Weekdays with Laura

Feb. 13th (Mon.)

I ate breakfast with Samantha and her cousin Emma. We learned about staying safe in America and about Seattle from Laura in the morning. Later, Mary, who supported our program, brought us some sweets. The sweets were so sweet, but they were good. We also looked around some stores near the study center. We went to a chocolate store, an organic food store and a movie theater. It was fun.

After that, we enjoyed the welcome party in the evening. The meals that every host family brought were all delicious. I talked with other host families, which was so fun.

Feb. 14th （Tue.）

We practiced pronouncing "W," "R" and "L" in the morning. It was difficult for me, and especially I was not very good at pronouncing "W." After I came home, I practiced pronouncing "W" with Jonelle and Samantha's help. We went to the fire department in the afternoon. It was difficult to understand what they said because they spoke fast. However, I got experiences of getting on a fire engine, putting on a firefighter suit and spraying water. I enjoyed them very much.

After I came home, I enjoyed making origami with Samantha. That day was St.Valentine's Day, so I gave chocolates to my host family.

Feb. 15th （Wed.）

We went to Green River College in the morning. There were a lot of things such as various pictures, unique objects and so on on the campus. It was fun to look around there. We met Nao and Hijiri, who were studying abroad from Seiryo college after a long time. We had a short time to speak in Japanese, and talked about ourselves. We enjoyed that time.

After that, we left the college, and went to a doughnuts shop and ate some doughnuts. They were so sweet. Then, we went shopping to Tacoma Mall. First, we ate lunch in the food court. I shared Chinese food with my friends. It was spicy and delicious. Then, I bought some accessories in the mall. They were at low prices and cute. I enjoyed shopping very much, but I wanted more time.

After I came home, I ate a big hamburger and French fries. I was surprised to see grilling pates in the garden. It was so delicious, but I couldn't eat all. I ate the leftover the next day. After dinner, I visited the Karate class that Samantha practiced. I was excited to see the practice because it was so powerful.

Feb. 16th （Thur.）

I took part in Samantha's school trip. First, Samantha showed me around the school. After that, we went to Washington State History Museum by bus. I was surprised that American buses didn't have seat belts. There were a lot of exhibits in the museum. The contents were difficult for me to understand, but I enjoyed watching a lot of things in the music booth.

After I came home, I went to Federal Way Community Center with my host family and Misaki's host family. The place was a community center with general gymnasiums. I tried rock climbing for the first time there, which was so fun. After that, we swam in the pool. We enjoyed a water slide and diving. I was so excited there that I slept very well that night.

Feb. 17th （Fri.）

We learned about how to count coins in the morning. We had studied it in class in Japan, so it was easier than I had thought. We went to the courthouse, the police office and the City Hall that day. It was difficult for me to understand what the judge said because he spoke so fast. A police officer spoke slowly, so I understood what he said. We actually saw the custody suites and patrol cars.

After I came home, I ate some pizzas with my choice of toppings. They were so delicious.

Feb. 20th （Mon.）

We learned about American food and cooking recipes in the morning. We later visited a local retirement home, which had a sense of high quality. We sang Japanese children's songs "Amefuri" and "Furusato" there. We also sang "Amefuri" in English with the arrangement of a dance. It was difficult for me to memorize the song and the arrangement. We enjoyed them with elderly people.

After I came home, I went to Misaki's host family's house to choose a Halloween costume for our activity the next day. They had many costumes, and I had a long time to choose the best, and I finally picked my costume.

Feb. 21st （Tue.）

We experienced American holidays such as Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving. We enjoyed looking for candies like Easter Egg Hunt, putting on a Halloween costume and so on. Akina's costume had a nice texture to feel. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, pickles and so on for lunch. They were delicious, especially I liked the juicy turkey. We also ate pumpkin pie and chocolate brownies. We ate a lot of meals, so we got so full.

After I came home, I enjoyed playing video games with Samantha. I was so excited.

Feb. 22nd （Wed.）

We spent a day at Enterprise Elementary School. We told students how to say colors in Japanese there. I was a little bit nervous at first, but I gradually got used to doing the presentation. We also taught the students how to write their names in Japanese. They asked us a lot of questions. They were so cute. We ate lunch together. The lunch room was full of the sound of children's merry laughter. After that, we enjoyed playing together outside. It was fun because there was a lot of equipment in the playground. I got tired because the children were so powerful.

Feb. 23rd （Thur.）

We left for Seattle early in the morning. At first, we went to University of Washington. It was large and it had a library that looked like a building in the world of Harry Potter. Then, we went to a chocolate store "Theo." There were many kinds of chocolates in the store. For example, they flavored curry, mint and so on. I bought some chocolates for my host family. We also went to Space Needle and went up to its top. It was snowing that day, but I still enjoyed the view from the top. We next went to Pike Place Market, which had many shops, and I enjoyed shopping there. We bought matching T-shirts there.

Feb. 24th （Fri.）

We made a cover of our memory journal for our host family and sweets in the morning. We enjoyed making sweet and delicious sweets. I took them home and ate them with my host family. We went bowling in the afternoon. We ate a hamburger at the bowling alley. When we bowled, I got a higher score than I had got in Japan. I was so excited that I enjoyed it very much.

After I came home, I ate pork ribs. They were juicy and delicious. After that, I enjoyed watching a horror movie with Jason. It was more scary than Japanese horror movies.

Feb. 27th （Mon.）

We made a memory photo stand for host family. I used various kinds of stickers and scissors that Laura brought for us.

After I came home, I cooked udon and tempura for my host family. It was a little bit difficult for me to cook, but the family told me that it was good. I was so happy to hear that. Then, I watched a horror movie with Jason. It was more grotesque than Japanese horror movies. I also ate some cake from a cheese cake factory while watching the movie. It was a little bit sour and delicious.

Feb. 28th （Tue.）

We made the memory journal for our host family while imaging about their favorite things. I wrote about memories in America, Japanese food and so on.

I ate a hamburger for dinner with my family at Five Guys, a kind of fastfood store. We ate peanuts for free. I also had a shake, which was sweet and delicious. After that, we went to Federal Way Community Center to swim in the pool. We laughed to see Jason's diving, which was so funny. I enjoyed the evening very much.

Mar. 1st （Wed.）

We finished making our memory journals in the morning. Then, we practiced the presentation for our sayonara party. After that, we went shopping to Target, and I bought many chocolates there. We later ate a hamburger at Red Robin, a hamburger restaurant. I also had orange float, which looked like beer. After we came back to the study center, we prepared for the sayonara party. It was difficult for me to put on yukata, so Laura helped me wear it. I thought that I had to practice putting on yukata more. I was nervous when we did the presentation, but I finished it without mistakes. I was glad to see Laura's smile when we gave her the presents. I was also happy that my host family were happy with my presents too. I also ate the cake with our motto "We Can Do It"written on it. It was so cute.

After I came home, my host family gave me a pair of pierce earrings. I cried because I was already missing my host family. After that, I packed my suit case. Jonelle and Samantha helped me with it. I had a lot of things to pack, so I was afraid that it was getting overweight.

Go to the Next Page

Back to the Contents