10th post

What does it mean to be an adult? When will you think of yourself as a grown up?

My earliest memory

My memories of childhood are a random collection of images, feelings, and people. I'm not sure which one is the earliest memory for sure, but I don't think I can remember anything before I was four years old. That was when my family moved from Lynn, a suburb just outside Boston, to Framingham, a small town about one hour away. I remember my parents packing up all of our stuff into boxes and my dad talking to his sister and her husband about our house. I later realized that they were buying our old house. I was so excited that my dad let me ride in the moving truck with him, but I don't think I really understood what was going on. I said bye to my friends from the neighborhood, but I didn't realize that I would no longer see them every day.

When we arrived at our new home, I think I asked where the other people who lived there went and when they would be back. Since our new home was in a more rural area, we had a forest for a backyard. It was so exciting to run outside and explore the big rocks and play among the trees. My family lived in that house until I went off to college.

When I go back to visit my aunt in Lynn, I am so glad we moved. That neighborhood has really gone downhill and is now a pretty dangerous place. I feel fortunate that my parents got us out of there in time, but I feel bad that we passed the house on to my relatives!

9th post

What's your earliest childhood memory?

Future destinations

It's been a while since I've traveled somewhere that I just wanted to go to for myself. When I first arrived in Japan, I did my best to explore this country on my weekends and when I had a longer break, I took off to other destinations, like Hong Kong, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, the Philippines, or Mexico. More recently, my trips have been fewer and usually back to the US to see family. That's why I'm really excited about this winter.

First, I'm going to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a teacher's conference. I'll be presenting about our blogging project there. It'll be good to meet local teachers as well as educators from all over Asia, but I'm also hoping to see a bit of the city and surrounding sights.

After that, I'm off to Cambodia for another conference, this one on service learning (having students volunteer as part of their English course). I've never been there so it should be pretty exciting. If all goes well, I can shoot down to Angkor Wat, too.

My last trip will be purely for fun - Hawaii. I'm not a hundred percent sure about this one, but I think I'll be spending part of March swimming in the warm water of Ala Moana beach and sipping Mai Tais at sunset. My brother lives there, too. Bonus!

8th post

What countries are you thinking about visiting in the future (study abroad or just travel)? Why?

Women and Men

I think most men and most women experience life very differently. Generally, woman use emotion and consider personal relationships more when making decisions or interpreting what's going on around them. This is why women often go to the restroom together (how many really need to go?) On the other hand, men tend to use logic and rely on outside measures, like achievement or reward when deciding how to act or what to do. If you want a man (or a dog) to do something, offer him something he wants and then say "good boy!"


These differences become a problem when a man and woman are trying to make a decision together or when they are thinking about choices the other has made. Of course it's not true all the time or in every case, but I think these differences certainly affect a lot of people and relationships. What do you think?

7th post

What do you think is the greatest misunderstanding or misperception between men and women?

Fall

I love Fall. I grew up in New England, which has really beautiful fall foliage (autumn leaves), and now that I'm living in Japan, I can see the changing colors as well. Fall foods rock as well - Asian pears, persimmons, sweet potatoes. But, what is really special this season in Japan is the festivals. Universities have their festivals, which are loads of fun, and towns and neighborhoods also have their own traditional "matsuri". Fall festivals might seems ordinary to you, but for someone from outside of Japan, they are truly unique. I recommend you get some pictures of local festivals to show people when you travel or study abroad.

6th post

Fall is finally here. What do you think of this season? How does it compare to other seasons?

My type

I guess you could say my wife is my type (hopefully!). I'm not sure exactly what that type is, but I can you why I fell in love her: I took her to a park with a romantic view one evening. I thought it was nice to create a good mood... and she tried to Judo flip me into the fountain. She doesn't remember this but I do. When she tried that (and failed miserably) I realized that she was the woman for me. I guess that means I like people who are strong (in spirit), courageous (not afraid to try something even if they will fail), and funny (I assume she was joking). It didn't hurt that I thought she was pretty cute, too :)