Melissa and the International Spartans

A morning at the Washington Monument  Last weekend, I visited Washingto n, D.C. to see the capital city of the United States. 　 At some point , I realized I couldn’t return to Japan without seeing the capital, since it’s always one of the most important cities for any country . So, I decided to go, and it was well worth it.   There are many monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial, located in the center of the National Mall. Around the Washington Monument and the surrounding park area, there were so many places to explore that it was hard to choose where to go.   Most of the buildings were classical, sophisticated, sublime, and symmetrical. The planners designed them intentionally to celebrate the founding of the country and to honor those who died in war. The white-colored monuments drew not only me but many others. They evoked a deep sense of history and made us feel both the joy of celebration and the solemnity of remembrance....

     I went to Hawk Island Park last Saturday, a place Melisa had recommended. The park is located i n the southwest part of MSU, and it took about 20 minutes to get there from my house. The weather was perfect—not too hot—which made it great to play with my two sons. They were so excited even before we left that they kept pushing me to go early.        When we arrived at the park, I saw that there was a parking fee of three dollars for residents. I paid for it and parked in the lot. There were already some families enjoying the park, and their cheerful energy made my sons even more excited.       First, we played in the water splash area, which was open to both kids and adults. My two sons ran into the splash area right away and started playing together. Even though their clothes got completely soaked, they didn’t care at all. My wife and I also joined in and had a great time with them.      ...

I just had a really energetic weekend! I got up early in the morning because I had a plan to play golf with Alex. He is always kind enough to pick me up by car , so I got in his car . As I was getting ready to play golf on the fields something unexpected happened. A golf player who I didn't know even came to join us. We enjoyed playing golf and had an educat ional time l earning “ Golf Terms ” in English .   Then I had another unexpected incident after I came back to my dorm room . A man who I met during English conversation time thankfully invited me on a one-day trip. At first, I thought we were just going to go for lunch . However, he said he had some time then , and he also said, “ we should go to Frankenmuth ” . And we drove there, enjoying conversation along the way. Frankenmuth is a leafy and peaceful Germantown . W hen we arrived there , a carriage was pulled by a sturdy horse . I actually wanted to ride in a horse-drawn carriage, but I d...

Do you remember the first day of this semester? I definitely remember when I met each classmate for the first time. At the beginning of the semester, it was awkward to speak in English with my c My classmate lassmate b ecause they weren't Korean, and most of them were also older than me. However, as time went by, I realized that they are so kind, and I can learn many things by doing activities in our class.    First, some people are not afraid to speak English, so they started conversation naturally to me. For example, Suguru and I usually arrived at school early, and from the start of the semester, he would always initiate conversations in a gentle, non-intimidating way. Even though it was a really simple question, I could develop my English-speaking skills and gain confidence. Thanks to him , my fear of speaking English gradually faded. Now, I can st art a conversation first with my classmate !     Second, when we learned about histroy, and polit...