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My treasures
2008-01-28
I have It is that I can't collect my favorite things.
The things which I'm collecting are State Quarters and souvenir spoons.
Well, I'll show you my collection.
State Quarters
Quarter, it's namely US 25 cent coin. If you have it, look at the pattern of it.
You can find it was designed after each states of America.
About State Quarters
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/states/index.cfm?flash=yes&state=MD
Probably, It was easy to get them on the Internet, but this way was insipid for me.
I felt more excited to get them by hand as a change, and to confirm them which state's coin was a lot of fun. I could feel a kind of excitement like a gamble.
Sadly, I can no longer get them in this way in Japan.
Coin holder
I still want to collect them, so If you have the coins which I couldn't get,would you exchange them with mine? Please!!!
Souvenir spoon
The first spoon I obtained
Once I saw the collection of souvenir spoons my friend had, I was enthralled by them. I have been collecting it since that. Now, I have more than 50 spoons.
It makes me feel delight of collection as well as it brings me the memory of trip.
Presumably, I'm inclined to like a souvenir which has a local feature and something series.
We will "lock" you! under severe thunder storm
2008-01-23
2002, SummerI thought I told you that I was locked out from my room before.
I did it again..... How stupid I was!
My apartment had a public laundry room on the each floor. The laundry room also needed the key to open.
When I went to the laundry room to wash my lot of lingerie, I found that I forgot to have the keys. (included my room's key)
I was locked out again... with a plastic bag which was full of my lingerie... No━━(;ﾟДﾟ)━━oo !!!!!
Although I had to go to the leasing office where was next to building to borrow the key,too bad, it was severe thunder storm!!
I hesitated to bring my lingerie to the leasing office with me, but I was ashamed to leave it there or thereabout.A thunderbolt struck around there perpetually.
It was so scared to go outside at that time. Ahhh,,, I didn't know how I should do.
I decided to run to the leasing office under severe thunder storm. Of course, I brought my plenty of lingerie with me. I managed to get to there and carried out the mission. (mission?) I was relieved from bottom of my heart that I wasn't hit by lightning with my lingerie.
After that, I tried to keep the keys using a strap to dangle it from my neck, like this.
I think the most helpful English phrase to me while I stayed in the U.S., it was....
"Could you borrow room key?"
Guys, please don't forget to have your room's key when you go out.
The building on your left is the leasing office. ちょっと分かりづらいかな？
ウチのアパートはオートロック式で自動に鍵がかかってしまう。ゆえに部屋から出る時は鍵を持たねばならない。このアパートは自室に洗濯場は無く、共同のランドリーを使う。よってランドリーも鍵が必要となる。
洗濯をしていた時の事。
あっ！鍵を持ってくるの忘れちゃったよ！
私はビニール袋いっぱいの洗濯物（自分の下着）と共に閉め出されてしまった。
鍵を開けるには隣の棟のレンタルオフィスまで行かないとならない。が、
運悪く外はもんのすごい雷！レンタルオフィスへ行くにはこの凄まじい稲妻攻撃をかいくぐらなければならない。だが、この下着はどうする？
下着を置いて行くのも持って行くのも恥！ だが、そこらに置いて行くよりましだ。
意を決して、私は雷の中を下着の入ったビニール袋を携えレンタルオフィスまで走った。
下着類を後ろに隠し、鍵を貸してもらうよう要求。
無事、また部屋に入る事ができた。ミッションコンプリートリー。
大量の下着とともに雷に打たれずに本当によかったと思っている。
Japanese culture in the U.S.
2008-01-19
When you heard of Japan, what do you imagine?Mt.Fuji? Sushi? Samurai?
Well, I think that one of Japanese culture called "Otaku" is getting popular in Western Country.
According to Wiki,"Otaku is a derisive term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime and manga."
If you call people who like manga and video games as Otaku, probably, I'm also a kind of otaku. Because I like both topics.
When it comes to talking about it, I'll talk about it at length.
I used to watch anime channel on TV by Cartoon netwark. It has a lot of Japanese anime progurams, as you know; Dragon Ball,Gundam, Lupin the third... sometimes it was very useful for me to practice English.
Surprisingly, I found that it is very strict about sexual expression in the U.S. When I watched Dragon ball, there is a character who is a very lecherous old man called Kamesennin, he often says something sexual expression.
But these expressions were replaced sexual phrase he used with another safe one. Although watching it in Japan was no problem.
"Recruit schoolgirls at high school from Japan!"
Japanese culture in the U.S. の続きを読む
I'm glad to "meat" you!
2008-01-15
Nice to "meat" you at Costco in Gaithersburg, MD
I took this picture at COSTCO.COSTCO is the largest membership warehouse club. Japan also has this store in Makuhari, Chiba.
I often went to the store to buy commodities and foods, however to buy many things at Costco was hard to consume for small number of family.
I had never seen such a many kinds of and plenty of beef meats were sold!
Besides, beef meats were less expensive than in Japan, so I enjoyed eating beef meat in the U.S. ; steak, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu. and so on.
However, there were no thin sliced meats at the American grocery store, as far as I know, so I had to make thin sliced of meats by myself using a slicer. It was a troublesome job!
About chicken thigh meat, there were no boneless meats. It was also a troublesome job to get rid of bone from it.
I felt like to be a butcher when I cut plenty of meats in the kitchen.
I love Costco━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━!!
（追記）
COSTCO...日本では「コストコ」と呼ばれてますが、 アメリカでは「コスコ」発音は「カスコ」っぽかったです。北欧家具店IKEAも同様、日本では「イケア」、あちらでは「アイケア」と呼ばれてました。
Wash FM
2008-01-11
＊Wash FM ＊You can click
is a name of the FM radio station which broadcasts in Washington D.C. area. It is not that I'm washing something.
I often enjoyed listening it when I was in the U.S. I still remember the number of it. It's 97.1.
I could get many US songs from it. After I came back to Japan, I enjoyed it on web site for a while as well.
Sadly, it's not available on web site now in Japan.
Today, I'll show you one of my favorite song I got from Wash FM. This song is used as a movie song for "Remember the Titans"/タイタンズを忘れない I like this movie, too.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Ain't no mountain high enough.
Ain't no valley low enough.
Ain't no river wide enough.
If you need me, call me
No matter where you are. No matter how far.
Just call my name. I'll be there in a hurry.
You don't have to worry.
I love this part especially. This song cheers me up when I feel down.
Long way to get a Driver's License 2 ＊Micky couldn't approach MVA
2008-01-10
2002 one day,Getting a driver's license in the U.S. was very hard for me.
It was very difficult for me to take a test, not only Drug and Alcohol test but also Law test. I'm ashamed that I failed in the law test many times.
How many times did I go to MVA !??(Motor Vehicle Administration) I still dislike MVA in Gaithersburg!(a place of the name in Maryland)
It is needed some important documents as below, to get a driver's license for foreigner;
1,Passport
2,U.S Visa and I-94(now, DS-2019)
3,Driver's license in your country or International driver's license
4,Two documents to prove your address
Actually, I brought documents like that. But the information desk didn't accept me.
Because, one of the documents I brought was an advertisement letter from Disney land.
The information desk said me" Bring the letter from more reliable institution!" This letter from Disney land wasn't appropriate for a certification form. Micky Mouse couldn't let me prove.
Like this,,, I was drove back by the blunt desk from MVA without taking the test.
"No one proves my identity in this country!" I shouted and then I cried....
メリーランド州で外国人が免許を取得する際に必要となるもの。（2002年当時）
１、パスポート
２、ビザとDS-2019(かつてはI-94という書類だった。)
３、自国の運転免許証もしくは国際免許証
４、住所が証明できる書類２通 公的機関からの自分宛の手紙でも可。
当時は自分宛に来る公的機関からの手紙なんぞなかったので、たまたま手元に届いていたディズニーランドの宣伝手紙を持って行った。しかし、適切な書類としてみなされず受け付けで門前払いをくらい轟沈。ミッキーは私の事を証明しちゃあくれなかった。
Hitchhiking in Maryland
2008-01-06
2002 One day, I started to go to the Church in Derwood to study English with my Japanese friend. The church was a little bit far from my place, so we had to use Metro and bus to get to there.
The first day, We were absorbed in chatting while we rode on the bus.
We carelessly passed the church yet...
The bus already passed a quite distance from the church. We decided to get off the bus at the unfamiliar place.
It was so hard for us to get to the church by walk, because she had a baby. Besides, I had no English proficiency enough to ask help to someone.
The next bus wouldn't come until 1 hour later. No people around there...
The dark forest made us anxiety...
We were completely lost...We didn't know what we should do.
After serious thought,,,, We dared to hitchhike.
Fortunately, a kind American woman picked us. We could get to the church finally.
But someone told us that hitchhiking is prohibited in Maryland.
I didn't know that at all.
I'm really sorry to my friend at that time!
英会話教室に友達と行き始めた。
その教室（教会）はアパートから少し離れており、電車とバスを乗り継いで行かなければならない。 バスに乗っている間、友達と話が弾んでいて、教会を過ぎていたのに全然気がつかなかった。
こ、ここはどこだー！？
我々は見知らぬ地でバスを降りる事にした。辺りはうっそうとした森。 人気もほとんどなく、次のバスは１時間以上来ない。友達は子供連れだし歩くのは大変だ。
どうする！！？？
我々はヒッチハイクを敢行した。
運良く、親切なアメリカ人女性が拾ってくれた。「あなたたちがso pityに見えたのよ。」と。
かくして、無事に教会にたどり着く事ができたが、誰かが言っていた。
「メリーランドではヒッチハイクは禁止されているんですよ。」
Soramimi hour
2008-01-03
Hi guys,Happy New Year!I'll give you some stories that I suffered from language barrier.
By the way, "Soramimi" is a Japanese word. It's a kind of mishearing.
For example.....
*at a grocery store;
eko: Can I have a cod fish?
Clerk: Yes, ma'am!
He handed me a fish, it was not a cod fish but a cat fish.
When I asked him again that I'd like to buy a cod fish, he was complaining
something about that. Probably, my pronunciation was not good....
the next is, at a restaurant;
Waitress: Which do you like soup or salad?
eko: Yes, please!
*add: I could catch only the part of;"soup or salad". but.....
Waitress: (ﾟДﾟ )Huh?....so which?
I misheard that "soup or salad"→"super salad"
I thought "super salad" is a kind of special salad in the restaurant.
I've ever seen the exactly same situation on English education channel in Japan.
I guess many Japanese make a mistake like me, and they will think; "What is a "super salad?"
