My host mother prepared pumpkins for us, so I made jack-o'-lanterns with my roommates and our friend. We chose a design, and we carved the pumpkins. It was a little difficult, but I enjoyed it. After we made lanterns, we put lights in them. They were so beautiful.

I joined a Halloween party at GRC with Hijiri and our friends. Everyone wore costumes for the party. We enjoyed eating, taking pictures, and dancing at the party.

Children in our neighborhood came to our house for trick-or-treating at the night of Halloween. I helped my host family give candies to the children. The children were so cute.

Jack-o'-lantern

With Hijiri & Japanese Student at Halloween Party at GRC

Halloween Party at GRC

Candies for Trick-or-treating

Thanksgiving Day is the holiday in November. We ate a traditional meal such as turkey, ham, and pumpkin pie. My host father baked a big turkey, and my host mother made a big meal. The meal was so delicious. When we ate dinner, we told things which we thanked for at that time.

Moreover, we joined the Thanksgiving party at the church where we went every Sunday. While we were eating sweet food, we talked with each other.

The next day of Thanksgiving Day is Black Friday. Many stores have a big sale. I went to a shopping mall with Diep, Joanna, and Joanna’s friend. The place was so crowded, but I enjoyed shopping.

Big Turkey

Pumpkin Rolls

Thanksgiving Party at Church

Wish Bone

Christmas Day is the biggest event in America. I decorated a big Christmas tree with my roommates at home. It was so beautiful. While we were decorating the tree, we talked about our cultures. We also took many pictures.

On Christmas Day, we opened presents which we had put under the Christmas tree. Usually, only children get presents in Japan, but all family members give presents to each other in America. There were a lot of presents under the tree. Before we opened the presents, my host father told us a story from the Bible. I gave presents to my host family, and I got many presents too. I was surprised at a number of presents, and I was so happy.

Japanese people usually think that they spend the Christmas day with their lovers, but American people spend the day with their family. I was so glad to spend the Christmas day with my host family.

With My Roommates & Our Friend

Christmas Tree

Christmas Presents

I went to California with Hijiri during the winter vacation.

On the first day, we walked around our hotel, and we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. A waiter working in the restaurant was friendly, and he recommended us some meals. We had a great meal there thanks to him.

On the second day, we took part in a tour. We visited Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Griffith Observatory. We had a great day.

On the third day, we ate hamburgers that were popular in Los Angeles. It was a short trip for us, but we had an amazing time in California.

Los Angeles International Airport

Santa Monica

The Original Farmers Market

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Food

Many American people eat a lot of meat and very few vegetables . We need to make it a habit to eat vegetables. Moreover, we can eat various kinds of food from different countries such as Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Korean, Vietnamese, and many more.

Restaurants

Meals served at restaurants in America are a lot more than those in Japan, but we can take leftovers home. Also, we have to pay tips at restaurants in America, and we usually pay 15 to 20% tips for each meal.

Buses

We pay a bus fare as soon as we get on a bus. We need a lot of coins, so we need to get coins ready at banks beforehand. We can also make a bus card. In Japan, when we want to get off a bus, we push a button. In America, we pull a yellow rope along the windows.

Conversation

We should express our opinions clearly in America. Moreover, when we talk to someone, it is important to tell a lot of information. We can use gestures in order to tell someone what we want to say.

Religion

Many people believe in a particular religion in America, but we should not ask what they believe in because religion is a sensitive issue for some people. We can learn differences in culture between Japan and America when we go to church.

Donation

American people often donate money to churches, and they have many charity events. I donated my clothes to people who needed some clothes before I came back to Japan.

I went shopping and joined events at GRC with my friends on weekends. We made friends from various countries at GRC, and they had different cultures. We can spend time with them learning about their cultures.

Theme Park

My host mother took Diep and me to a theme park in September. She had to work there, so I walked around the park with Diep while we were waiting for her. There were many attractions and food stands in the park. We didn’t ride any attractions, but we still enjoyed looking around there. I was happy to talk a lot with Diep.

Movie Theater

I went to see a movie at AMC with my friends. It was a weekday, so the movie theater was not crowded. I could not really understand what the characters said, but I was happy to see the movie in America. Also, my host father took Diep and me there before I came back to Japan, so it became a special place for me.

Faith Church

I went to church with my host family every Sunday. We sang songs and learned about the Bible. The priest usually wore a T-shirt and jeans, and he taught us some lessons through jokes. It was hard to understand the stories from the Bible because there were many difficult words in the Bible, but my host mother explained the stories to me. Religion is important for Americans, so I'm glad to get more understanding of religion.

Seattle Aquarium

I went to the Seattle Aquarium with my friends in March. There were many kinds of fish in the aquarium, and we saw beautiful fish and strange birds. It was fun to find differences between an aquarium in America and that in Japan.

After we went to the aquarium, we ate lunch at a restaurant called The Fisherman's. Then, we took a ride at a flying theater called Wings Over Washington. It was so exciting. We also rode a ferris wheel, and we took many pictures.

It was the last time that I went to Seattle, so I was really glad to go there with my friends.