毎年恒例のjack-o-lantern作りでは、かぼちゃに絵を描いて彫る作業にみなさん夢中になっていました。
生徒さんのお孫さんも参加してくださり、初めてJack-o-lantern作りに挑戦されました。楽しんでもらえましたか？

去年は、私のカナダ人の友達が参加してくれたのですが、今回は、エドワードの妹がワンダーウーマンのコスチュームに身を包み、パーティに参加してくれました。
おいしいピザ、楽しいゲーム、皆の笑顔！やっぱりイベントはいいですね。

ハロウィーンパーティに参加して下さった皆さん、Thank you very much for joining us! We hope you had a fun time with us.
今回参加できなかった皆さん、次回はクリスマスパーティを予定していますので、是非参加してくださいね！

スミス英会話大津校、Chiharu

この生徒さんからのメッセージ←CLICK

スミス英会話大津校で日々英語を教えている私やChiharuやAndrewには、楽しみにしていることがあります。それは、旅行から帰ってきた生徒さんの話を聞くこ とです。教室には、生徒さんの旅の写真を集めたボードもあり、まるで自分がその国々へ行ってきたかのような楽しい気持ちになります。 今回、私たちの生徒、Toshikoさんの香港旅行記を皆さんにも読んでもらいたいなと思います。この旅行記は、彼女自身が英語で書いてくれまし た。彼女がスミス英会話大津校に通い始めて以来、メキメキと英会話力を伸ばし、その上達振りには本当に関心します。この旅行記にも、彼女が日々頑張ってい る成果がよく現れていて、私たちも誇らしい気持ちでいっぱいです。

Hong Kong Travel
July 6-9
By Toshiko, Smith’s School of English Ohtsu Student

July 6 (First day)

I woke up at 4:00 am.
I met my friend in front of my house.
My friend’s name is Miyako.
We went to the parking area in Otsu at 5:30，
Next, we got on the shuttle bus for Kansai airport.

We left Osaka at 12:00am.
We arrived in Hong Kong at 4:00pm Japan time but it was 3:00pm HK time.
Then we went straight to Lang Ham Place Hotel, and went to our hotel room.
The room was high-tech,and had a good atmosphere.
We drank tea, and had a rest.

After our rest, we went to Lang ham Place shopping center.
It has 200shops in a spiral mall.
I bought souvenirs and silver flower earrings.
We ate dinner in a Sichuan foods restaurant.
My Ma-boo- tofu was very hot.
We went to bed at 12:00pm.

July 7 (2^nd day)

We woke up at 5:30am, and had breakfast at 7:00.
Then we took a half day sightseeing in Hong Kong town.
First, we visited Victoria peak. It’s an observatory.
We saw the Hong Kong town view and took pictures.
Lunch was Dim sum in a Shanghai foods restaurant.
After that, we went to a park near the sea.

In the Evening, We took part in my connection company’s party in the hotel at 6:00pm.
I got a present for joining the party. It was a flower design Chinese character nameplate, and we ate nice shanghai foods. We enjoyed the party.

July 8 (3^rd day)

We woke up at 6:00am, then ate breakfast.
We got on a tour bus, arrived at Hong Kong port at 10:30.
We got on a ferryboat(Jet foil), left for Macao at 11:00am.
I slept on the boat for an hour.
We arrived in Macao at 12:00pm.
We did sightseeing in Macao City.
First, we went to a church face. Then we walked around Macao town.
In Macao town, the old buildings were painted colorfully.
Next, we went to Casino town.
In Casino town, there were a lot of new buildings built.

We went to Macao tower. People from my tour group said that people can bungee jump from the tower.
My lunch was all you can eat, it wasn’t delicious but I ate an egg-tarte.
After lunch, We went to a casino. But I played slot machine for only 20 minutes because we didn’t have time.
At Night, we ate Chui chew foods in Hong Kong. It had a delicate taste.
After our dinner, we saw Hong Kong’s famous million dollar night view.
It was a wonderful view.
We went to bed at 11:00pm

July 9 (Final day)

It was our returning day.
We woke up at 6:00am and our baggage were taken out from our room at 7:00am. Then, we had breakfast.
We got on a bus at 9:00am, went to the duty-free shopping center.
I bought souvenirs and only looked at brand-name goods.
After lunch, we left for the airport.

We departed Hong Kong at 3:00pm.
I watched a movie in the airplane.
The Movie title was “Fake bill” It was a Japanese movie.
The story was amusing.
We arrived in Japan at 8:00pm Japan time.
Next time, if we go to Hong Kong, we want to go sightseeing independently.

今回は、1月末に生まれたばかりの私とエドワードの息子も加わったためか、まるで大家族がのんびりおしゃべりをしながら、わいわいボーリングを楽しんでいるような和やかな雰囲気でした。私は予想していた通りガーターを沢山出しましたが、久しぶりにあの重いボールの感触、何本もピンを倒せた時の興奮を味わうことができて、とても楽しかったです。

上位3名には、英語の本やカナダのネイティブアートのマグネットをプレゼントしました。

今回のイベントに生徒さん達を招待した際、「ボーリングは苦手だから」という返事が多かったのですが、上手くなくても皆とおしゃべりしながら時間を過ごすのは楽しいものですよ。次回はカラオケなんかどうでしょう？「それも苦手です～」という返事が返ってきそうですね（笑）！今回参加出来なかった皆さん、是非次回は一緒に楽しみましょう♪

参加して下さった皆さん、Thank you very much! We hope you had a good time, bowling with us! Please join us again

Chiharu, スミス英会話大津校

そして、スペシャルゲストが到着！
Q. さて、ゲストは誰だったでしょう？
He is from the North Pole and wears bright red clothes!!

Yes, Santa Claus!!!

昨年のパーティにも参加してくださった方達は、まだかまだかと期待されていたかもしれませんね！
参加者一人ずつサンタクロースからプレゼントをもらい、一緒に写真が撮れるというサプライズに、皆さん大興奮でした♪

毎年このパーティに参加して下さる皆さんはご存知かと思いますが、私は、母と一緒にバンドを組み音楽活動をしています。今年も皆さんへのクリスマスプレゼントとして、ミニライブを披露しました。
竹内まりあの「元気をだして」、そして英語でビートルズのLET IT BEを歌った後、皆さんと一緒にJingle BellとSilent Nightを歌いました。今回は、いつものアカペラではなく、母のギターも披露することができました。皆さんに演奏を聴いていただけて嬉しかったです♪

今回のパーティに参加してくださった生徒さんお二人からメッセージを頂きました：
————————————————————————————————————-
Hi Edward,

Thanks to you for the nice party.

I’v attended the Smith’s Christmas party four times maybe.
私はこれまでに、スミスのクリスマスパーティに多分４回 参加したと思います。

I liked all things especially I could see and hug real Santa Claus!
全部楽しかったけれど、本物？のサンタさんに会えて抱きしめられたのがとっても素敵でした。

Generally speaking, Christmas parties at restaurants in Japan cost a lot including bad drinks but Smith’s Christmas parties offer reasonable prices including tasty dishes, free drinks, gifts exchange and nice chatting with unknown classmates and other attendees.
日本のレストラン でのクリスマスパーティ は、概して会費が高く飲み過ぎて騒いだりしてあまり好きではないのですが、スミスのパーティは美味しい食べ物と飲み放題、プレゼ ント交換も含めて良心的な会費で、その上普段は会うことがないクラスメートや参加者のみなさんと楽しくお話が出来るのが良いですね。

Masako、スミス英会話大津校生徒

——————————————————————————————————————–

I love cream croquette and cake.

What present did you get from Santa?

皆さん、来年のパーティもお楽しみに！
Ｃｈｉｈａｒｕ, スミス英会話大津校

スミス英会話大津校の生徒、Toshiko　さんのハワイ旅行記パート３です。彼女自身が英語で書いてくれました。素晴らしいですよね！Please enjoy!
パート１はこちら
パート２はこちら

Hawaii Travel 4th to 9th July, 2010

July 7th, 2010 (Fourth Day)

That day, I went to play golf from early morning. It took about 30 minutes by bus.

The course name was Waikele Golf Course. I was favoured with fine weather on that day too. I got used to Hawaiian courses, so I had a better score. I returned to the hotel and ate lunch.

After lunch, I decided to go to Waikele Premium Outlet Mall with my friend. Waikele Outlet Park was near Waikele Golf Course so I was surprised. We caught a taxi in front of the hotel, and arrived at Waikele at 4pm. We promised the Taxi driver to meet in front of the Outlet Park at 7pm. And we started shopping separately.

The bags, shoes, dresses, were all low price and charming. But my favourite shop was a golf shop, because the IZOD wear set was about 50 dollars. The set was a cap, a polo shirt, a skirt and sox. The cap and skirt’s prints are lemon yellow check. Lemon yellow is my favourite color. Time passed in an instant, I went to the promised place.

We were tired so we ate Japanese food. We went to “Japanese restaurant Chibaken” near the Hilton which we heard about from a local person. The restaurant had a lot of Japanese foods and the recommended food was “Tekkadon” because Hawaiian tuna is fresh and very delicious and the price was reasonable.

July 8th, 2010 (Fifth & Final day)

I took out my baggage from my hotel room in the early morning. I was getting ready to go home. During the trip, I could enjoy nostalgic things and new things. The length of my stay was short so my schedule was very tight with sightseeing, shopping and playing golf. I had physical strength but I was suffering from sore feet a little.

If I go to Hawaii in the future, I want to stay a long time. I want to rent a sea side condominium and I want to relax and I want to go to play golf and go shopping occasionally.

Until the dream comes true, I want to do my best at my work again.

Toshiko

スミス英会話大津校の生徒、Toshiko　さんのハワイ旅行記パート２です。彼女自身が英語で書いてくれました。素晴らしいですよね！Please enjoy!

パート１はこちら

Hawaii Travel 4th to 9th July, 2010

July 5th, 2010 (Second Day)

That day, I went to golf from early morning. Hawaii has a lot of golf courses. I went to a golf course that is called New Ewa Beach Golf Club which took about 30 minutes by bus. Hawaiian golf differs from Japanese in some respects. There isn’t a caddy so golf play is your own responsibility; we don’t take a rest half-way so we must play through all 18 holes. Also, there are lovely cottages near the golf course. People drink their morning coffee in terraces close by us.

While playing, I saw fallen bougainvillea flowers and coconuts on the lawn. The blue sky and green earth was beautiful as far as the eye could see so I felt good. The round of golf was finished in the morning and I went back to the hotel by 1:30pm.

I took a bus and lightly ate a sandwich in my hotel room. After a short rest, I decided to go to Alamoana shopping center with my friend. We left the hotel at 3:30 pm and got on a free trolley bus because we got some tickets from the tour company. The bus didn’t have windows so it was open and fun. We arrived at Alamoana shopping center. The shopping center has many brand shops. When we were tired from window shopping we drank some fresh juice as we took a rest in the food court.

We stepped over to the large scale Wal-Mart which was full of people and had a really vast market. I didn’t have much power and time for wandering around at that time. After walking around a bit, we decided to return to the hotel.

We were hungry so we went to a Japanese restaurant in the hotel. Foods quality and taste was so-so but when we ate it, we could take a deep breath.

July 6th, 2010 (Third Day)

That day, we took part in the party in the evening so we took an optional tour which went around Oahu Island until afternoon. The tour’s name was “Circle Island Tour”.

First, we went to the foot of Diamond Head by bus and looked at it. On the way, we rode through a high class area, and looked out at the Japanese public figure’s villa. Next, we looked out at Hanauma bay from the bus. Unfortunately, that day was cleaning day for the sea so we couldn’t go near the bay. But actually the surface was clear and many tropical fish were swimming there and we could touch them with our bare hands.

After that, we went to a Macadamia nut garden, Hawaiian soap factory and Doles Pineapple Garden. We were taught things of interest there. We enjoyed free samples and bought souvenirs, and the Pineapple ice-cream cones were great.

At last, we went to Moanarua Garden. The tree in the garden is in a Japanese Hitachi commercial. It’s a monkey pot, rain tree. The half day tour was economical because we got to go to some recommended spots in a short time and could eat lunch. The price was about 90 dollars.

We returned to the hotel. After a rest, we changed our clothes, and then went to the party. This party was the Hawaiian tour’s main event. The 450 members had a get together at the banquet hall on the hotel roof. The dinner at the party was served buffet style. There was Hawaiian food, Japanese food and other food. We saw a Hawaiian dance show, drew numbers for prizes and had a nice time.

ハワイ旅行記パート１はこちら
ハワイ旅行記パート３はこちら

今回、私たちの生徒、Toshikoさんのハワイ旅行記を皆さんにも読んでもらいたいなと思います。この旅行記は、彼女自身が英語で書いてくれました。彼女がスミス英会話大津校に通い始めて以来、メキメキと英会話力を伸ばし、その上達振りには本当に関心します。この旅行記にも、彼女が日々頑張っている成果がよく現れていて、私たちも誇らしい気持ちでいっぱいです。
彼女は、以前にも香港旅行記を書いてくれました。その記事は→こちら。

Hawaii Travel 4th to 9th July, 2010

July 4th, 2010 (First Day)

Every year I look forward to taking part in the travel which is sponsored by our franchise business connection and to traveling with my friend Miyako.

This year’s tour was Hawaii. Our tour had 450 members. The 450 people were divided into two groups. Our group left on July 4^th. The other group left on the next day.

We arrived at Honolulu airport in Oahu at 9am July 4^th. The time difference from Japan is minus 15 hours so we returned to the previous day. It was a long day.

The hotel’s check in time was 3pm, and until then, we went sightseeing in the city. We got on the tour bus. First, we went to Nuuanu Pali Look Out. It’s a familiar sightseeing spot in Oahu. The wind was surprisingly strong. We looked over a vast landscape

Next, we went to the Punch Bowl Hills. It is an American National Memorial Park.

I’ve been there many times, but this time we didn’t get off the bus. We visited there from the bus. Soldiers who died in the Second World War, The Korean War and The Vietnam War are laid to rest there.

I saw colonel Onizuka’s grave. He was of Japanese descent but was born in Hawaii. In 1986, he was killed in the space shuttle Challenger’s disaster. People always put flowers there.

Next, we had lunch in a Chinese restaurant within the city. We received our travel rules as we ate Chinese lunch. Also I didn’t forget a souvenir for Edward at Smith’s School in Otsu. It is an English menu. After lunch, we finally got to check in at last.

Our hotel’s name was Hilton Hawaiian Village which has 3 towers, a tropical garden, and there are Flamingos, a lot of pools, restaurants, duty-free shops and an outdoor stage among the buildings. It was a large-scale hotel with a Hawaiian atmosphere. We rested until evening, and then we went out of the hotel.

That day was Independence Day so a fireworks display was held in the hotel.

We walked to the central point of Calacaua Street. It took about 20 minutes and then we arrived at Royal Hawaiian shopping center. After shopping, we went to an Italian restaurant that is a famous restaurant in Japanese magazines. We had to wait 20 minutes, before we went in. The Restaurant’s name was “Cheese Cake Factory”. After dinner, we ate cheese cake that was very delicious and large.

ハワイ旅行記２はこちら

そもそも海外で勉強したいと思った理由は、昔から何故か日本に馴染めない気がしていたからでした。日本で生まれ育ったにも関わらず、周りにいる友達と考え方や言動などにずれを感じていたのです。中学２年生の時に、初めて海外へホームステイをしに行き、その異国の地で「人と違っても良い、個性的でも良い環境」に出会いました（→アメリカ滞在記～中学２年生の私～）。この体験が、「私は変な子」だと思い続けていた私に希望を与えてくれました。そして留学を夢見るようになりました。

この夢を叶える為に先ず私が考えたのは、語学力。
海外で生活するには、現地の言葉を話す必要がありますよね。目標が決まれば即実行したくなる私は、英会話学校に通い始めました。

する、しない（出来る、出来ない）に関わらず、「留学したい」と思う気持ちが、”他人と違う”ことに悩んでいた中学生の私に勇気や元気を与えてくれたような気がします。また、夢を追う過程で英語に出会えたことで、私の性格にピッタリの言語での生活が可能になりました。何でもストレートに表現し、心に湧き上がる気持ちを自由に伝えることが出来る英語が私は大好きです。

留学したいなと思っている人は、日本にいったい何人ぐらいいるんでしょうね。
未知の世界に興味を持ち、新しいことに挑戦したい気持ちになっている人は、既に夢の第一歩を踏み出しています。いつ実行出来るか分からなくてもいい。
今あるワクワクした気持ちを大切にしてほしいなと思う今日この頃です。

スミス英会話大津校　Chiharu

高校生の頃、私は英会話学校に通っていました。
高校で学ぶ受験英語をどうにかして実際に使える英語に変えたいと思い、毎週コツコツと「英語を口から出す」練習をしました。しかし、自分の英会話力が向上しているかどうかを知るのは、なかなか難しいもので、時々不安になることがありました。「私の英語力は伸びているのだろうか？」と考えてしまうのです。

そんな時、私は英会話学校のイベントに参加し、自分の会話力が実は上がっていたことに気付いたんです！イベント中に参加者と英語でおしゃべりをしていると、思いもしない質問をされたり、反対に自分から質問をしなければいけなかったりという「会話のキャッチボール」を長時間することになります。授業で少しづつ生きた英語を学び、積み重ねてきた英会話術を自分なりに操れるようになっていれば、自身を持って積極的に参加者とお喋りを楽しむことが出来ます。英語に間違いがあっても大丈夫。普段話す機会の少ない人達と、ただ会話を楽しむことが出来れば、会話力が伸びているという証拠です。イベントでは、自分より英会話が得意な人に出会うこともあります。「がっかり。。」と落ち込むこともあるでしょうが、それより、その人のようになりたい！という目標ができる可能性もありますよね。

先日、スミス英会話では各校が集まり、お花見イベントを開催しました！参加してくださった皆さん、楽しい時間を過ごしていただけましたか？また来年も一緒に楽しみましょうね！

スミス英会話大津校　Chiharu

そして、スペシャルゲストの到着に、パーティ会場の興奮が最高潮に達しました！
Q. さて、ゲストは誰だったでしょう？
He is from the North Pole and wears bright red clothes!!

Yes, Santa Claus!!!
参加者一人ずつサンタクロースからプレゼントをもらい、一緒に写真が撮れるというサプライズに、皆さん大興奮でした♪

昨年のパーティに参加してくださった方はご存知かと思いますが、私は、母と妹と一緒にバンドを組み音楽活動をしているのですが、今年も皆さんへのクリスマスプレゼントとしてミニアカペラライブを披露しました。
英語でWHITE CHRISTMASとビートルズのLET IT BEを歌い、皆さんにとても好評だったようです！
「Your songs were wonderful!」と、生徒さんからお言葉を頂きました。とても嬉しかったです♪
皆さん、来年のパーティもお楽しみに！
スミス英会話大津校 Ｃｈｉｈａｒｕ