The Strange Atmosphere

When I was four or five years old, I felt a strange atmosphere.I lived in a house that my grandfather had bought since he got marriage. It was a quite large, old and traditional Japanese house. It was two stories, and my bed room was on the second floor. I slept with my parents as I was little. There were four sliding big windows in the bed room, and the lace curtain was hanged in front of them. I remember that I like the sweet lace curtains beside my upright piano. The curtains were swaying in the wind. Even if it was in a hot summer night, the windows were opened a little bit,  and .the curtains swayed. One night, when I woke up at midnight, it was quite light because of the full moon. When I turned my eyes naturally to the light, I saw a face or a character, such as a smiling bear, a princess on the race curtains in front of the windows. I was surprised at first, but every time I blinked, I could see different animals or characters on them. I feel so excited to see them and blinked several times. I woke up rarely at midnight, but I had the experience only a few times in the summer. I haven't told someone that happened since I had the experience. I wonder whether it was the happening in my dream or not when I remember that happened. However, the race curtains with strange atmosphere has a forgettable place in my earliest memories.   

Education System

As a student, I studied from an elementary school to a university in Japan for sixteen years. So I just follwed the Japanese education system; however, I have had an experienece to study in the United States for several months and feel differences in the education system between Japan and the U.S.. In Japan, I must not call teachers by their first or last names. I have to say, "Suzuki-sensei" Suzuki is the last name and sensei is Sir, Miss or Mrs. It shows that students' respectable minds for teachers. It is an ordinary rule for me as a stutdent. On the other hand, every student in the U.S. call the only first or last name instructors. I know, of corse, about calling each other by the first name in th U.S., but I have hesitated to call only his first name my instructor for a while since I went to a college in teh U.S. It seems to be impolite behavior; however, it has been more like to be friendly and openly the space between instruators and students since I took classes in college. My teachers in Japan were very nice and helpful for me, but I remember rarely that I talked friendly with my instructor because I felt the gap like a high wall between I and some of my teachers in Japan when I was a student. When I was a junior high school student, my teacher had given me correct answer after I gave him incorrect answer in the math class. I remember that I wanted him to explain how to solve the question because I didn't know about the answer and know the steps of the solution for the question. Therefore, in many way, Japanese education system leads students to be memorable thinngs. For example, one of them is English. When I was a junior high school, I beguan to study English: students learn about English grammar mostly. They are improving English rammar and getting some vocabularies: theses things are to be memorable, but students are not able to elevate English conversation skills, such as speaking and  listening. I remember that teacher demonstrared English conversation with a textbook, butit is very formal and traditinal. I wanted to use or listen more natural and real conversation what the American are speaking.

 

My children have gone to the both school in Japan and the U.S. for several years. They also have felt the same as mine. My son said, when he was tenth grade in the U.S., "My teacher always waits for me and listens to me even if I have something different opinions," one day, after he came back from school, "I didn't debate or agument with someone, but I'm getting to be able to say  my opinion in my class." I'm glad to hear that and angree with him because there is something good mood which students can debate lively with their opinions in the class.    

Bithdays

Last Sunday, October 5th, it was my son's birthday, and he became eighteen years old. As I see to my each children has the birthday, I have felt happy but also lonly since they didn't need my help necessarily; they became older. Then I'm going to expolre something, such as jobs, which I enable to devote the rest of my life.

I'm going to be forty-five years old on Octoer 11th, 2015. I have been starting the second stage of my life for five ysars; I'm living in the United States and study at college again. I have still had a great experience since over the fouty years old, so I convince that I'm willing to do work in Japan with my skills or knowledge I have gotten in the United States after going back to my country, Japan.

I moved the Unihad States, I was embarrassed some differences in cultural things between the United States and Japan, such as foods, rules or circumstances around people; however, I have adaptted to them step by step. Nevertherless, this country, the United States might brings some more surprizing things to me! I want to enjoy birthdays with piling my ages.