Weekdays with Alissa

Mon, Feb 11

We were supposed to take the first class, but due to heavy snow, we had no school. Alissa and Ayu's host mother took Ayu, Shion and me to Target, which is a discount store in a mall with many stores. Anri joined us there, and we walked around and had lunch. I ate tacos. They were a little bit spicy, but delicious.

Alissa felt sick, so Genie and I made dinner. We made dishes very well and everyone complimented on them, so I was happy. We watched the movie “CoCo” while eating. I was moved and I liked the movie.

Tue, Feb 12

We had no class again, so we went to a pool where Alissa often goes. The water was cold, but I got used to it gradually and had lots of fun. On our way home, we went to a frozen yogurt shop. We chose our favorite ice cream and toppings. I liked it very much.

When we got back home, Genie and I made chocolate for Valentine's Day. We broke some, but most was good. We enjoyed making it. Alissa made spaghetti and bread for dinner. The home-made bread was soft and very good.

Wed, Feb 13

I woke up earlier than usual. First, we went to University of Washington and we next went to a chocolate shop. I bought some chocolates for my host family. We also went to Space Needle. The weather was bad, but the view from such a high place was nice. I shared a hamburger with Yu and drank sweet Oleo flavor shake for lunch.

After having lunch, we went to Pike Place Market and did some shopping. It was a very busy market .

Alissa ordered three pieces of pizza for dinner. I especially liked the pizza with pineapple on it.

Thu, Feb 14

We finally had the first class and went to the fire department. We asked fire fighters some questions. They let us wore their fire fighting suit. It was difficult to wear the suit. We practiced spraying water at targets and got on a fire engine.

In the afternoon, we got back to the study center and learned about coins. It was difficult to distinguish different kinds of coins.

After we went home, Ayu and I chose costumes for Halloween party. I chose a costume of a prince, and Genie made a crown for me. I was very happy.

Genie gave me a Valentine message card. The card was made by herself, so I was really happy.

Fri, Feb 15

We had four holidays, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Thanksgiving in a day. We first wore Halloween costumes. We ate lots of delicious dishes such as turkey with cranberry sauce and deviled-eggs. We also had apple pie and pumpkin pie for desserts. All the dishes were excellent, and I really liked them. I felt that American people cherish their holidays more than Japanese people.

We had our welcome party in the evening, and had lots of delicious meals. We introduced our host families to everyone. I enjoyed the party.

Mon, Feb 18

We went to Tacoma Mall. First, we shared some kinds of doughnuts at Krispy&Kreme. After that, we went to the mall and bought some souvenirs. Genie and Samantha showed us around in the mall.

I cooked Niku-jaga for dinner. I cooked it better than I did it in Japan.

Thu, Feb 19

We went to the police department and asked some questions. We also visited the law court and wore a judge's robe.

After coming back to the study center, we talked about the differences between the American police and the Japanese police. Alissa later read us two books. They were for children, so we understood them well. We played a few games too. It was fun.

Ralph's parents came to our house and ate tacos and nachos together. They were very kind and talked to me.

Wed, Feb 20

First, we went to see Snoqualmie Falls. There was dense fog everywhere. I was impressed by the grandeur of nature. Next, we went to an outlet mall. We entered a chocolate shop, where they sold apples coated with chocolate. As we were looking at the apples intently, the very kind clerk gave us some samples. They were delicious.

In the afternoon, we went to a big mall, and I bought many souvenirs. We finally dropped by Alkai Beach on our way home. We enjoyed the beautiful view and taking pictures.

Thu, Feb 21

We were planning to make a presentation about how to count numbers in Japanese at a senior home, so we practiced for the presentation. We also practiced a frog song and a bear song.

We first went to Green River College and met our friends who were studying there. It was a very huge college. We next visited the senior home, which was like a very luxurious hotel. We gave the residents our presentation. We were nervous, but we did it well.

Fri, Feb 22

We made a photo frame for our host family. I used origami and made cats out of it.

We went bowling in the afternoon. At first, I was not good at it, but when I followed Mr. Nonaka's advice, I bowled very well. We enjoyed bowling very much.

We ate chicken for dinner, and it was yummy. After having dinner, we went to the junior high school where Genie and Samantha go, and watched a play. Samantha appeared in the play. I understood it a little.

Mon, Feb 25

We started to make a journal. It took more time than I had expected. I should have prepared in advance.

We went to Target on our way home and bought some souvenirs. Alissa was making a chocolate cake at home. I wanted to help her, but I hadn't finished my journal, so I concentrated on making it instead.

Tue, Feb 26

We finally finished making our journal. We then went to Ivar's and had lunch. The clam chowder at the restaurant is so good that I wish I could eat it in Japan.

We practiced for our final presentation many times. We waited for our host family to come to the study center after we changed into yukata. When everyone arrived there, we began the party. After our presentation, we gave our host family the photo frame and the journal. We gave Alissa a portrait of ours that Yu drew very well and some other gifts. We were glad that she seemed happy.

On our way home, I told Alissa that I couldn't speak what I wanted to say well on our way home. Alissa gave me kind words, and I was very pleased with them.

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