This weekend, I went to Tokyo for business.  During a lunch break, I went walking in the Harajuku area.  I saw a gaming shop that sold Warhammer.  Warhammer is something that I always thought looked fun and interesting, but i could never get into it because it costs a lot of money, and I never had much extra cash when i was young.  Here’s a picture form the Warhammer shop in Harajuku.

This is Warhammer.  Warhammer is a boardgame with highly detailed game pieces.  The game pieces come un-assembled, so you have to put them together, glue them, and paint them yourselves.  That is really where all the fun is.  After you are finished, you can set up a game with a friend and have your figures battle each other.  The rules are very complicated, and you need a lot of dice.  It’s pretty nerdy, but there is something about the quality of the figures that makes me always walk into a Warhammer store and take a look around.  I still never buy any of it.  It’s too expensive.  Maybe one day…

みなさんこんにちは。

最近は暖かい日が続いたと思うと、また寒い日がやってきましたね。

そんな中、先日のとある天気がいい日に庭の大根を抜いていたら、こんなものを見つけました。

これがなんだかわかりますか？

これならわかる人も多いかもしれませんね。

答えは「ふきのとう」です。

毎年雪解けの時期に見つけるのですが、今年は雪がないのでこの時期に見つけることができました。

家の庭だけでも100個以上もありました。

食べて「おいしい！」と思えるものではないですが、旬のものなので天ぷらにして食べました。

味は苦くて独特の風味があり、薬味として使われることもあるようです。

これを食べると「春がやってきたな〜」と感じます。

同じところにこちらも春の山菜である「つくし」も生えていましたが、こちらは下処理が大変なので

そのままにしておきました。

In March, I always think of my mom Louann, because her birthday was on March 12. Unfortunately, she passed away more than ten years ago, but I have so many good memories of her, and also I think I have some of her traits. Starting as a nurse, she changed her life path towards teaching and family life education later in life. What I really admired about her was how much she loved to talk to, teach, and help people. She particularly liked working with young people, especially junior high and high school students. She was very “real,” open, honest, warmly demonstrative in her feelings of love, and didn’t talk down to people. She also believed in equality, which inspired her to contribute to different kinds of feminist and charitable projects and organizations. Whether working in a hospital, a school, or just at home or around town, she beamed with humor, energy, and affection. I like to think she really influenced the kind of person and teacher I am today! Please treasure the people that you consider your “family”– I mean anyone around you who inspire you and lift you up!

明日の日曜日は、先週に引き続き

英検の2次試験が行われます。

初めて面接試験を受ける生徒さんは、

「面接の人、こわいかな～？」と

今週のレッスン時に少し緊張しているようでした。

明日の本番、練習通りうまくできますように。

Hey y’all!

   My mother is coming to Japan! Over the course of Spring Break my mother, Debra, will be making her journey from Texas to come hangout with me for two weeks. She has never been to Japan and doesn’t know ANY Japanese, so this is going to be a pretty wild experience for her. I’m still not too sure where I’m going to take her, but thanks to this units 4-Skills and my students, I suppose I have a few good ideas. So, keep on telling my what different Japanese cities are famous for, or where different shrines are! Hopefully, when I see y’all in April I will be able to share my adventures with y’all.

  See y’all in class!

Sam