Postcard from...a safari, Kenya

Hello everyone!

Wildebeeste & Impalas

I stacked in Narita Airport about 30 hours!! but finally got the exciting and wild earth of Africa.

Today I met some group of elephants, gnus, giraffes, and lions!! They were amazingly beautiful.

This morning, I was able to enjoy the view of the Kilimanjaro clearly. The guide said it is really rare recent years.

Tomorrow I am going to enjoy a boat safari!!

Teruki, who is impressed by Africa!

Postcard from...Hawaii, USA

A Plumeria cluster - perfect for lei making

I arrived in Hawaii "Big Island" yesterday.

We went to the volcano. Lava had erupted.

I am impressed by the wonderful scenery.

Mie

Night at the Museum - film review

Ben Stiller

Night at the Museum is a fantasy movie. It came out in 2006 . The director was Shawn Levy .

The story is about a rookie guard in a big museum in Washington D.C. That museum has a secret, which is that all the stuffed animals and statues and models come alive at night. The guard has lots of adventures and there are lots of exciting action scenes. Old guards want to steal something important.

I thought the film was exciting and made me feel nervous. My favorite character is played by Ben Stiller, but I also like the Pharoah and the Moai. The story was only 108 minutes but it is really funny all the time. This movie really good for children and parents.

Nanako (9)

My Neighbour Totoro - film review

The film "Totoro" came out in 1988. The director was Hayao Miyazaki. This film is a fantasy film.

There are two girls, Satsuki, Mei, and a monster "Totoro" in this film.One day Mei wanted to give a corn to mom in the hospital, but she got lost. Satsuki could not find her, so she asked Totoro to help find Mei. Totoro called "Nekobus", which took Satsuki to Mei. Then Nekobus took them to Mom in hospital. Everybody was happy.

I think everything is good in this film. I like the music, design and the story. I don't think anything is bad. Everybody likes this film because Totoro is a fantastic character.

Yuto (12)

Yuka, my best friend

Yuka's Toca Hair Salon make-over!

This is a photo of my friend, Yuka.

She's 31 and she's Japanese. She lives in Matsumoto. She's a good nurse.

She has long, orange hair with green & purple highlights, and she has dark eyes. She's always kind.

She loves snowboarding and does it very well. She goes to the mountains many times every winter.

I like her because I'm relaxed with her.

Megumi

Introducing my best friend, Megumi

Megumi's Toca hair salon make-over!

This is a photo of my friend, Megumi.

She's 34 and she's Japanese. She lives in Matsumoto city. She's a HCU nurse.

She has a bob haircut. She has orange & yellow hair & dark eyes. She is intelligent and always funny.

She loves music and she likes drinking alcohol. She can cook meals very well and she can play the piano. We like eating when she cooks dinner.

I like her because I enjoy her company.

Yuka

More thoughts on my trip to England

The City of London skyline 

I found many things about England through this trip.

England is a racial melting pot. The air of London is stale. Many people in London use bikes for commuting.

There aren't any high mountains in England. The underground in London is smaller than Tokyo's. There are so many Chinese tourists in London & the Cotswolds.

When we were driving on the motorway, we can see many Japanese cars, but German cars are large.

In England people drive on the left. In the morning & evening, London has traffic jams. London is a very busy city.

Post offices in London sell sweets & stationery.

There are old & new buildings in London, and new buildings are now under construction.

Keep Left

In London they are parking on one side of the road, in high-class residential areas too.

Prices in London are higher than Tokyo.

Takeyo

Postcard from...London, England.

Dear Mr. George-sensei,

I am here in London. Very exciting city.

Yesterday I rode British Pullman. There, I met British Gentleman and his smart wife.

An today visited Cotswolds, I saw beautful old styled thatched cottage.

I have to go back to Japan two days after. I want to come back again. Bon (cat's name) is waiting for our back.

From Takeyo

Postcard from...Yamagata, Japan

It was a pleasure to spend an afternoon with Ryan Hagglund's experienced staff at MY English School in Yamagata on Tuesday. It IS a long journey from Matsumoto, whichever way you slice it, but being able to hit the ground running makes the day easy to prepare for. Throw in a couple of pizzas and the odd donut...

SEs using Quizlet Live

Using Quizlet Live has proved to be a really enjoyable tool to get teachers working together quickly, and discussing aspects of eg performance feedback that might ordinarily not strike much of a cord. Getting examiners to argue the toss on courtesy or security for example, usually takes quite a lot of doing.

Grateful that even a teacher on paternity leave would give up some of that time to keep his credentials current, and for everyone's time in a week obviously crammed with interesting PD. Kudos to Ryan on pointing his school & staff in a very professional direction. Delighted we can continue to contribute to that bench-marked success with Cambridge Young Learners.

Postcard from ...Tainan, Taiwan

Hi Luna students! Did you miss me?

I made a very quick weekend trip to the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan. I went to meet some friends and to do some exploring. What did I discover?

Well, the local temples are very busy places, especially around the new moon (which was Saturday night) and the full moon. They are also noisy parades, with fire-crackers in the streets, music & girls pole-dancing on the backs of trucks! The architecture and colours reminded me a lot of Okinawa's Shuri-jo, which is actually not too far away. Another Japanese connection is obviously the pre-war occupation.

Tainan traffic is mad; the food is terrific. I enjoyed myself tremendously, but recommend much more time than a weekend. Two red-eye journeys in as many days means my head is spinning!

Hope you've all done your homework?!

Jim