porque  porque

2015年2月  February 2015

Saturday 28 February
 
Today was off day, but I worked by my computer to send some e-mails. After work, I went to shopping to buy some food and beer. In the afternoon, my wife and I went to a 'Go-Centrum' to listen to a lecture. The lecturer was a Japanese woman who has lived for about thirty years in Holland. Her lecture dealt with “euthanasia”. According to her lecture, Holland is the most advanced country about euthanasia. Holland people had discussed about euthanasia for 40 years, and then they made laws about euthanasia in detail.

Friday 27 February
 
There was a farewell party for our coworker who is going back to Japan this March. We met in a restaurant named “Buenos Aires” in Amstelveen. The restaurant had a good atmosphere like south America and I saw many Spanish language on the wall. Many customers had come in that restaurant. We drank some beer and we ate a big beef steaks each. Steak was very tasty and we satisfied with that time. We talked about our work and European culture. It was a good night.

Thursday 26 February
 “
OV-chipkaart” is used when we take a public transportation like metro, tram, bus and also train. I think that this card is a very useful system of Holland. By the way, I took a bus when I finished an English class. Before getting off the bus, I checked out with OV-chipkaart. But next moment, the card reacted and rang a sound like “pi”. I worried that it is bad thing because the card had twice reaction at one time. So after days, I checked about it on the internet. Then I knew that it was no problem that I was relieved.

Wednesday 25 February
 
I worked today too. I was tired, but I had lots of energy to do anything, because today is still Wednesday. There are no English class. And there are a long time at night. I wanted to read some books at that night. But I felt sleepy at past 20:00. When I have a long time, I usually feel sleepy. I don't know why. I think that it is my bad habit. I don't want to waste my time any more.

Tuesday 24 February
 
It was a rainy night. I went to BLTC by tram. When I was going to the tram station, rain was falling on me. And I got my clothes wet. Last week, I was absent from English class. Then I felt little nervous about going to the class. But, when I went to BLTC and I did some exercises with my classmates, I changed my mind to fine. When I finished our class, I felt happy. I thought that learning something new is a very fresh and cheerful thing.

Monday 23 February

 Our school year is starting from April to March. Now we are putting together our results of classesThere are lots of school events in Japanese school. They bring many good results to us. But I think that it is important to prepare carefully before the event. We have to think more over our school plan, because there are many events, but the outcome is few yet. Next year, we want to think over our school plan more efficiently.

Sunday 22 February
 It was fine day today. But it was a cold morning. I was tired and I got up late, because I walked a long distance in cold outside yesterday. Today, I had to write a report about some schools that I saw ever this year in Netherlands. It was an assignment of us, teachers in Japanese school.There are two schools that I visited since I'd come here. At first, I and my colleagues visited in Amstelveen college in last November. We met the principal and we saw inside of that school building. Next time, I visited in Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem. This school has long history of about 625 years. This is the one of the oldest school in the Netherlands. I'm interested in Holland's educational systems like “Jena plan”. But it is hard to research them because almost information are Dutch, and sometime English. I hope I will be able to study more.

Saturday 21 February
 Last week, my wife bought discount tickets of Dutch train. We can travel anywhere in Netherlands in a day by very cheap price at 13.99 euro. Then we went to Maastricht today.In the morning, we went to Amsterdam Zuid station by bus. And we took the 7:39 train to Utrecht, and at Utrecht station changed the train to Maastricht. We arrived at 10:05 to Maastricht. It was a cold day. But we walked around the city and visited some churches, Roman ruins and shops. The city was very beautiful. And there were lots of old streets.We went to a bakery and tried to eat some breads. It was very tasty, so we bought some.

Friday 20 February
 There was a sale in our office to sell useless things by teachers who go back to Japan in March.They brought many things to sell us. I wanted a light stand. That was very big and bright. And I wanted some books like guidebook of European countries. And other colleague wanted the same things to me. It was decided by lottery that who can buy them. I lost the light stand and any books. It was unlucky. I could buy only two guidebooks of Switzerland and Croatia for 1 euro each. I want to go Switzerland in this summer if possible.

Thursday 19 February
 It was busy day to me. I and my colleague had to check the house for a new teacher who will come in April. At 16:00 in front of my office, an real estate manager came by car. And we started to go. We were talking about the house. But our talking had something strange. The real estate manager was going to another house that I was thinking. Because there was a miss communication with my colleague and the real estate manager. They had taken appointment by only an e-mail about today's schedule. I thought that it is important to talk face to face or by telephone in such case not e-mail. Then we came back and we had to continue our work on our office. So I couldn't go to BLTC today. What a pity!

Wednesday 18 February
 Today is my mother's birthday. In the morning, I phoned her after an interval of about two weeks. She was fine. When I phoned her, her friends was coming to her house and they were eating a birthday cake and having tea. She told that in my home town in Japan, there were many snows yet, and she couldn't clean up the snow in front of her house. And she told that she fell down and hurt herself, but now she is almost OK. I eased my mind.

Tuesday 17 February
 Today, there was an English class at BLTC. Students asked each other who enjoys creating new things. I said I enjoy poems. I'm not good at making poem. But I like searching for new poem I've never seen from books. There are lots of kinds of poems in Japan, for example HAIKU, TANKA, and also free verse. I tried to explain about HAIKU to students, but I couldn't tell well. And I wrote my name by Chinese characters on whiteboard from top to bottom. Chinese character 'YAMA'(山)means mountain. The form of this character is from the drawing of mountains. But it was very hard to me to explain that.

Monday 16 February
 Now the week has started. I was very busy at work from morning until night. I had a calligraphy class today. My students are nine or ten years old. They have interesting minds. If I do funny thing, they will laugh. If I show sad face, they will make sad and dark atmosphere. In Japan, I used to have young students about 12 to 15 years old. So, it is very good experience to me.

Sunday 15 February
 Today, It was fine day like spring. My wife and I went to Rembrandt house museum in Amsterdam. We had been to the museum ever, but we had never gone to inside of building. Because unfortunately when we go to there, the museum was closed at any time. So it was first time to visit there. We saw a kitchen, a dining room, and a drawing studio of Rembrandt and so on. It was very interesting to me, because the tools for painting had a beautiful brightness. It was a good holiday.

Saturday 14 February
 Today, I listen to a lecture in the Go center in Amstelveen. The lecture was about Dutch education. It was very impressive to me, because Dutch children are the happiest in the world according to a new report released by UNICEF. I'm interested in a “Jena plan” that is the latest frontiers of education. Today's lecturer was the researcher of alternative education. Japanese educational system is old-fashioned, then I want to learn the Dutch way while I live in Holland.

Friday 13 February
 In 9th grades class, we had a Japanese language class today. There were only 4 students this week. Because, other all students have gone to Japan to take an entrance examination of high school. The number of class was few, but students in this class were so lively. I had got e-mail from two students in Japan. Both student had passed them exam. It was the happiest news to me and my class. The two students will come back to Holland next week.

Thursday 12 February
 It was the examination-day in my Japanese school today. Students worked on five examination subjects. I noticed that exam questions I made had mistaken in some points during an exam. For example, I forgot to write lines. I was embarrassed that, because I didn't have such a mistake before. Japanese language exam is hard to type, because there are many kinds of different words. Making exam papers took long time, but Checking the exam papers finished at once.

Wednesday 11 February
 It was the skate-day in our Japanese school. It was the third time and last time this winter. We went to Jaap Eden ice rink from our school by bus. Students have enjoyed ice skating. Today, the skate rink was dark, and it had been illuminated by various color lights like a disco. I enjoyed skate with students too. Last time, I forgot my camera. But today, I didn't forget anything. I had been progressed with my skate in three times.

Tuesday 10 February
 The road near my school closed to traffic for construction work. All roadside trees were cut, and the road will be broadened by this fall. I wonder that is it good to cut roadside trees. I read a newspaper of my hometown on the internet. The paper says that roadside trees near my old high school would be cut. And the alumni association are against that proposition. But the inhabitants near the school favorable to the proposition to cut trees. I hope that the trees will be kept there. Because the trees are our memorial.

Monday 9 February

 
Today, I had two Japanese calligraphy classes in the elementary course. Before the third grade class, There was a open day. And lots of parents had come to look their children. Then in my class, children couldn't concentrate their study. I had an other exercise like games. Children had fun and relaxed a little. After that, I could continue a class. Calligraphy class is very good experience to me. But it is hard every week. When calligraphy classes finished, I feel like that this week ended.

Sunday 8 February
 
I got up at 8:00 this morning. I made exam papers and finished all by noon. After lunch, my wife and I went to a Chinese supermarket to buy some seasoning for Chinese food. Black beans sauce is useful to make chicken saute and so on. After grocery shopping, we watched a Japanese action movie on TV connected iTunes. The director of this movie is my classmate in our schooldays. He is a quite successful man. And at night, I wrote diaries of some days.

Saturday 7 February
 
I got up late this morning, and I did my desk work for making exam papers until about 15:00. Next, My wife and I went to my colleague's home. And we had a drinking party. We drank some beer and wine. We looked at rooms in his home. His home was very clean and has some simply designed furnitures. He leave from Holland on next month. And he will go back to Japan. Then he said to give us some books and some tools in his house. We talked each other. And we had a good time.

Friday 6 February
 
The last weekday, I was very sleepy from lunchtime to evening. Then I got the yawns and I couldn't stop that easily. And I had a cold from the morning and I had a fever. I left early and I got back my home. Soon I took shower and ate supper, I felt more comfortable. Every friday, I feel some tiredness. Is it from my age ? Or from my hard work in Holland ? And then I slept a long time until 9:00 on Saturday morning, I felt better than last night.

Thursday 5 February
 I knew there is a hustle in the cafeteria like “La Place” in downtown of Amsterdam on Thursday. I left from my work at 18:00 and I rode tram No,13. And I changed the tram to No,14 at “Dam” . Then I got off the tram at “Spui”. So I went into “La Place” that is near tram stop to eat supper. But a lot of people were making a line to take food. Then I gave up eating in this shop. Next, I went to “Shanhai Noodle”. I ate a vegetable soup noodle. The taste was so so, but It was good that soup was very hot. Because it was cold night that day.


Wednesday 4 February
 I had to go my classroom no less than three hours in same class in a day. Then it was very hard day. I read a newspaper written about Japanese classic tale “Momotaro”. And I had my students talking about that tale and they discussed the theme of that tale with each other. After this class, They had a time that they could read and search old tales in library. It was a very valuable time for them, because they could study themselves a lot of time.

Tuesday 3 February
Today is a day of English class. I started from my work to BLTC at 18:30. After I walked for a few minutes, I felt so cold. And I was hungry. Then I went to “La Place” and ate a cup of soup and some breads. My body warmed a little. In Holland, elten-soup is popular with lots of people. But I prefer the tomato soup than elten-soup. Soup is good. But I like Japanese food “Nabe” too. Especially in cold night, “Nabe” is delicious. There are lots kind of Nabe. I like simple style “Mizutaki”
.

Monday 2 February
 
I have to complete my work for school. It was the first day of work in February. Japanese school year starts April and goes until March. Graduation ceremony will be performed on 13th March. There are only 40 days left for us until graduation of our students. I hope that our students will go to their way with confidence from onward. There was a class thinking about peace in our world and how to disconnect chain of terrorism. But it is a very hard problem.

Sunday 1 February
 
I got up at 7 am. I have spend my sunday morning time preparing of this week's classes. I have some classes like Japanese language, calligraphy, and also technology studies. My major subject is  Japanese language. But I have to do other things occasionally. When I came to this school, I didn't use to like calligraphy for small children. But I enjoy it a little. The next term will start at April. I would like to enjoy my classes more and more.