The Pressures of Being a Student

By Kotomi Taniguchi

Being a student has many pressures. Unfortunately, we have to be a student in order to get a job and st6o study something. It is easy to be a student and there are many merits but in fact, there are many demerits, too. We feel many pressures not only studying, but also from other things.

The first student pressure is scores. They have to get high scores to get degrees. We have to attend classes almost every day to take a class, and we have to do our homework and review what we studied before the next class. Moreover, we have to take a test at least once a month.

Second, we need a lot of money to go to school. We have to pay money for tuition, text books, transportation expenses and so on. We need a lot of money not only for tuition but also for other things. If I live in a dormitory or an apartment, I have to pay for it too.

Third, we have to do some part-time job to get money for school and living expenses. Some people can get some money from the government but it isn’t enough. Students have to go to a part-time job after school or on weekends. It is very hard for them to \keep up both school and a part-time job. It is very stressful, and they feel pressure.

Being a student has many pressures and there are so many problems, but we have to do that. I think every country has to think about some solution to reduce students’ pressures.

More Questions about the Royal Wedding (by Pamela)

from Hello! Canada Royal Special - Special Collector's Edition, A Royal Engagement Celebration and Touching Story of True Love.


1. How old was Kate when she was first linked with Will? (page 40)

2. In what church was Prince Charles married to Lady Diana Spencer? (page 78)

3. What was the age difference between Prince Charles and Diana? (page 77)

4. Name three places Kate and Will might live. (page 124)

5. What is the title of Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles? (page 112).

6. Who designed Princess Elizbeth's wedding gown? (page 98)

7. How is Zara Phillips related to Prince William? (page 116)

8. When was the engagement of Kate and Will announced? (page 67)

9. In what country did Will propose to Kate? (page 64)

10. What colour are Kate's eyes? (page 51)

Book Review - The Lord of Obama's Messenger

By Haruna Tonomura

This book was written by Marguerite Siek. This book has five short stories from Japan. I knew three stories of them. They are very famous stories in Japan. When I was a child, my teacher and my mother read these stories for me. I’ll introduce one of them.

The title is “The Farmer and the Crane.” I think this is one of the most famous stories in Japan. One autumn evening long ago, a young farmer saved a crane from a trap. Time passes and the winter came. One evening, the farmer was sitting alone in his little house. Outside, snow was falling. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. A beautiful young lady was looking for lodging because she had become lost in the snowy dark. She was kind and hardworking, and the young farmer loved her. They got married, but they were poor. She hid in her room and made beautiful cloth, and the young farmer sold it at the market.

“You mustn’t look at me while I work,” she said.

She worked so hard, so he worried about her, and one day he took a peek. He didn’t see his wife. There was the crane he had rescued, using her feathers to make the cloth.

“Now you know what I am,” she said sadly. “Now I must leave you. I love you very much, but now I must go.”

The crane left the house. She never came back.

I knew this story, but I didn’t know how to explain it in English. It is difficult to translate Japanese into English, so this book was very good for me to learn English.

Chikako's Questions about the Royal Wedding

1. Why did the dress that Lady Elizabeth wore to the wedding have to be altered? (page 10)
2. What did Queen Elizabeth and her family enjoy? (page 48)
3. Where do the wedding guests arrive? (page 58)
4. How many guests did gather to witness William and Kate’s wedding? (page 66)
5. When did James Middleton read the Bible passage chosen by the couple? (page 73)
6. What did William look like? (page 80)

Haruna's Questions about the Royal Wedding

Royalty Monthly Wedding Edition, June/July 2011: The Wedding of William and Catherine

1. What did the prince wear on April 29, 2011? (page 49)
2. Who wore a two-tone black lavender evening gown at the pre-wedding dinner? (page 15)
3. Who old is Prince Charles? (page 79)
4. What did the Queen wear the night before the wedding? (page 11)
5. What kind of dress was Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wearing? ( page 10)
6. Where was the pre-wedding dinner held? (page 10)
7. How many people were on their guest list? (page 26)
8. How many monarchies accepted the invitation to the wedding? (page 27)
9. Who designed her wedding dress? (page 37)
10. What was the dress made of? (page 58)

Pamela's Questions about the Royal Wedding

From the people.com Special Collector’s Issue “Love Reigns!" 72-page Royal Wedding Album

1. How old is Westminster Abbey? (page 71)
2. Who designed the bride’s wedding gown? (page 90)
3. To whom does the tiara belong that Kate wore to hold her veil in place? (page 91)
4. How long was the train on the bride’s dress? (page 91)
5. How old is Pippa? (page 92)
6. What is Queen Elizabeth’s favourite colour? (page 94)
7. Who is the Princess Royal? (page 97)
8. What carriage was chosen to take the bride and groom to the church? (page 104)
9. Who baked the wedding cake? (page 106)
10. Why did William receive the Golden Jubilee medal? (page 130)
11. About how much did the wedding cost? (page 148)
12. What did the licence plate on the convertible say? (page 73)

My Trip: Calgary, Banff, and Jasper

By Mayu Matsubara

I went to Calgary, Banff, and Jasper with Jaisung, Austin, Tetsu, Rina, Chiharu, Miho, and Arisa. We left Fort St. John and June 4th in the morning. Jaisung picked us up by a rental car. Only he can drive a car, so he drove a car from Fort St. John to Calgary. It took 12 hours by a car to Calgary. It was so long a time. He was tired.

We arrived there at 9 p.m. After that, we went to the Mexican restaurant and at supper. After we ate supper, we came back to a hotel.

On the second day, we visited the Calgary Zoo. There were a lot of animals and several world area zones. We watched many animals. I took pictures. This zoo was very big, so we couldn’t see all the animals. But, it was so fun.

Next, we went to downtown Calgary. There were many buildings and shopping malls. It looked more like a city than Edmonton. After shopping, we went to a Korean restaurant. We order a course, “all you can eat.” Jaisung grilled a Korean BBQ for us. He was a gentleman. I ate too much. My stomach was full like a pregnant woman, but it was delicious.

On the third day, we went to a big shopping mall. There were about 200 stores and my favorite stories. I grew tense! I bought clothes, shoes, accessories, and so on, so I spent a lot of money but I was satisfied with shopping! This night supper was Japanese food. We ordered a course again which was “all you can eat.” We ordered too much, so we couldn’t eat all.

On the fourth day, we went downtown again. It looked like Europe where we went to the downtown area. There were many fashionable buildings. In addition, we went to a Calgary tour. We went on a tour up to the top of a building. We could watch all Calgary town. It was so amazing all belief. My step fitted with glass. Jaisung and Austin were afraid of it. I tried to stand on a place fitted with glass, but they tried to stand there.

After that, we left Calgary for Banff. When we arrive in Banff, it was raining and cloudy, so the view was not so good.

On the fifth day, we left Banff for Jasper. I visited two famous places on the way. I forgot the two famous places’ names, but they were so beautiful places. At Jasper, we went to the hot spring. It was comfortable and the water was very warm. I was able to make a lot of good memories with them. I enjoyed it and I love them! I’m happy that I was able to go to travel. Thank you for driving, Jaisung. I’ll never forget this travel.

Book Review - Pele

By Martin Wicki

The whole story from this book is about Pele. Rod Smith has written this book.

Pele’s real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but all people call him Pele.
Pele is the number one player in the story of soccer. In 1,363 games, he scored 1,264 goals. Pele won the World Cup with Brasil three times.

He has visited eighty-eight countries, and his picture was in every newspaper of the world.

Pele is not only a famous soccer player, he knows Spanish, Italian, English, and French.

Pele came into the world on the night of 23 October 1940. He and his family live in a small house in Tres Coracoes, Brazil.

Little Pele played soccer the whole day long. In 1954, Pele was 14 years old. He came to a big soccer club in Brazil.

In 1958 was his first World Cup game. He won the Games with Brazil in this year. Brazil and Pele won the World Cup also in 1962 and 1966.

After his old team, Pele went to New York for a job with an American team named the New York Cosmos. The job was for $4.7 million USD. He played 3 years for this team.
Pele’s final game ever was on October 1, 1977. It was with his old club, Santos. Pele played for his new team, and then for Santos. He scored a good goal and said goodbye to soccer.

After his life as a soccer player, Pele didn’t stop working. He wasn’t only a good soccer player and teacher. He loved young people, too. He worked for UNICEF and talked with governments about the problems of the world’s children. Workers for UNICEF do good things for children with problems.

I like this book because it is short and simple to read and the story of Pele is great. I can only say Pele was and is the best soccer champion of the world.

How to Find a Job

By Emika Uetake

It is not difficult to find a job if you make good use of the Internet, an employment bureau, classified ads of a newspaper or magazine, and so on.

Using the Internet is the easiest way to find a job. If you find a part-time job, using the Internet is very useful. Perhaps it is only in Japan that almost all part-time jobs can be found on the Internet. When I was working, I found the job on the Internet, too. You can also find a lot of full-time jobs. But if you want to find a full-time job, I recommend an employment bureau. There are more full-time jobs there than on the Internet. And staff there judge what the nice job for you is. They look at your life, skill, experience, and education. Howerver, almost all employment bureaus are crowded because a lot of people lost their jobs due to the depression. So probably you wait less than an hour when you go there. Then, you should buy a newspaper. There are some classified ads in that. The Internet can't be trusted very much because of so many jobs on it and some companies have criminal working conditions. But newspapers have a big trust. So maybe you can find a job more peacefully than on the Internet.

How to Make Okonomiyaki

By Emika Uetake

There are a lot of traditional foods in Japan. Some Japanese food is difficult to make. But Okonomiyaki is easy, cheap, and delicious. Osaka is the birthplace of Okonomiyaki. I love Okonomiyaki, so I’ll tell you how to make that.

You need to prepare flour, some wate, some pieces of pork or shellfish (I think fish and shell fish is better than pork), cabbage, Okonomi sauce, dried bonito and powdered green seaweed (laver). Next, you mix flour, some water, some port or fish ande shellfish and cabage until the dough becomes fluffy. Third, you fry that turned over. Then, if you like, you can add an egg to the pan on top of the dough. Next, you serve that on dishes and dust Okonomi sauce, dried bonito and green laver on that. You don’t have Okonomi sauce? It’s okay. Ketchup or another sauce can be used instead of Okonomi sauce. And mayonnaise can make it more delicious!

Some people say that Japanese food tastes peculiar. But if you don’t like it, you can change material in the dough. Making Okonomiyaki is easy if you follow these steps!

Book Review - Titanic

By Miho Yoshioka

This book is written by Tim Vicary. This is a very famous story in the world. There is a movied that was made of this story.

On a quiet sea, the biggest ship in the world is waiting. There is no noise from the engines. Up in the sky there are hundreds of stars. Behind the ship, an iceberg goes slowly away in to the black night.

The Titanic is the biggest ship in the world. More than 15,000 people built the Titanic in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They began building it in 1909 and finished it in 1912. The Titanic was very safe. "It is much safer than older ships," the newspaper said. Also, it was very beautiful. First class rooms were like rooms in a very expensive hotel. Second class rooms were beautiful too. They were better than the first class rooms on most ships.

There were about 2200 people on the ship. However, there were only 20 lifeboats. Frankly speaking, all those people can't get into 20 lifeboats. But they never mind. They don't really ned lifeboats because they don't doubt that the Titanic can never sink. An exciting new life is waiting for them in America. But for many people in this small "city on the sea," this is their last night alive.

The English vocabulary is not so hard, so I think that is easy to read for everyone. If you have a chance, please read it.

Classical Music is my Favorite!

By Haruna Tonomura

My favorite kind of music is classical music. Classical music has a calming effect on me. I am really relaxed when I'm listening to it. Pachelbel's Canon in D is my favorite piece of classical music. I listen to this music when I am sad, and it cheers me up. And this song is traditionally used at weddings. Nowadays most of the popular artists prefer not to use musical instruments, and they like to use computer effects. But I love the sounds of musical instruments, like piano, violin, and cello, and I can listen to these sounds in classical music. Moreover, so many types of music came and so many changes happened, but still classical music lasts. Classical music is an everlasting music. So I love classical music.

The Doig River First Nation Visit

By Arisa Shimamoto

I saw a moose's skin at the first time there. It was hard and a little bit disgusting because there were some blood vessels and hnair. When the First Nation woman wrung that out, it looked very hard. The bread was baked by me and it was very delicious and the hotdog was also delicious. But it was very cold that day. When many elementary school students danced around the fire, they looked very fun. We joined that only one time. It was a little fun.

Visiting the Doig River First Nation

By Haruna Tonomura

I was a very good experience for me to go to the Doig River First Nation. I was surprised that there were a lot of children. I met students of the Upper Pine Elementary School. I was glad they remembered me.

The location was very good, and I enjoyed the beautiful natural view. At first, I didn’t want to see the moose’s skin because I thought it was revolting, but it was very soft and beautiful. I took a lot of pictures. The process of making a moose’s hide is very long. A woman said it would cost $700 to buy.

After studying how to make a moose’s hide, we ate bannock. It was the first time I had eaten it, and it was very good. I like to eat it with jam. When I was eating, a very cute dog came. The dog liked people. I stroked his stomach. There were three or four dogs. I took many pictures of them. Then I enjoyed First Nation’s traditional dances and songs. There are similar dances in Japan. Before I came to Canada, I went to an international exposition. I learned about First Nations cultures. I saw a lot of art objects and clothes. I’m interested in First Nations’ cultures, so I really enjoyed this valuable experience.

A Visit to the Doig River First Nation

By Rina Takamatsu

I went to Doig River. I could have a good experience. I saw a moose hide and I saw the process to make the shoes, clothes and so on. I touched the skin. It was soft. That had a big impact on me. I didn’t know that. I knew our ancestors’ life many years ago. They had great knowledge.

Then I ate bannock. This tasted like bread. I saw their dance. It was wonderful. They looked excited, and I heard First Nation’s story. I’m glad I heard the story. I sometimes couldn’t understand, but I think I almost understand. I want to appreciate my ancestors because I’m so happy now.

Expedition from Thursday, May 26

By Martin Wicki

At nine o’clock, we drove out bus to the Reserve. The first station was the “Scraping.” A woman scraped the moose hair from the hide with a scraper. The scraper was a sharp blade.

On the next station, we saw the “Flouring.” In this step, one woman worked on the hide. Only with a metal scraper and a large needle, plain flour is rubbed onto the hide then scraped until it is smooth and there is no more lint.

In the third step, we saw a woman during “Soaking and Wringing.” In this step, the hide was for 1 or 2 days in warm soapy water. After this bath, the woman wrings the hide out. To do this, the hide was folded and twisted onto a long pole, then the woman turned the pole around and around in a circle. The water was slowly wrung out.

The next step is in reality the first step. Once the hide had been skinned off the moose, there is a layer of meat and fat on the hide. A woman scraped away this with a bone from the moose leg.

In the next hour to lunch, we saw different interesting details as she made a hide, and we ate bannock. For lunch we ate also hot dogs. Then a First Nation man told a story. It was hard to understand this story because it was too quiet. After this story, five men came. They made music on the drums. The children jumped around the fire to the music. Finally, we got some ice cream and went home.

We Visited Doig River First Nation

By Young Dae Jang

Yesterday, we visited the Doig Rive rFirst Nation. We learned about First Nation culture. It was very interesting. First of all, we watched stage 2 [of preparing a moose hide], scraping because many elementary students came there. So my group started to watch stage 2. The stage 2 scraping showed us how to remove the moose hair. Scraping does take time and patience of a day.

Second, we watched Stage 3, Grease and Brain. Stage 4, Soaking and Wringing, Stage 5, Flouring and Tanning/smoking. It was very marvelous.

After we watched, we ate a hotdog and bannock. Especially, I like bannock. I ate bannock with jam and butter. It had a very good taste.

Third, we crowded in the middle of the centre where a First Nation explained about First Nation history. We could listen to First Nation culture, but I couldn't understand all things. I just understood 10%.

Finally, the First Nations were singing and dancing with a steady rhythm. The dancing was turning round and round by a fire.

I really enjoyed that time. I took a lot of pictures. When I go back to Korea, I will explain about and show my family First Nation culture.

A Visit to Doig River

By Chinatsu Kamon

I went to Doig River First Nation Doig River Reserve. I saw various things there. First I saw moose skins, various parts and it smelled bad. Moose skins were made into wallets, shoes, clothes, and so on. I saw the traditional way. Next I saw foxes. But the foxes are only leather, so I couldn’t touch it. The foxes’ skins would be wallets and clothes like the moose skins. Next I made bannock and ate it. It was very delicious. Next I saw traditional dance and drum. I saw it and ate two hot dogs. It tasted good. In Doig River First Nation, many people came. Many children did a traditional dance. But the weather was very bad and very, very cold. I wish if I go there again, it is sunny.

About Doig Day Events

By Mana Nishihara

I attended a Doig Day events. I had never seen such a spectacle. First, I saw a moose hide. After I touched it with my hand, it felt strange. It was stretched and tightened around the frame. I didn’t smell something. I saw animal furs. The animal kind is a bear and a fox. Secondly, I made bannock. I experienced it for the first time. I spread jam on bannock. The, it tasted delicious. After, I heard a traditional native game and listened to the beat of the drum. Finally, I joined the round dance. The, the children were happy. It was fun. It was a good experience for me. Thank you for inviting us.

The Doig River First Nation

By Emika Uetake

We went to Doig River First Nation. There are a lot of students there. I have never seen and learned abouit Canadian First Nations, so it was very interesting fro me to see and learn about it. I heard some information about hide preparation before we went there, but I saw actually. It was different from my imagination.

Moose's skin smells liek a beast. That was a peculiar smell. Especially when someone slices off the skin or meat, the smell became strong. And the skin has a rough feel. I've touched animal fur many times, but I've never touched the skin under their fur, so the feeling was strange.

After the tour, we ate bannock. I don't know whether the bread was Canadian First Nations' traditional food or not, but it was delicious and interesting.

We listened to their traditional song. The instrument that they used looked like some animal skin. It was raining, so they had to heat that to prevent the instrument from becoming wet, I think. Their song's words weren't English. I thought their language is similar with English. Bit it was different to English. But I was a little interested in it. I want to understand what they said.

I saw their traditional dance, too. The step looked difficult. But a lot of students challenged the dance.

I wanted to learn about Canada, so the experience was very fun and interesting.

A Visit to Doig River First Nation

By Teruyo Yamada

There were many moose skins and fox skins and a bearskin. I was surprised when I saw them. I can learn about hide preparation. And I was glad to meet Upper Pine School students again. They wore First Nation clothes. It was so cute. Many people came there. I thought that this event is very famous and traditional. This event will be a good experience memory for me. It was very fun, but I felt so cold. I regret that it was raining. I wanted to go on a sunny day. But, lunch made me cheerful. By the way, I don’t like the smell of moose. It felt like rotten meat and wild animals. I thought everyone doesn’t like that smell. I got the impression that a bear skin was real. I was surprised that they left the bear’s head. And there were some fox skins. The fox’s head was also left. Then the memory of animal life came across my mind. When I was an elementary school student, I learned animal life from my teacher. We saw a lot of dead bodies of animals. But they didn’t rot and were very beautiful. A face and a body were the same state and shape. I want to go again, but only on a sunny day.

Doig River First Nation

By Chikako Hirashima

I went to Doig River First Nation Doig River Reserve yesterday, and I experienced various things. First of all, I saw the hide preparation. Fleshing work seems like hard and steady work. The hide is very soft which workers finished all process. Then, I made like a bun [bannock], and I ate it. It was very delicious. Next, I saw a bear’s stuffed specimen and a fox’s stuffed specimen, but I couldn’t touch and see very well because I was scared of them. Finally, I saw a traditional dance. I thought elementary school students enjoyed it, and what kind of hides are musical instruments made from? I was happy because a girl greeted me, and she hugged me again who hugged me when I went to Upper Pine Elementary School. It was cold because it was raining, but I experienced things that people generally can’t, so these experiences are my treasures. These are my experiences at Doig River First Nation.

Doig River First Nation

By Ayako Suzuki

I went to the Doig River First Nation. It was a very fun day. First, I talked to a lot of people about moose hair. The moose hair felt good and very soft. Secondly, I saw the Canadian traditional clothes. They were very beautiful, and I wanted to wear the Canadian traditional clothes. Thirdly, I saw the Canadian traditional dance, and I played the Canadian traditional dance. Most interestingly, I ate the bannock. It was very delicious. I like it. I think that I got a valuable experience.

Doig River First Nation

By Martina Stocker

At nine o'clock, the bus came and brought us to the Doig River First Nation. Then we saw several stations. First, a woman scraped the moose hair from the hide. After scraping the hide was very fine. Secondly, we saw a woman on the hide and she scraped the fat and the flesh from the hide. In front of this woman was a finished moose leather. Next to the finished leather wasa hide over the fire. The next station was soaking and wringing. The woman showed us that. Next to the river was a woman. She hung the meat over the fire. She was very modern with a knife from the time today!

After these stations, we can make snake bread [schlangenbrot in German] or bannock. The snakebread was good.

Later, we saw an acheological dig. The children had very fun. At last we saw skins from several animals. Then Martn and I sat on the platform around the fire and we heard a story from a Beaver storyteller. I can't understand this story. After the story, six men came and they made music on the drums. The children jumped around the fire to the music.

Finally, we got an ice cream and went home.

Doig River First Nation

By Mayu Matsubara

I went to Doig River last Thursday. In Doig River, poeple explained to us about a moose and taught a traditional dance. When I watched a traditional dance, it looked like easy. But I tried to do it, and it was a little bit difficult. In addition, it was the first time to make bannock. A boy who I sometimes meet on the bus supported me to make bannock. I spread jam and butter on my bannock. It was so tasty.

Many elementary students visited Doig River, so, I was able to meet Upper Pine School students. They were very cute and remembered me. I was very happy. I was a good experience. I had a very good time.

Doig River First Nation

By Chiharu Ichiguchi

We went to Doig River First Nation last Thursday. But the weather was cloudy and rainy. First, we saw a moose hide. It was the first time, so it moved me very much. Second, we made bannock. It was an unexpectedly good taste, and we ate a hotdog. Finally, we watched the traditional dance. They wore traditional clothes made from moose hide. I had a good experience and I enjoyed everything. There were many elementary students. We could be exposed to many elementary students and local people.

Doig River First Nation

By Miho Yoshioka

I went to Doig River First Nation last Thursday. The weather was a little bit chilly. The people who live in Doig River First Nation taught us about a moose hide and how to make bannock. The bannock is like bread. When I was making the bannock, it was very fun and tasted good. We saw a Doig River First Nation traditional dance. It was very nice. The Japanese girls joined them and danced.

These were grand experiences for me. I had a good time.

Visiting the Doig River First Nation

By Misato Taniguchi

It was the first time to watch the process of making the hide. I was impressed by their movements because there is no waste. I watched their performance, full of admiration. They use primitive tools in all processes. I really wanted the whole hide as a hammock but they said that it may cost $700-$1,200! But if we watch all the process, we can accept the price for the hide. It is a valid price. It takes almost one month to make it be completed. And it is a perfect handmade item.

It was also the first time for me to meet First Nations. I sensed a kind of closeness because their face resembles ours. They speak in clear and sonorous voice. Their tanned face looks a little stern but whenever they smile, it is really calm and gentle.

The finny thing was that an old woman used packaged beef instead of the moose to show us how to smoke it! We burst out laughing with her. She grinned at us.

I had a wonderful day.

Doig River First Nation

By Kotomi Taniguchi

I went to see First Nations yesterday. It was one of my great experiences for me in Canada. First I rode a yellow school bus to get to there. It was exciting for me because we don’t have a yellow bus like that. I’ve seen it only in a drama or movie. Next, when I got there, I saw how to make cloth from a moose skin. Some First Nations women showed us how to do it. They were using bones and wood as tools. It was ethnic and very interesting, but the moose skin was a little bit grotesque for me. Third, I ate bannock, a traditional bread. I burned it with fire, and I ate it with jam. It had no taste without jam, so I was wondering how First Nations eat this in the old days. After that, I saw many animal pelts there. It was hard to see and I smelled something very bad. I couldn’t touch it. Later, I listened to a First Nations story and I could talk with the First Nations speaker (story-teller). He told me about their old life with horses. It was really interesting. As last, I saw traditional dance. I thought it is simple and the music isn’t rhythmical like nowadays, but their clothes were really fashionable. I like ethnic clothes very much. This experience was a great experience for me because I don’t have a chance to meet them (First Nations) in Japan. I never forget this experience.

Book Review - Little Women

By Ayako Suzuki

The title is Little Women. The author is Louisa May Alcott.

Setting: This book begins two days before Christmas.

Main characters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

Meg is 16 and she is very beautiful. She has big eyes and beautiful long brown hair.

Jo is 15. She is tall and thin. She has dark eyes and long brown hair.

Beth is 13. She is very quiet.

Amy has blue eyes and yellow hair. She is selfish.

They have a mother and father, but they live with their mother only because their father lives in a very far place. Then, their father works there. They want to live with their father.

One day they talked about Christmas. They hope that they will get some presents, but, their family didn't have any money, and they know their father will not come back. They try to buy some presents for themselves, but Mother heard this talk.

On Christmas morning, they opened their eyes and they looked under the beds. There were four books there. Their mother bought four books. They were very happy. Then, they go presents from a boy. They didn't know about the boy.

Five days later, Jo met the boy at a party. They talked a lot. Then, Jo fell in love with the boy.

This book talks about parties, the trouble with Amny, Meg's Glove, Jo's hair, and Beth's sickness. I like the story about Jo's hair. One day, their father gets sick, but they don't have any money. So Jo sold her hair and gave the money to her mother. Jo's hair was very short. When I read this, my heart hurts because she is very kind.

On Christmas Day, their father came back home. They were very, very happy.

I chose this book because it was attached to a CD. I listened to this CD a lot of times.

Book Report - The Wizard of Oz

By Chikako Hirashima

This book is The Wizard of Oz. It was written by Frank L. Baum.

Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, are carried by a cyclone from her aunt and uncle's house in Kansas. When they come down, they find themselves in the land of Oz. They begin a journey to the Emerald City to get back to Kansas. They meet some new friends on the journey.

Scarecrow wants some brains, and Tin Woodman wants a heart, and Cowardly Lion wants courage. They got over their difficulties and arrived at the Emerald City.

The Wizard of Oz isn't a wizard, just a man, so he can't give some things that they want. But he thought about them. He shook the pins, needles, and sawdust all together, and pushed them into the top of the Scarecrow's head. Next, he cut a hole in the Tin Woodman's body, and he put a pretty heart inside, and he mended the hole. Finally, he had Cowardly Lion drink water. The Scarecrow felt wise, and Tin Woodman felt happy, and Cowardly Lion felt full of courage.

But Dorothy and Toto are unhappy because they can't go back to Kansas. So Dorothy and Toto and their new friends go and see Glinda, the good Witch of the South. Glinda teaches them how to get back to Kansas.

So Dorothy and Toto could go back to Kansas and meet her aunt and uncle again.

I think it is not possible to do something when thinking that it is not possible to do it.

Summer and Winter

By Selina Situ

There are four seasons in a year. Compared with the other seasons, summer and winter are opposite.

In summer, the temperature is higher than any other season. In the opposite direction, winter is colder than any other season, but one thing you have to remember is in winter the temperature can be negative centigrade degrees in the morning and at night, but it might go up to positive centigrade degrees in the afternoon.

In addition, people wear more clothes in the winter, but it is very inconvenient as you come inside (even though outside is very cold). When you go inside you have to take off your coat because inside is heated up. Also, in winter, night time is longer than day time; on the other hand, in summer, day time is longer than night time.

In my opinion, I like winter, but it is too cold for me, and I think a lot of people love summer, maybe because they can dress less than winter, showing off their perfect body, and it is very convenient to go out on a nice summer day.

How to Write a Good Essay

By Janice Chan

Have you ever been annoyed by writing a good essay? I am not good at or interested in writing. Instead, I suppose that writing is everything in our world and it builds up a specific community network of exchanging or promoting ideas--it is like a deep, wide ocean which contacts different areas and helps us to transfer something all over the world. A paragraph is a tool that helps us in participating in this ocean. Sometimes it can be a boat, carrying our products. Sometimes it will be a light house, leading our way. If you do not know how to write an essay, you cut yourself off from this large community. That is why writing a good essay is so important. However, writing a good essay is not as difficult as what you think if you follow these introductions instructions.

In the first place, you have to spend ten minutes for pre-writing, which is the way to warm up your brain, help you in finding to find the focus of your essay and make it specific. First, write down everything you know about the topic and try to answer these questions: What? How? When? Where? Why? Who? They can help you generate ideas. Then, look at the items that you have written down, choose a subject that you know well, and identify the purpose and audience of your essay. It helps you decide the focus of your essay. Next, cross out the items which are not necessary, and then organize the items you need into three or more categories. After that, make the outline of your essay.

At this point, you have to know the format of an essay: an essay can be divided into three parts. A good essay must follow this format. If not, it is garbage no matter how specific an idea you have formed.

The first part is the introductory paragraph, which captures the reader’s interest and gives an overview of the subject. Rely on this rule. There are several techniques that can help you get the reader’s attention: use a question, quotation, or story at the beginning of the introductory paragraph. Mostly, the common techniques that writers will use are some sentences that present facts and statistics, or start at a very general idea about the subject at the first sentence and then move to specific. However, there are no specific rules of writing the beginning of the introductory paragraph. You can use everything which can attract reader’s attention. Then, you should present some background information or an overview of the essay to give readers an abstract idea about the essay. Lastly, you must write a thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph which presents the main idea and introduces the aspects or things that are going to be talked about.

The second part is the body of the essay, which consists of three or more supporting paragraphs to support the topic. Normally, each supporting paragraph focuses on one point about the subject and presents specific details, facts, examples and reasons. Firstly, a supporting paragraph is different from the introductory paragraph: supporting paragraphs do not have a thesis statement but do have a topic sentence, which is the first sentence of each paragraph to state the main idea and identify the focus. Secondly, the other sentences are supporting sentences, which present specific details, facts, examples and reasons to support the topic sentence. Start at a general idea and move to specific details. Meanwhile, combine your sentences and ideas by using transitions and conjunctions to make the essay move more smoothly from one thing to another.

The last part is the conclusion, which ties the whole essay together and summarizes the main points of the essay without using the same words. Generally, you restate your points, make a brief summary and state your opinion, recommendation or prediction. Indeed, you should also leave some questions and let your readers think about it.

The last step of writing an essay is revising and editing, which is the best and the last way to improve the essay. Before you reread your first draft, you should take a break of about few minutes to refresh your brain. To begin with, read once and check every topic sentence and the thesis statement to make sure they are related to the whole essay and clearly identify the focus. As you read, check the organization and grammar. You should cross out the sentences not related to the topic or add new details in your essay. Furthermore, you should mark down something which you want to pay attention to; hence, the next time you will have a check list as a guide when you are revising.

In summary, writing is an essential study and job skill nowadays. Writing an essay is no longer hard work if you know the process and the rules of building an essay. There are three main steps: spending ten minutes on listing a bunch of items which are related to the topic, identifying the focus of the essay, and organizing your ideas before you write. Based on the format of an essay, plan the outline of your essay. After you finish your first draft, reread it and correct the mistakes; nevertheless, the best way to improve your writing is to write more. Everybody is able to be a good writer if he spends time on it. Enjoy your writing time!

My Favourite Kind of Movies

I like to watch movies. There are a lot of movies that I like. What is particularly favourite is Disney movies. There are very great movies. I like Disney characters and Disney songs. So, I often watch Disney movies when I’m free.

Fort St. John is a Great Place to Visit

Fort St. John is a great place to visit. There is a lot of nature. If you visit Fort St. John, you are able to see many wild animals. And, people are very friendly. In addition, food is very good. I love Fort St. John. So, I recommend this place.

My Apartment

By Soraida Huillery

My apartment is in Mexico City. It is small but it is beautiful. It is on the seventh floor of a large building. There are three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. There is a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. There are a lot of plants in the rooms. There is a beautiful view from the balcony and a lot of windows. I like living in this apartment. It is comfortable.

There is Too Much Violence on Television

By Misato Tonomura

There is too much violence on television. Many psychologists have been analyzing the effect of violent television on children. According to their reports, it is not sure but there are lots of possibilities that children who watch violent programs for a long time threaten to imitate what they watch on television.

To prevent children from watching such programs, some countries have restrictions. For exaqmple, in america, parants can choose the programs for their children. Programs which include violence and sexual scenes are encoded, and parents can check it before, and then they select the code for children. In most countries, what parents should should to their children is regarded as the parants' responsibility.

Book Review: Marco

By Emika Uetake

Marco is a boy who is working at his fathers farm. But he dislikes work. He didn’t talk a lot with his family. One day, he decided to go to a big city to escape the life. Immediately after arriving in the city, his money was stolen by a girl. The girl planned to buy a cake with his money, and she ate the cake alone. But Marco noticed that and he followed her, but a policeman helped her because she lives in the city and is a girl. Marco turned and walked away down the street.

When he was walking down a street, he found a market. In addition, he found a shop that was selling his farm’s peaches. Marco took a peach, and was about to eat it, but the shop’s owner became angry and a lot of people were watching him and they all looked unfriendly. Then, his father’s friend named Carlo found Marco and helped. So he could eat peaches and go back home. He thought it was good for him just working at his farm.

My Major is Early Childhood Education

By Ayako Suzuki

My major is early childhood education. I like to play with children. A child’s smile looks like an angel’s. I have been to kindergarten, nursery school, and mentally and physically handicapped person facilities. I think there is a difference between the lecture and a lot of practice. In fact, experience is very important. I can’t understand only lectures. Finally, I need to play more with children, and I need to know more about early childhood education.

Book Review: The Man in the Iron Mask

By Teruyo Yamada

About the author:

Alexandre Dumas was born on July 24, 1802 in northern France. In 1823, Dumas went to Paris. He wanted to become a lawyer and started to write historical plays and novels. They were exciting and they were successful. He became a famous man. He wrote three stories about some French soldiers in the seventeenth century. The Man in the Iron Mask is part of the story, The Viscount of Bragelonne (1844-1850).

About this story:

The time is 1661. The place is France. Louis XIV became the king of France. But he was only five years old. So Queen Anne, Louis's mother, ruled for him. After that, Louis began to rule France himself.

This story is about four friends: D'Artagnan, Aramis, Porthos, and Athos. They were soldiers in the king's Musketeers. "All for one, and one for all!" that was their promise to each other.

Paris is starving, but the king of France is more interested in money and women. Aramis, Athos, and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king. Unknown to many, there is a second king, a twin, hidden at birth, then imprisoned for six years behind an iron mask. All that remains now is D'Artagnan: will he stand against his longtime friends, or do what is best for his country?

Athos, Aramis, and Porthos think of a plan to take revenge on the king. Aramis points out that there is a man in an iron mask in a very secure prison, and that this man's existence can solve all present problems. So they free the king's hidden twin brother, and tell him who he is, as he of course feels free of guilt and has no idea whatsoever why he was imprisoned for six years with this mask forged around his head. The plan nbow is to replace the evil king with his brother at a masquerade party held soon. Only D'Artagnan still is guarding the king and so he has to turn against his old friends.

A King Louis XIV prepares to rule France, he proves to be a cruel ruler. However, they learn that Louis has a secret good twin brother named Phillipe, who has been imprisoned in the castle and his face hidden behind an iron mask. Could Phillipe be a solution and safe haven to the people of France?

This is the story of the last adventure of the Musketeers.

My Trip to Clearwater

By Arisa Shimamoto

I went to Clearwater from last Thursday to Monday. Clearwater is between Fort St. John and Vancouver. It takes 12 hours by car. I went there with my host father, hostmother, Mayu and Chi. Two sisters of my hostmother live there. So we stayed at her house for three days.

The first day, we left at 7 o’clock a.m. On the way, I saw a lot of things. I saw the Peace River for the first time. It was bigger than I though. I also saw many cows, wild deer, and so on. It was the longest drive I had ever been on, so I was a little tired, but Clearwater has a lot of nature. It was very comfortable for me, and my host mother’s two sisters resembled my host mother very much.

The second day, we were taken to see a river, sheep, and a waterfall. Of those, the vest view was the waterfall. It was very big. The water below froze. So it may be the most beautiful view I had ever seen. At night, one of the hostmother’s sisters sang some songs with playing a guitar. It was a very exciting day.

The third day, we had a great lunch because of Easter. My hostmother grilled the chicken whole. It was very delicious. In the afternoon, we watched some DVDs and took a walk. At night, we talked about Japan, and we taught a few Japanese words. Everyone laughed all the time.

The fourth day, in the morning, my hostmother and father hid the chocolate. We looked for that. My hostmother gave a hint, so I can find it very fast. That chocolate was big and in the shape of an elephant. It was very cute. I thought Easter is a delightful event.

The last day, we came back home. When we left, my hostmother’s sister cried. So I couldn’t help feeling like crying too.
In these five days, I took many pictures, about more than a hundred. I had a very good time and a lot of memories. I want to appreciate my hostfather and mother and sisters.

Naruto, My Home Town

By Kotomi Taniguchi

My hometown is Naruto. It is not a big city but there are so many delicious foods. For example, sweet potatoes, fresh fish, sea weed, vegetables and so on. We can eat so many different kinds of food each season. In spring, we can eat raw fish that is caught in the sea. We cook it with sushi, salad, rice, udon, and also bread.

My city also has a dance festival. Every summer, the dance festival, called “Awa Dance,” is held in my town. Awa dance is a traditional Japanese dance and so many people come to see this dance around Japan. Different dressed-up dance teams dance everywhere in my hometown. You can see these dances for free and you can eat delicious food there. If you are interested in Japanese culture, you will enjoy it!

Snowboarding

By Austin Ao

I went snowboarding in February. This was my second time to go snowboarding. I went with my classmates. It was so exciting for me. I enjoyed having fun with them. We had a coach and he taught us how to snowboard. Also, I tried many difficult styles to make it fun. I lost myself on the hill. While snowboarding, I fell down many times because I was in the dark at the first. I talked with my coach about snowboarding on the hill. He shared his experience with me. So I didn’t only learn how to snowboard, but also I could improve my English skills by listening and speaking to him. By the way, I saw a wolf and the security kept staying by my side in order to keep me safe. Finally, I could snowboard successfully. I hope I’m able to go snowboarding next year.

My Favourite Season

By Selina Situ

There are four seasons in a year. Compared with the other seasons, summer and winter are opposite. In summer, the temperature is highter than any other season. In the opposite direction, winter is colder than any other season, but one thing you have to remember is in winter the temperature can be negative Celsius degrees in the morning and at night, but it might go up to positive Celsius degrees in the afternoon. In addition, people wear more clothes in the winter, but it is very inconvenient as you come inside. When you go inside, you have to take off your coat because the inside is heated. Also, in winter, the night time is longer than the day time. On the other hand, in summer, the day time is longer than the night time.

In my opinion, I likde winter , but it is too cold for me, and I think a lot of people love summer, maybe because they can dress less than in winter, showing off their perfect bodies, and it is no very inconvenient to go out on a nice summer day.

Hairspray, My Favourite Movie

By Saori

One of my hobbies is watching movies, so I'll talk to you about my favourite movie. Its title is "Hairspray." I think it's not an ordinary movie.

First, it's a musical, so all actors acted their parts while they were singing. Of course, their acting was very wonderful, but their singing was so great, too! Also they can dance very well!They must practice singing and dancing hard, and they have to remember their lines.

Next, it's not just an interesting movie. This story was so funny, but it told about racial discrimination. This movie told about American history in the 1960s, so you can learn about it.

Finally, this film is directed by Adam Sharkman. I recommend his film because he is devoted to his film, and he not only produces films but also he teaches actors how to dance.

If you have never seen it before, you can borrow it from the rental shop, and you had better watch it!

Jurassic Park Vocabulary 1

Vocabulary from the first part of Jurassic Park:

1. archaeobiology: the study of ancient living things

2. a dig: an sectioned off area where archaeologists dig for fossils

3. velociraptor: a dinosaur that was very fast and vicious

4. a pack hunter: an animal that hunts in packs, cooperating with the other members of the group to capture and kill the prey.

5. 6-inch retractable claw: 6 inches = 15.5 cm ; a retractable claw is a pointed, usually curved claw on an animal’s paw; the claw can be retracted or drawn back into the structure of the paw. For example, cats have retractable claws but dogs do not.

6. paleobotanist: a scientist who studies ancient plant material

7. biological preserve: a zoo; a protected area set aside to preserve different species of animals.

8. outside opinions: opinions from people who are not part of the organization seeking the opinions. external opinions

9. the top minds: the best thinkers; the best scientists

10. to sign off (on something): to give formal, written approval to or permission to do something. “If you could sign off on the park” means “if you could give written approval for us to go ahead with plans for opening the park.”

11. right up your alley: perfectly suited to you

12. to stand by: to be ready; to have someone standing by means to have someone ready to do something

13. chaos theory: a scientific theory that states that all things finally will be reduced to chaos.

14. a crazy son of a bitch (slang; usually considered rude): a crazy person

15. T-rex: Tyrannosaurus Rex; a large carnivorous dinosaur; the name means King of the Terrible Lizards

16. a herd: a group of animals (e.g., a herd of cows)

17. living biological attractions: exhibits or attractions at the park that are actually alive

18. DNA: dioxyribosenucleic acid; the building blocks of life

19. fossilized tree sap: the liquid from the inside of a tree that has turned hard and become a fossil

20. amber: fossilized tree sap, usually a yellow, green, or light brown colour

21. sophisticated: high-level (sophisticated techniques)

22. unfertilized egg: an egg that has not been fertilized, that is, will not grow a new individual of the species

23. life will not be contained: life will always find a way to get out and reproduce

24. raptors: velociraptors

25. 50-60 miles an hour: 80-92 kilometres an hour

26. problem-solving abilities: abilities to solve problems; here, the velociraptors are said to have the ability to work together to figure things out and to solve problems.

27. to spare no expense: to not be concerned about how much something costs; to spend as much as is necessary.

28. lack of humility before nature: arrogance or pride of people in dealing with nature, which is very powerful

29. inherent: inborn; natural

30. stood on the shoulders of geniuses: to stand on the shoulders of geniuses means to use the knowledge and discoveries that other people have made.

31. condors: a large bird of prey native to warm climates

32. nature selected them for extinction: if an animal is not strong enough or fast enough to survive, then eventually it will die out and become extinct.

33. we’re all running to catch up: to run to catch up implies that we are not quite up-to-date on a situation and so we have to make an extra hard effort to find out the situation.

34. blood-sucking lawyer: this is a metaphor; the lawyer is compared to a leech, a type of small water animal that attaches to other animals or humans in the water and sucks their blood, that is, kills them.

TOEFL Topic 2: Parents are the Best Teachers:

By Jay Lee

Parents have an instinct that they want to be good parents and teachers for their children and children learn many things to live from their parents, for instance how to talk, how to walk, and how to eat. I think children cannot do anything without their parents because parents are good teacher of their children.

Almost all children can read and write letters before they enter elementary schools because a majority of parents teach their children how. Besides, some children can speak other languages or do mathematics very well, and others have abilities to draw or play instruments because parents teach their children many ways to be able to enjoy their lives and want to find what kinds of talents their children have. Thus, parents are good teachers who help their children look for their strength.

Children also learn about table manners from their parents. For example, they learn that it is very rude to eat soup with a sound or talk with food in their mouth, but it is very polite to appreciate people cooking for them after finishing their meals. Children may not learn these sorts of good manners from schools because schools are places that teach us knowledge, not manners. In this way, parents are good teachers who teach their children good manners.

Some schools invite parents to teach students. Students can learn something that is not in their school books: what most parents do for their children and what grown-ups’ work is. In other words, a mother who works at the bank can tell about the worth of money, where money comes from, and what money influences. In fact, parents are good teachers who teach very useful information that is not in the school books.

Good teachers take care of their children and are trusted by their students. Children may trust in their parents more than in their teachers. Thus, parents are good teachers who teach their children many things with love.

Is Smoking Bad for Society?

By Irasema Tirado

Nowadays, people are not allowed to smoke in public places or office buildings. The people who smoke disagree with this new law. But the people who don’t smoke are happy about it. Is this fair for people who smoke? Are we being discriminatory? Are we right allowing this law? I personally don’t smoke and I think there are several reasons why people should not smoke in public places: health, pollution, and fire hazards.

Many people know that smoking is the cause of many diseases but even knowing the consequences they still do it. I don’t disrespect the people that smoke, but I don’t agree with them making the decision for us. They don’t have the right to smoke in front of people that don’t want to smoke. They put our health at risk, even when they are the ones smoking; we are the second hand smokers.

People who smoke do not imagine how bad the smoke is for the environment: the smoke that they produce affects the air that everybody breathes, the land by littering the cigarette butts on the ground. The remaining butts left on the ground will take approximately take 25-26 years to decompose. The same butts end up in rivers or lakes and fishes and other water animals eat these butts by mistake, resulting in their death.

During dry seasons, cigarette butts can even cause major fire. A small cigarette butt seems pretty harmless, but it can start a huge fire under the right conditions. The people that throw the butts from the car windows or on the streets should know that by doing this they are not just littering but they may be the cause of many fires affecting environment.

Smoking is harmful not only to smokers but also to those who live or work with them. I think the law about not allowing them to smoke in public places is the best law for them. I wish they accept the law and respect it too. I live in Canada and for me is the cleanest and nicest place I have ever been starting because I can be free of smoke in every public place. I don’t discriminate against smokers but I don’t think is fear for other people to be affected by them. Smoking is not the best after all.

A High School Trip

By Keiko Oshima

The high school trip was one of the fun days of my life. I went to Okinawa. There was the beautiful sea and good food.

First, I went to an aquarium. It is a very famous place in Japan. There are many fish. I saw a shark and a dolphin. The dolphin was very cute. Next, I visited Shuri Castle. It is a big red castle. After I arrived at the castle, I ate lunch.

I spent an enjoyable time in Okinawa. I weill never forget this memory.

The Most Exciting Sport

By Dicky Lai

In my opinion, soccer is the most exciting sport. I think most people like soccer because soccer games make people feel excited. When the World Cup starts, many people watch the games at night. They invite their friends to watch together, or they go to the pub. Thjey can watch the games with different poeple, and they can make new friends.