister and I have been going there since we were little. We would often go there with my grandmother. That's why the old waitress remembered us even though we haven't visited for a long time. (^-^) By the way, I like Kinoko soup the best of all the menu. Kinoko means mushroom!! The soup looks like mushroom, but doesn't contain any mushrooms. It is a white stew covered with bread. It is sooo delicious. Maiko said this soup looked like Docomodake. I really recommend this soup. When you visit here, please try it sometime!!

DanDan Noodle

Today I ate Dandan noodle (坦々麺：Tantan men) with my sister and grandmother. The restaurant is near my grandmother's house. We came to know there recently. We can choose the hot levels of the noodles. The levels are from 0 to 7, with 7 being the hottest. I heard the level 1 was so hot from my sister. I ordered the level 1, but it was not hot to me. By the time I finished eating it, my tongue became numb, though. My tongue is still poor at spicy foods. After that, we ordered ice cream, too. It was very cold and sweet. Next time I eat it, I will challenge a spicier level!!

MT. RAINIER Caffe Latte

I like MT. RAINIER Caffe Latte. There are different kinds of Latte flavors. Hazel Mocha is my favorite flavor. This drink is similar to Starbucks, but is made by a Japanese company, Morinaga. However, it seems to come from America or another western country. That's why I want to have my foreign friends drink the latte. I hope other countries will get the chance to experience the taste of this drink. Anyway, my mother likes it, too. I like to buy them for me and my mom at a supermarket. Of course, to buy one at a supermarket is cheaper than buying at a convenient store. I am looking forward to drinking a new flavor of it!!

Sea gull

Today I went to the Kumamoto port with my family to see Sea gulls. There were some sea gulls at that time. We liked to feed them. (^-^) That's why we brought some snacks to feed them. We could see them very closely. They seemed to be hungry, so they were so hard to eat our food. Some caught food from our hands. However, they were so cute and beautiful. I wanna feed them again!!

Changing hairstyle

After I finish my age of ceremony, I would like to change my hairstyle. I got tired of my normal hairstyle, and I wanted Permed hair. I tried to go to a beauty salon where my acquaintance works on last Friday because I had finished my fall semester. It took 2 hours to become perm my hair, but perm did not set so strongly. I had to go to the salon again. That's why I went there last Monday. However, I like to go there. Everytime I go there to cut my hair, the shop serves me drinks and the hairdresser gives me a massage. I like those services as well as my new hairstyle!!

Driving school

On February 2nd, I started to go to a driving school. I wanted to get a license before because People around me have already licenses, but I missed many chances to go there. I though that driving was really fun and easy. However, it was not like that at all to me. >< It was so difficult for me to drive. I will do my best to graduate from the school during my spring vacation. I want to drive with my friends including foreigners someday. My dream is taking foreign friends somewhere in Kumamoto with my driving. That's why I need to get a license soon!!

Final WEI 6

6.0. Suggestions for your peers and successors

• I realized some important things at this term. The most important thing is to keep blogging, and read others and give comments to them. If you get some reader, they may encourage you to make lots of posts. You can enjoy making posts. Don’t be lazy reading books every week. To read one book at least once a week is also important. You can get English skill naturally if you keep those points.

Final WEI 5

5.0. Additional reflections on your blog writing

• Actually, I thought I had to make blog for credit at first. However, my mind changed soon, and I enjoyed bogging greatly. I realized that many people read my blog. I also enjoyed reading others’ blogs and giving comments. In fall semester, we should review movies. I seldom watch movies, so I think it was a good chance to make myself watch movies and listen English. Taking photos for my blog became one of my hubbies without my notice. Now I enjoy taking photos, too. Surely, the best goal for writing class is to improve our writing skill. During this term, I wrote a lot of documents and I learned some English rules from them. I believe if the class had not been blog, I had not enjoyed this class at all. I was happy that many people all over the world read my blog and gave me some advice. I sometimes got some help from Internet foreigners to correct my documents. Anyway, I have still hard readers, so I will keep blogging.

Final WEI 4

3.0. Book Reviews

	Short titles with links	Dates (yy.mm.dd)	Words	Comments
Example:	Vampire Killer	07.05.16	39	1
2-01	WHO WANT TO BE A STAR?	07.10.02	428	0
2-02	THE WHITE ORYX	07.10.08	366	0
2-03	FLYING HOME	07.10.12	405	0
2-04	THE TROY STONE	07.10.19	532	0
2-05	DEAD MAN'S ISLAND	07.10.28	591	0
2-06	JUST LIKE A MOVIE	07.11.02	583	0
2-07	LOST LOVE and Other Stories	07.11.07	584	0
2-08	Kidnap!	07.11.17	583	0
2-09	MR BEAN IN TOWN	07.11.26	721	0
2-10	Picture Puzzle	07.11.29	775	0
2-11	TITANIC	07.12.09	676	0
2-12	THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON	07.12.13	1003	0
2-13	L.A. Raid	07.12.20	1443	0
2-14	TWISTERS!	07.12.27	822	0
2-15	A Pretty Face	08.01.06	1343	0
2-16	Rich Man, Poor Man	08.01.13	1549	0
2-17
2-18
---	---	TOTALS:	12404	0

Note: Please calculate book review words and comments totals without the example (above).

4.2. Best Book Review

Selection and Assessment: Which of those book reviews do you feel is the best that you've written this semester, and why? Please remember that a complete answer is better than a short answer, and give at least two reasons to support your assessment.

• I think Book Review 2-9 is my best. The title of this book is Mr. Bean in town, so the story is about Mr. Bean. The reason why it is my best is that story is difficult to understand. It explains about Mr. Bean’s comedies. That’s why to summarize story is also difficult. I took a long time to finish this review. I also put a You Tube related with that Mr. Bean’s comedy. I was really satisfied with it. I was happy that Mr. Tomei liked it, too.

Final WEI 3

2.0. Comments

Total number of comments (use dashboard)
Months	08	09	10	11	12	01	Total
	12	4	17	10	5	6	54

Most comments on:	Titles of posts with link	Dates of posts (yy.mm.dd)	Qualities of comments*[*]
Any one of your movie reviews	Kill Bill	07.10.30	My British friend gave me a comment. I think he wrote about the movie review very well. My Pakistanis friend also read and gave me a nice comment. I think they understand what I said well.
When did you respond to those comments?	---	07.11.05	---
How did you respond to those comments?	---	---	I responded with my thinking. I also thanked for him.
Any of your other posts*	Saturday morning	07.11.13	I think her comment was long and good. I was happy that I got a comment such as long. She seemed to have interest in my post. So quality of her comment is very nice.
When did you respond to those comments?	---	08.01.29	---
How did you respond to those comments?	---	---	Today I responded to her. There were some questions in her comments, so I answered everything. When I respond, I use Fire fox. It is better than Explore in some ways.

----------
* Current semester comments on essays and other posts
** Please list the most important qualities of comments on each type of blog post.

Recent comments display

Does your blog display recent comments from blog visitors in a prominent location, for example in a sidebar, header, or footer widget? Where or why not?

• My blog displays recent comments in a sidebar because it is easy to find others’ comments. I can reply them quickly. I think it helps me to save time.

Additional reflections on comments

• I was happy that I got a lot of comments from visitors. I think many visitors gave comments to posts about America. They seemed to have interest in my time in Minnesota. Surely, I didn’t receive some comments; I knew they read my posts. I also enjoyed watching my friends’ blogs, so I gave some comments to them. However, I sometimes missed giving comments. I should have given them more comments, and then I would have gotten more comments from them. Anyway, I was always looking forward to receiving comments from visitors.

Final WEI 2

1.0. Movie Reviews

1.1. Showcase [+ links]	Dates on blog (yy.mm.dd)	¶	W	Notes
Toy Story	07.10.13	4	432	I have seen the movie, and it is my favorite movie.
Kill Bill	07.10.30	7	454	I actually hate the movie. I don’t want to see it again.
Romeo and Juliet	07.11.19	5	481	I have seen the movie on TV before. However, this movie is so-so.
Mrs Doubtfire	07.12.01	6	703	I like this movie very much. I don’t watch it enough.
School of Rock/Forrest Gump	07.12.16	10	827	This story was very simple and boring.
Lilo & Stich/Shrek	07.01.13	8	1054	Once I watched it, I liked the story. I think it is funny. I want to see it again.
Totals	---	40	3951	---

Key:

¶: number of paragraphs three or more sentences in length

W: number of words

1.2. Best Movie Review

Selection and Assessment: Which of those movie reviews do you feel is the best that you've written this semester, and why? Please remember that a complete answer is better than a short answer, and give at least two reasons to support your assessment.

• I think my best review is Lilo and Stitch. It is because I summarized that story very well. Surely, I liked that story, so it is east to review. However, I spent a lot of time to finish this review. I have never seen this movie till I got that assignment. At first, I had to go to library to check the story. Some of other movies I have seen before, so I didn’t have to watch them again. After I watched it, I used Wiki to check the characters’ names. I think Wiki is very important to review Movies. I can’t review movies without Wiki. Anyway, I also enjoyed reviewing this story, so it is my best movie review.

Final WEI 1

Writing IVa: Portfolio
0.0. Overview

Reviews, Posts, and Words

Months	08	09	10	11	12	01	Totals
Book reviews	0	0	5	5	4	2	16
Blog posts	3	4	23	21	31	14	96
Words	628	445	4912	5612	8014	6558	26178
TOTAL	---	---	---	---	---	---	---

Last Post for wrting class

This post is the last for my writing class. Thinking about my blog, I made a lot of posts for a year. I think I enjoyed making blogging. Maybe, I never stop blogging now. My goal is to finish American posts. I only finish quarter of all American posts. I will keep making posts. I especially wanna make posts more about Squirrel. Of course, I will keep blogging about my regular things. Thanks for blog, I got some new friends all over the world. I also get writing skill. I am lucky that I can get a chance to make my blog. Hey, everyone, keep reading my blog and giving me comments. (> <)

See you soon!

Happy birthday to my mom

**Happy birthday, Mom**

Today was my mother's birthday. I wanted to celebrate her, but I did not have much time. It was becase that I was in test season, so I had to study for it. My mother likes cake very much. I was sorry that I couldn't buy cake for her. My family didn't buy birthday cake for her, either. If I get free time, I will buy some pieces of cake for my mom.