Revision Class

In my master course, we are learning some programming languages.
It is only a bit but still difficult.(I hate it)
Basically we do not have lab class and we just listen to the lectures. Students requested the lab class where students can learn with touching a PC.
Actually I am the person who collected the requests from the students and told the lecturers.
When the lecturers asked us who wants to attend the lab class and raise our hand, most of us raised our hands. But only five students turned up at the class.
I do not know students did not turn up and I felt bad about it.
But I still think lab class is nice and helped me a lot. When I can not proceed with my things and I can ask my teachers and it was really exciting. It stimulated me a lot and I enjoyed it.

Teachers said that we do not really need lab class, and they might be right but I like to have it.

car parking

My favorite place in uni is a car parking because we can see beautiful sky here.

café

Today, I went to the café. I think this café might be a special café in London.
This shop serves coffee and tea and sandwiches as usual cafes but what is different is customers. They are singing and dancing and the atomosphere is quite energetic.
I was there on my own for two hours.
One man talked to me. He looked around forty and really fine.
I think I like him because he was interesting.
He has been in London twelve hours and was now trying to pick up a girl and leaving next Wednesday back to Australia. I think he is not a man who is eager to pick up girls because he was nice looking and did not need to be thirsty for girls. He is just enjoying conversation with girls. He might not enjoy conversation with me. I felt sorry about my poor English.
He asked me if the two Asian business men who were just beside me were my company or not.
Yap! I also recognized them. I mean “No”. There are two Asian business men just beside me. One was dancing as if he was in his own world and could not see around him and one was sitting and staring me. I guess they are Korean.
The business man stared me so much so the Australian guy asked me three times if I had really no relation with them.
I imagine the business man might worry about me because I was on my own and talked to by a man. This might be the Asian way. Even if men do not know about girls, they could worry and take care about girls. Korean people still keep this custom more than Japanese. Japan has more core independent custom. We do not interfere with each other.
I love UK because people communicate much more than in Tokyo.
I think I need to think of goods points of Tokyo and Japan because it is my city and country.

Take a walk

I took a walk. There is a nice big park near where I live. When I took a walk I came across my classmate and he invited me for coffee to his house. He is from Cyprus and gave me a cup of Cyprus coffee and Arabic Coffee.
I love tea and coffee so much that I have the word “tealeaf” at my E-mail name. These days I found a person who has the word “coffeebeans” at his E-mail name in my class. He is another guy who gave me Cyprus coffee.
Last semester, I did not talk with him, but I think I can be a good friends with him.

Green Curry

My friend took me to her house and made me green curry. She is from Thailand and lives with an old English couple. She taught me how to make green curry there.
The house was peaceful and made me happy completely.
Her English family welcomed me and it was really pleasant time. My English was not still on the way of developing and I could not understand what they said to me sometimes. Sometimes, I nodded even if I did not understand and I shook my head horizontal way when I asked if I understood or not.

Complain2

In my masters course, many students are not happy , including me.
One of my classmates has already decided to leave and he went back to Greece. As far as I know two more students also think about leaving. My course has only fifteen people and three people are leaving!
The situation is quite horrible, isn’t it?!

I went to see the course director and talked with him more than one and a half hours.
I explained the situation to him.
After talking with him, he said he needed to talk with other teachers, so I needed to wait a few days to get a reply. He asked me if I was happy or not after talking with him. I think it is a stupid question and said that “Of course, I am not, because I have not got anything yet and I am not sure if things are going to be good or not. At the moment, I trust you and visit you but I may not trust you anymore depending on your reply.”
He praised me that my English had developed after the Christmas holiday.
That compliment was the only that made me smile because that comment reminded me of the English family in Suffolk. Usually I like him and he is good at making people smile but today I was not able to smile at his jokes.

I am organizing the meeting next week with all teachers and all students as my Japanese friend suggested . She did an MBA at this university last year and sometime her class had that kind of meeting, she said. I imagine MBA students are usually older and mature, so they must be demanding and difficult customers. I am sure we are easy customers.
Anyway, I did what I could do.
I do not think I should dwell on this problem any more. I have some assignments and more interesting things to do.

Complain

These days I am crying every night.Because I am not satisfied with my master course, I am seriously crying. My eyes are swollen and my face changed.I worked for four years in Japan. During that time, I gave up many clothes and going out and eating and saved money.I might exaggerate things. Of course, I bought some clothes and sometime I went out with friends and enjoyed some things. But anyway, to come to UK and stay was expensive and not so easy for me. And now I am studying here.In my course, I need to learn some programming languages a bit. I do not have that kind of background. My course is basically for that kind of student. Usually, teachers just talk in front of the white board and we just listen. I think it is not a good way to learn programming. Learning that kind of thing requires a special environment where each student sits in front of a PC and able to ask immediately when they come across something strange, for at least one hour a week.I need to study on my own completely and when I come across something I don't understand I need to make an appointment with the teachers and visit them. When I visit,the teachers look busy and I can't ask more than one question and have to leave the rest.Students who are not satisfied with this course like me altogether require some laboratory classes where we can do some programming with teachers and teachers promised to us to have some classes one month ago.But still they do nothing about it and just leave it.
I feel completely abandoned and ignored.They just took my money which I saved for four years and do not give us enough support. I complained about it to the course director.I feel it is dangerous to complain too much because teachers are in a strong position above me. Now I've stopped crying and I'm studying on my own again.
I am a Master course student and supposed to study on my own to some
extent. But I can't understand, what the role of the teachers.

Twenty bears on a belt

I am working at the Charity shop. Among our products, there is a brown belt with twenty metal bears on it. Someone donated it to our shop. I think it is too many bears and English people really like bears. This belt was not purchased and remained for a long time because of its unique design.
I did not expect it was to be mine.
When I went to the shop, I was wearing a pair of jeans. My pair of jeans is a baggy style and looks a bit big for me. The manager of the shop passed me the belt with twenty bears saying that I could have it because I am donating much of my time.
I was surprised but anyway I tried on it.
I found out it was not bad at all!
I like it. Wicked!

Examination season

Now, I am in the examination season and do not feel happy.
I like reading books and writing reports but the examination is scary, isn’t it?
Besides , just sitting whole day without talking or doing something which could change my feelings is quite hard. These days, I was sitting and reading on my own whole days and needed someone to talk with.
So, I joined the Indians dinner.
In my accommodation, there are some Indians and they always cook and eat and study altogether. To be honest, sometimes they are noisy because they yell altogether at night but basically they are frank and bright as far as I know.
Indian people speak good English because usually they have education in English since they are children but their English has a strong accent.
Since I started to live here, I am getting used to it gradually. I think my English will be Indian English.

Suddonly usual life

5/Jan Thursday
My small room in London is full of the things given to me in Suffolk
All of them make me remember my English family. All of my friends now studying hard and that puts pressure on me.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 11

3/Jan Tuesday (Staying with English family in Suffolk 11)
I left Suffolk. During my stay I met more than 59 peoples and visited more than 13 houses. I am still not used to the parties and the whole kissing things but I think I learnt many things during my stay. And my English is developed, I think.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 10

2/Jan Monday (Staying with English family in Suffolk 10)
Beating and shooting party
Today we attend the beating and shooting party. Victims are pheasants and hares and foxes. Shooting is necessary to keep the country peace and to protect their own animals such as hens and cows. To be honest, it is a little shocking to see the shooting scene
Today, I met the person who has title and own the land all around. He is my first title person I have ever met.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 9

1/Jan Sun (Staying with English family in Suffolk 9)
Today, we went to the real tennis court. “Real tennis” is different from “tennis”.
Rackets and balls and courts are different from those of “tennis”. Rackets have smaller faces and balls are solid with cork and courts are in a house.
I could not understand the rule regardless some explanation, so for me, it looked like that just peoples were hitting a ball.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 8

31/Dec Saturday (Staying with English family in Suffolk 8)
I went shopping with My English mother.
It was really enjoyable because I love watching around shops especially supermarkets.
In the town, we happened to meet some person because it is not such a big town.
Today, I found out that, in England, everything can be old even Christmas cakes. I ate a piece of Christmas cake which is one year old. It was nice. I am wondering how old it could be.
In Japan, especially my mother’s generation, Christmas cakes are used as metaphor of girls. Before 25, they are pampered but after 25, they are sold in a cheap way or throw away. I am already over 25, I will be English cake.
At night, the party was held. I was quite formal.
I made small Japanese starter Tenpura, which is Japanese frying dish. To be honest, it is not good.
When I was a high school student, I made fried rice to my Japanese family. What I needed is to mix rice with “fried rice mix” on a frying pan. After that, I put the fried rice on each dish and served itto my Japanese family. The fried rice was too salty to eat and my Japanese mother said that the dish is not good to the health. She and my sister stopped eating after one spoon. I thought it might be true but I felt sad because they could say that in other ways. Women are sometimes cruel in general. Only my Japanese father tried to eat all saying that it was not so bad regardless of the recommendation to stop from the rest of the family. Every time I cook something, I remember it because it was so shocking. After I start to work in Japan, I went to a cooking school with my friends for a year. I think I recovered that bad memory.
The next time, when I visit my English family house, I want to make proper Tepura for them!

Staying with English family in Suffolk 7

30th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 7)
My English parents went to funeral. During their absence, I visited to their friend’s house with my English brothers. Their friend, she explained to me that each of her Christmas tree decorations had her own memory. For example, one decoration is the gift from her sister and another one was made by her child when he was little and so on.
After I knew about it, Christmas tree looks more meaningful.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 6

29th December(Staying with English family in Suffolk 6)
We visited to the friend’s house. The house was big and they have seventeen staying guests in their house. In other words, seventeen people are sleeping in their house beside their family. I just lost the reality again. I think they can run a hotel in their house.
At night, we went back home. I made Japanese curry to my English family because I want to express my appreciation to them. Cooking Japanese curry is a too small thing but it is still much better than nothing, I thought. We had two guests beside the family.
My English family really has many friends and I was just surprised at their friendship.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 5

28th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 5)
Today we visited three friends’ houses.
The first house is the real farmer house. The second house had a new- born baby. The third house had a wonderful garden. The trees were cut in a interesting way which is said to express a Sumo wrestler and be three hundredyears old. Three hundred years old, what was going on in the world?
Actually they did not look like a Sumo wrestler. I asked the hostess of the house whether a Sumo wrestler’s body is expressed or a face of Sumo wrestler is expressed. The answer was that nobody knows the answer.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 4

27th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 4)
We went to the house where my English father was brought up in and his mother is living in. The house was said to be around more than four hundred years old. I think it is true but I had lost reality again. I could meet my English father’s relatives. My English family really treat me as a their family member. I was afraid I had nothing to return them.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 3

26th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 3)
After we left the friend’s house, we went to another friend’s house which is near my English family’s house. The house we visited is the house my English family used to live in, I heard. I think this is my fourth party in Suffolk but I was not still used to the party and did not know how to behave. At night, I asked to my English father how to behave at the party and he said to me that shaking hands and seeing the eyes of the person are important. Cheek kissing is also important.
Cheek kissing is still embarrassing for me because in Japan we only do this between boyfriends and girlfriends. In addition to it, in Japan, seeing the person’s eyes strongly could be rude because we do it when we want to complain or argue about something.
The manners are completely different, aren’t they!
Actually, I like to touch people around me and to see people’s eye, so I will get used to it, I think.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 2

25th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 2)
It is my second day with my English family. The morning was so special. It was my first English Christmas morning.
My little English brothers (6years old and 8years old) were so interested in presents under the Christmas tree. There are many presents under the tree. In English, all people swap their presents. Even small children give presents to other family members such as uncles and grandparents.
If the number of your family members is five, all family members have four presents each. Five times four is twenty. In this way, presents are so many. In Japan, only children receive the presents from the Father Christmas in the Christmas morning. So I did not expect this system. I did not ask my English brothers if they believe the Father Christmas or not because I am afraid this question has the possibility to hurt them. Please believe Father Christmas and be cute my brothers for a while, I think.
My English family gave me so many presents. Pictures which depict the real place near their house and hat and gloves and a fountain pen and so on.
Afternoon, we went out. They were invited to their friend house and we were going to stay at their house .I just stayed at my English family’s house one day and the very next day I would stay at other house.

Staying with English family in Suffolk 1

24th December (Staying with English family in Suffolk 1)
From today to 3rd January I was going to stay with English family in Suffolk.
Today, I have got to their house. The family consists of a father and a mother and two boys (6years old and 8years old) and a dog and chickens.
I expect them being farmers because their address have the word “farm” but I found out they are not. Their house is old farm style house I have never seen. They just like the old farm house and chose to live in that sort of house.
The house is said to be around three hundred years old. Three hundred years ago, what the life was like? And It has big fire places. In Japan, even the houses cannot last more that 50 years because they are made of wood and paper and we have many earthquakes. We do not retain much building more than one hundred year old.
My little English brothers (6years old and 8years old) told me that I needed to make the list in which I wrote down what I wanted and burn it to send the list to the Father Christmas. My little brothers wrote down hiding what they were writing with their hand and throw it to the fireplace. I am already adult so I was afraid the Father Christmas might ignore me even if I did it.
At evening, we went to the church and watched the nativity played by small local children. It was really impressive. After watching the nativity, we went to the next house, which used to be the Vicar’s house and now it is hotel. I think it is my first party in Suffolk. I did not expect that I was going to more than ten parties following days at that time.
At night, dinner party was hold in my English family house and their friends came.
Today, I met 14 new people.

Cutting Appendix (not me)

23rdDecember One of my friends, who is living in London cut his appendix a few days ago. Yesterday when I talked with him on phone, his voice was so weak, so I decided to go the centre of London to see him with flowers.
His living place is so famous for its doggy nuance that some music filming is took there. In spite of its doggy nuance, the people who is living there are quite nice, I heard.
But still I was scared a little on the way to his house because the people I saw on the road have something strange nuance.
I might be rude but I could not deny it.
I was able to get to his house without any problems in ten minutes. He was touching his belly when he walked and had to walk slowly but he looked fine.
He had to stay in his bed for two weeks and it means he has to spend Christmas and new year days in his bed. Sorry for that.