How was SE? What did I learn/discover during this course?

This class was really meaningful for me.

Before I took this class, I thought I didn’t like anything that uses English (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) because it is difficult for me, and I have no confidence in my English skill.

However, this class taught me writing in English is fun.

During this class, I wrote four Haikus as my second piece. It was first time to write haiku in English. I felt that I like to write Haiku in English more than Japanese because English haiku has not so many rules like Japanese haiku, and I have limited vocabulary in English, so I can use only simple words. So I think I could express my feeling more clearly than Japanese.

Even now, I cannot speak, listen or read English well, but I can write in English with less stress than before I took this class. I became like to write in English through this class. I am really glad to enjoy writing in English.

So, I want to keep writing something actively in both English and Japanese in the future.

My favorite class of Autumn term

This term, I took “Teaching Methods in Religion(Shukyo-Ka)Ⅰ” (宗教科教育法Ⅰ). It was a really exciting class!!

It was the class of teacher-training course for the student who wants to be a bible teacher at high or junior high school.

It has many practical assignments as a teacher, for example, to create the curriculum for six years　(junior high school to high school), to create the curriculum specifically of the particular academic year, to create the teaching plan and teach the trial lesson, and to create and mark the final exam, etc. Those assignments were really difficult for me, because it was the first time to do such things, but they were so fun!! I really enjoyed all those assignments and strongly felt that I want to be a bible teacher.

I want to enjoy studying in the winter term as much as this class.

My favorite magazine

Have you read any wedding magazines?

I like to read wedding magazines very much.

 

My favorite wedding magazine is “Zexy”. It is a really thick magazine with a lot of bridal information, for example, about places for weddings, marriage rings, ideas of wedding ceremony, etc. My favorite topic is about wedding dresses. It is so beautiful!! There are many kind of dresses, and all of styles are so nice. So, I feel happy just looking at it. There are many dresses with different colors, shapes, materials, so I am very excited to think if I get married someday, what is the best dress for me.

It is the magazine of dreams. I recommend you to read “Zexy” at least once (especially girls)! You can buy it at Sansei-do!!

the happy day

(This topic is little be embarrassing, but I felt really happy, so I’ll write about it.)

Firstly, I have a boyfriend. We were friends in high school, but we started to going out after entered university. He lives in Niigata now. So ours is long-distance relationship.

Two days ago, he came to Tokyo SUDDENLY to meet me because we’ve been going out for one year. I was so surprised and really happy!!

We cannot see each other very often, but I realized our feelings are very close to each other. I got energy to keep working from him until we meet again. I want to continue to value this relationship.

my trial lesson

I am taking a teacher-training course because I want to be a bible teacher of high or junior high school in the future.

Last month, I taught a trial lesson about the bible as a task of a class of a teacher-training course.

 

It was my first class as a teacher. So I was really nervous before the class, but when the class started, my feelings changed, and I really enjoyed the class.

I did not do so great in my class, but I realized it was really fun to talk with students in a class.

I felt more strongly that I wanted to be a teacher than I had before the class. So I want to keep studying to become a bible teacher.

What do I want my obituary to say?

Jun Aoyagi, resident of Niigata, passed away on April 30, at a nursing home. She died of old age, at 86 years old. The last night, she said “good night” to her friends of a nursing home, and she never got out of the bed again.

Mrs. Aoyagi was born on February 12, 1993, in Niigata. Her family was very close, so she grew up with their love. When she became a high school student, she started to live away from her family to live in a dorm. After graduation for the International Christian University, she became a bible teacher at her old high school. She worked hard to change Japanese educational circles, and many students become happy.
She got married when she was 24 years old, and had a son and a daughter. She took good care of their home as a mother.
She enjoyed her life after retirement with her husband. She was by his bedside when he died two years ago. Then, she started to live a nursing home and made so many new friends.
She lived always among her important people.

At Mrs. Aoyagi’s request, the funeral will be held in the church she went to, and sing a lot of happy hymns with a piano accompaniment of her grandchild. Please come, if you are her acquaintance.

What's my view about religion?

I’m really interested in religion.

I was born at a Christian home, and I’m a Christian. So I believe in Jesus from when I was young. It is really natural thing to believe in Jesus for me.

Some classes in ICU expanded my religious view.

The winter term of last year, I took two interesting class by prof. Anri Morimoto, which are Introduction to Religious Studies and Introduction to Christianity.
They were really exciting classes.

I learned that many things can be a religion through those classes.

For example, if I believe in “Money is everything”, my religion is “Money”.

Thus, religion is not limited to just things we call “religion”, for example, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc.

What does “love” mean to me?

For me,

“Love” is simple.

“Love” is praying for someone.

“Love” is giving my time for someone.

“Love” is smiling when I see a baby and a dog.

“Love” is my mother’s cooking.

“Love” is being together.

“Love” is to give up my seat for someone on a train.

“Love” is a phone and letters.

“Love” is to care about someone’s feelings.

“Love” is true.

“Love” is hugging.

“Love” is being grateful.

“Love” is sometimes difficult to give to someone.

“Love” is listening to what someone says.

“Love” is a birthday cake.

“Love” is waiting for someone.

“Love” is to trust or believe in someone.

ICU Kindergarten Church bazaar

Yesterday, I attended ICU Kindergarten Church bazaar as a helper.

It was a really exciting day!

The children made me happy.

First, I sold cotton candy with my friends. A short time later, three elementary school girls joined us. Cotton candy flew off and clung our hands, bangs, and eyelashes. But it was really fun to make cotton candy.

After the bazaar and clean up, we played with children. They were about 4, 5 or 6 years old. They showed me many of their talented peers on the playground equipment. And then, we played tag.

Finally, I carried girls on my shoulder for the first time in my life.
So today, my muscles are a little sore.

It was hard, but it was a really exciting day!!

I found children’s power throughout the day.

My first piece "The teaching of my father"

Author's Note:

I wrote a personal narrative about the teaching of my father when I was a child because thanks to parents, I am the person I am now.

After writing this piece, I paused to realize that my way of thinking is based on my parent’s view. I felt I want to obey the teachings of my parents in the future.

While I was writing this piece, my classmates, Moro and Saya, gave me suggestions. Moro gave me some positive comments and pointed out the part that was difficult to understand. So I tried to change some words to be more clearly. And Saya advised me to add my family photo from when I was a child. Thanks Moro and Saya!

This is my first piece↓

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ez5j5JnBaVd1PpQJKQ-s3BeceyqweRu8dR41nK-o_XA/edit

About my brother

Today, October 9 is my brother’s birthday!

So today, I will write about my brother.

 

I have an old brother.

He is 2 years older than me, so he became 22years old today!

He is a senior student, and he study math in the university. He lives in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.

He is a peaceful person. I have never been beaten up by him even when we were children.

 

He has great creative ability. He likes to draw illustrations and craft. He makes many card games and board games by his hand.

 

He likes singing. He has really beautiful voice like Ken Hirai who is a Japanese singer. He is a member of a cappella club in his university, and he enjoys his club activity.

 

He entertains my family with his humor and his gentle character.

We are very close and I really love him.

What is “happiness” to me?

For me “happiness” is living with my important people and seeing them happy. They make me happy. I feel happy to spend time with them, and seeing their smile.

Now, I am living in Mitaka, so I cannot meet them (who lives in Niigata) every day. It is really sad, but I can call them on the phone and send e-mail to them. We can share from regular daily events to worries.

 

Also I met new important people at Mitaka. For example, dorm mates, section mates, teachers at ICU, etc. They also make me happy. I want to value spending time and my relationship with them.

What are my greatest and weakness?

My greatest is getting absorbed in what I am interested in.

I study subjects of interest very hard.

Now, I am interested in education. So I want to learn more about education.

 

However, I cannot focus on studying of no interest. It is my weakness.

My friends at ICU are look like dedicated students. They are look interested in a variety of subjects, and they study them hard. But I have no interest in so many subjects like them, and it is difficult to study hard in all class. But I want to try to become more active in my class that I decided to take them.

What is most precious thing in my life?

I have two answers for this question.

First, important people in my life are precious things for me.

They are my family, and also people like my family, who are my best friend and my boyfriend.

They make me happy. They taught me a lot of important things.

And more than anything, I need very existence of theirs.

They love me, and I love them.

 

Second, religion is a precious thing for me.

I’m a Christian, but sometimes it is difficult for me to value the Christian messages for always because I am weak. But I want to always value them.

Who am I? How I answer that question?

This is really difficult question for me. But I will try to write my answer at this point in my life.

I am Jun Aoyagi who is a sophomore ICU student. I was born in February, 1993 in Niigata Prefecture.

I am here now by many people I met in my life. My family, best friend, teachers, classmates, club mates, dorm mates, boy friend…etc. They brought me up. They told me many important things to carry on living, and what is happiness. My happiness is living with them.

So I want to make it important to meet people, and I want to grow up more as a person in the future.

 

 

This is the slide of my 10x10 presentation. 

Why did I decide to take this class?

This topic was the homework of first week and I did.

However, I checked my blog today, I found the data was lost!

So I rewrite this post.

 

I have two reasons that I decided to take this class.

First, I want to think more about myself. And I want to know more what I really interested in? I think it is connected to navigate my future.

Second, I want to get my confidence in my English skill. When I was a freshman ICU student, I felt fear to go to my ELP class because I have no confidence in my English skill. Actually I knew I should not be shy, but I was shy. Even now, I cannot speak, listen, and write in English well. But I want to try to be more active in this class to build up and get confidence in my English skill.

My favorite artist

Today, I will write about my favorite artist.

My favorite artist is Yoriyuki Makihara who is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He wrote many famous songs. For example, “世界に一つだけの花”, “どんなときも。”, “もう恋なんてしない” etc.
 

He writes really heartwarming songs.

The lyrics written by him are very kind and they have deeply meanings.

The music he wrote are great and dramatic.

Then his singing voice is really velvety and gentle.

 

My favorite song of him is “Wow” that is a song when baby was born. I like the last word of this song. It means “From now on, I do not want the happiness my very own”.

I think his songs make him what he is.

My home town

I’m from Nagaoka city in Niigata Prefecture. Niigata is wonderful!! Today, I will write about three wonderful points of Niigata.

First, Niigata has many delicious foods. For example, rice is very good because the climate of Niigata is suited to the production of rice.  “Koshihikari” is very famous brand of Niigata rice. And then, fish and seafood is also good because it faces the Japan Sea.

Second, Niigata has really beautiful fireworks. Especially, Nagaoka Hanabi is one of the three great fireworks in Japan. It is beautiful, powerful and prayerful fireworks for peace and reconstruction.

Third, the population density of Niigata is just fine. It is really comfortable, not too much, not too little.

Therefore, I love Niigata. I want to go back to Niigata after graduation from ICU.

Kotoba no shizuku

Yesterday, I bought a book. The title is “ことばの雫” written by Tomihiro Hoshino, who is a famous Japanese artist. He draws pictures of flowers and poems with his mouth because he is paralyzed from the neck down.

In the past, he was the PE teacher of a junior high school. However, he was badly hurt in an accident, and became unable to move his limbs. During his hospitalization, he started to write letters and draw pictures with his mouth. His creations strike right at the heart of many people. I am also moved by looking at his creations.

This book has his words with photos taken by his wife who supports his life and his creative activity. It is a really heartwarming book. I want to read it when I forget something important, or when I cannot live in thankfulness.

Do I like to write? Why or why not?

Yes, I like to write. I like to write letters and essays in Japanese because I can think carefully before expressing what I want to say. But I don't like to write diaries because I quit after three days. And I don't like to write essays in English because it takes more time than writing in Japanese. It is too difficult for me.

I like to write on the paper because I have trouble writing with PC. I'm not good at machines, and I cannot type fast. And I like handwriting because I can put some my thought into the character.