the band practice room

Today is Monday.

I went to Jinshan. I met six senior high school students there. They are all girls. They are called Rita, Fish, Sunny, Mia, Lily and Jenny. They’re from Class 401, and Class 401 is a wind band.

   They took me to visit their school. One of the places was their band practice room. There are many musical instruments and people. I thought all musical instruments are cool. When they played together, I couldn’t say any words because it was so wonderful. It was a good experience. 

                     

Jinshan Old Street and a historical temple

My friend Juju showed me around her hometown -Jinshan yesterday.  Jinshan Old Street has many unique buildings. I can not only eat duck meat and many delicious food around Guang An Gong but also experience several traditional activities.   

Don't forget to taste the sweet potato ice cream. It is too impressive for me to forget. When you walked along the Old Street, you would enjoy this soothing atmosphere.

At the end of the Old Street is a historical temple. It seems to have a magnificent power to make people feel serene and positive. Juju told me that Ma Zu always gives her direction. This belief has become a crucial part of her life. Once you have time, you can take a trip and enjoy the beauty of my hometown. I think you will love it!

May 5, 2017 with class 603

Today is a special day in Japan. Yes, it is Japan’s Children's Day, but it is also the Dragon Boat Festival, which is quite different from  Taiwan.   For most festivals, we go by solar calendar in Japan, while here in Taiwan, they go by lunar calendar.

In Japan, we will hang carp flags (Koinobori) outside the house,  we put dolls in the niche inside the house,   and we will eat kashiwamochi and chimaki. No kashiwamochi and chimaki can be found in Taiwan, but there are many similar foods. For example, the kashiwamochi, inside which we put some fillings like bean paste,  is like Taiwan's Caozaiguo(草仔粿). It is sticky and chewy.   The food is green, too.  I feel that kashiwamochi tastes good.   It is a filling food.   Only one or two will stuff me.

Today is  May 5.  It is Children's Day in Japan. I talked to  Andy about what we do in Japan on Children's Day.  Andy  talked to me about Children's Day in Taiwan in return.  In Taiwan, Children's Day is on April 4^th.  He said the elementary school would give a piece of cake and presents to students to celebrate Children's Day. When Andy was 7 years old to 9 years old , the school gave the cake and presents to him. The school didn’t give him presents and cakes  any longer after he was 10 years old. Children's Day is a  holiday for elementary school students.   They don’t have to go to school.   Andy held Taiwan’s Children's Day for me to experience the holiday.

We ate cakes and celebrated  Taiwan’s Children's Day. We felt funny because we are not children any more. But today we are happy.  It is  a wonderful memory. Andy  will graduate from Jinshun high school on June 6.    I am getting ready to get back to my hometown, Hiroshima, too.   The principal and two teachers of Jinshan high school will visit Kenritsu Kouchi High School(河內高校), starting on June 13^th.  They will take me along.  I am looking forward to it.

 

April 29 , 2017 with class 603

Every spring, many people gather in Sanzhi (三芝) to view cherry blossoms, which reminds me of my hometown.  Viewing cherry blossoms is a Japanese traditional custom, and it was originally limited to the imperial court but soon spread to the public. In my mind, the cherry blossom tree next to the Sanzhi police office is one of the most beautiful cherry blossom trees in Sanzhi.  The tree is full of beautiful flowers.  The other day I was hanging out there with Wendy for a while. I could smell the strong spring in the air. I've been really enjoying the leisurely life and have been soaking up the atmosphere.

It was a fine afternoon with the clear and cloudless sky.   We went to the Port of Keelung (基隆) by bus to visit the research schooner–Tara, which is made of aluminum to avoid getting rusty.  Tara has been traveling all around the world, from east to west and from south to north, including drifting in the Arctic for 507 days. In this schooner, there are five crews(or sailors), one captain, one chef, one accredited correspondent(特派記者),seven scientists and one artist. In the expedition from 2016 to 2018, they will traverse the Pacific Ocean to explore the hidden diversity of corals and gain a better understanding of its ability to adapt to climate change. I found a cool thing on their ship.  The T-shirts they wear are quite unique.  They are designed specifically for every sea voyage.  Because of so many voyages they have made, they have many different kinds of T-shirts.  The design on the front of their T-shirts is a map which records their each journey.       

 I have learned lots of things about their study, and I admired their attitude very much.

June 29 , 2016 with class 603

         Today I went to the graduation trip of Angel’s school with her. On the first day, we went to a local restaurant to have lunch in Pingtung . Then, we went to National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium. We saw many special creatures, feeling excited. Besides, we gained some new knowledge. In the evening, we went to Kenting Street. There are many kinds of foods coming from different countries around the world. It was a special experience.

May 11 , 2017 with class 603

The library has always been where I like to visit. There are always a lot of new and informative books, and I enjoy reading in this quiet place.

One time I could not find the book I wanted, and then an enthusiastic little volunteer came to me and asked, "Do you need help?"

I was much moved, and found the book with his help.

I thought I would feel very happy if I could help people while staying in my favorite place.   Therefore, I decided to join the volunteer team.

I told the teacher in charge that I wanted to be a volunteer.   She introduced me to the work that volunteers have to do.   The work includes:

1.   Help schoolmates borrow and return books.

2.   Help to put the books back to where they belong.

3.   Help solve schoolmates’ problems.

4.   Introduce the environment and the equipment of the library to schoolmates.

In the beginning, the experienced volunteer taught me how to use the equipment and then toured me around the library.

My favorite work is to put the books back to where they belong.  Although the books are heavy, I often find a lot of interesting books in the process of putting them back to the shelf.   When I am bored, I can borrow those books. 

Now, I am a real volunteer.   I can start helping others.

Lily and I went to the library yesterday. We helped the library with the chores. I was an apprentice yesterday. Today, I am an official volunteer. Andy and I work together in the library.

I learned how to deal with the library’s chores, but it was only exercise. I will do the real thing now.

As the library’s volunteers, we have to deal with a lot of chores.

First, we have to know where the books belong.  For example, if the book’s number is in the range of 850-855, the book belongs to Chinese Literature.   We have to arrange the books according to some specific rules. 

Second, we have to help readers find the books they want.

 Third, we have to help readers check out the books they want.

I asked Andy why he wanted to be a volunteer in the library.

Andy told me that he likes reading, so he wants to be a volunteer in a library.  He says that arranging the books enables him to find a lot of strange and interesting books.  .My reason to be a volunteer is similar to his. 

January 1 , 2017 with class 603

December 31 , with class 603

Today Angel and I took part in the 3D printer courses together.  Without any experience before, I felt excited. I've ever seen various kinds of works on the Net, including pen containers, phone stands and storage cabinets. They're so cool.

Christmas was around the corner, and we decided to make a Christmas tree. In the beginning, we underwent a number of setbacks because the works needed to be modified many times to finish.   After our researches, we finally made it.  I was happy because Angel printed an excavator for me as a Christmas gift. It was terrific.  I am really thankful for Angel to give me this great opportunity to experience the 3D printer courses.

Today is December thirty-first.  Do you know what festival today is? I was excited to wait for the coming of New Year. Tonight Nick invited me to a party in his house. I looked forward to it because it was my first time to join a party in Taiwan.

When we arrived at the spot, the atmosphere was very marvelous. Nick's mom prepared a great deal of food so that we could have a barbecue. During the barbecue, I was impressed by the fireworks of Taipei 101. Though we didn't see it on the spot, it was still spectacular and nice. When everyone was counting down, it was quite warm. This was really a wonderful memory.

December 26 , 2016 with class 603

This year, I spent Christmas with students in Jinshan High School.  It was exciting.   So far, the winter this year was not very cold.  Sometimes, I saw students still wearing short-sleeved clothes.  Although the temperature was high in the morning, it dropped in the evening.  The unstable weather caused people to get sick easily.  The reason why the weather becomes so strange is that the Earth is sick.

Unlike the Christmas in the past, Christmas this year was quite warm and comfortable.  It has shown that the Earth is seriously ill.  We can take good care of ourselves to prevent from getting sick; however, it takes the efforts of us all to stop the Earth from getting worse.  I hope all of us put our ultimate efforts to protect the Earth so that we will have better Christmases in the future.