Politics and International Relations

The United Nations(UN) is the key organization to promote and maintain world peace. Research the UN in the library or on the Internet. If you were working for the UN, which job would like to have using your English abilities? Why?

I would like to teach reading and writing English for children as a employee of UNESCO. There are many people who can't get a enough education in the world because they are poor. Even children have to work, so they can't go to school. As a result, they can't read and write words if they grow up. I think we should give a chance to rceive an education for all people. Therefore, I want to teach English for them.

My Ideal ManThis is my ideal man chart.

I make a point of his personality first than looks. I like the person who is kind and honest. If he has a good personality, I don't care about looks too much.

Money is a little important if I married to him because of life, but I don't care about money if I associated with him.

Cross Culture Comunication

Read the newspaper everyday and find 1 article that has to do with cross culture understanding or differences. In your blog, note the newspaper, date, page (or web address), summarize the article in English and write why you think this is a cross culture situation.

Collegiate all-star series was held game 4 in Durham, North Carolina on July 7. Japan which were just one win away from clinching with two wins and one defeats won 5-2 and captured the pennant of 15 series in two years. Japan won for the first time in competition which was held in the US.

I read a Asahi newspaper on 8, July (http://www.asahi.com/sports/update/0708/TKY200707080054.html).
I think this is a cross culture situation. Excange through sports is a peg to deepen with cross culture understanding because sports is fear and they play same rules without concerning each country. This collegiate all-star series is one of them. A baseball is a team competition and supporters are exciting. I think to play game sweating each other like this comes identification. So, it is important to understand each culture.

Family Life

For homework please answer the questions in the textbook on page 14, section a-f.

a. When do children usually leave home?

Children usually leave home after graduated high school or university. Some of them go to university far from the hometown or they leave home to live their own life as a chance to get a job. Also, some of them start to live new house to marry.

b. How many people live in your home?

I live alone now, but there are four people in my family. My family is my father, my mother, one older brother and me. So I had lived four in my hometown before.

c. Do you have a head of the family?

Yes, I do. A head of the family is my father because he works hard and support my family.

d. Who does the house work?

My mother does the housework. Everyday she cooks, hangs out the washing and clean the room etc.

e. Who runs the family?

Basically my mother runs my family. She takes care of various things in my family.

f. How many rooms do you have to sleep in?

There are three rooms in my hometown. They are my parents' bedroom, my brother's room, my room.

Names

To prepare for the class, answer questions in the text book on page 9 number 1, 3 and 7.

1. How do you choose a child's given name in your family?

Japanese people choose their child's given name freely. Some of them think from good number of strokes in chinese character, imply their various wishes and use one letter from their name. In my family, my brother's name is given one letter from my father's name because of good number of strokes in chinese characters. My name is given the last letter because the letter means 'child' is used girl's name from old days.

3. Does your given name or your family name mean anything?

I don't know my family name's meaning. Perhaps it may be have some meanings in history. My given name was named by my parents. My parents seem to have wanted to choose the name that was easy to be called by a nickname from another person. In addition, they just used the chinese character from the woman entertainer that was good personality and had naiveness in those days.

7. How do you know if names are boys' names, girls' names, or both?

There were much typical names such as the last letter of girls' name is 'ko' and the last letter of boys' name is 'o' or 'rou' in the old days, but there are various names now. I judge it whether the name is used by many boys or the name is used by many girls. I don't know the name that seems to be both.

Feelings


1. Are feelings emotions and facial expressions universal across borders, happy, sad, etc..?

Yes, they are. How to express about them may be different in each country, but I think they are basically common all over the world. Especially smile is a universal facial expression.


2. Try to name as many feelings as possible in Japanese. (10 minimum) Now write the English translation.

happy(楽しい）, sad（悲しい）, painful（苦しい）, hard（つらい）, angry（怒る）, envious（羨ましい）, love（愛する）, hate（嫌う）, scary（怖い）, disappoint（がっかりする）, glad（嬉しい）, regrettable（悔しい）


3. Are there any feelings in Japanese that cannot be translated into English?

Yes, there are. I have no good example, but Japanese has much vague expression. Therefore, I think that there are any feelings in only Japanese.

Greeting

Did her speech change your views of Islam?

I listened to this speech, and my thought changed a little. A negative image was strong because I often heard news of terrorism and dispute about Islam. But I felt that it isn't only negative thing when I watched a photograph of the family who looked happy in this speech.


1.How do you greet people in your life? Is different for different people? Why?

When I greet people, I say "Ohayogozaimasu" or "Konnichiwa" etc. For friends, I say only greeting words or I sometimes wave with the words. For elderly, I greet with polite words and bow. Because I want to come in contact with friends and I need to honor the elder.


2. Do you touch people when you talk to them? Why? Or why not?

When I talk to people, I hardly touch them. I think how to communicate of Japanese basically don't touch and we call for polite to greet. But I often see people who shake hands. Shaking hands means friendly.

About Islam

2. Check the newspapers for the next 2 weeks and find articles about Islam. How are they talked about? Do you feel negative or positive about Islam because of these articles?

A bomb set set by a car exploded in scared place Kerbela of Islam Shiah of the Iraqi central part in the night of 28th. According to Reuter, at least 60 died, and about 170 got injured. A lot of Alids toward worship after sunset was rolled up.
This is thought to be the terrorism that aimed at Alid by armed group of Sunni.

Yomiuri newspaper Monday, April 30 page 5


This article is written that many people died by terrorism. I feel negative about Islam because of this article. I often hear the news of terrorism and dispute about such Islam. This is very terrible. It is strange that an opposition happens in the same religion, and it is too sad that much life is sacrificed by it. It is dangerous thing to gain a fight with weapons and arms. So, judging from only this article, I don't have good impression for Islam.

List of adjective: negative, terrible, strange, sad, dangerous

Buddhism

1.How is your daily life affected by Buddhism? What do you do and why do you do it?

We take a bath everyday. It seem to have come to Japan from China with transmission of Buddhism and have been understood to be good for health because it was preached 'seven disease is removed and seven kinds of happiness are provided' in teaching of Buddhism. I like to take a bath because I feel like it being with cleanliness, and both a heart and a body can be refreshed by soaking in a bustub.