Bainbridge island

We went to Bainbridge island as a field trip on August 4. We took a big ferry from downtown Seattle to the island. It took about 30 minutes by ferry. I enjoyed the beautiful view from the ship.

When we arrived on the island, we walked and found a wishing tree. We left some massages on the tree. And then, we had lunch. I ate fried rice, whish was cheap and good. 

 

 

After that, I walked around the harbor and saw a lot of boats. I found interesting sculptures made of rocks.

 

 

 

Then, we went to an ice cream shop which is very popular called 'Mora Ice Creamery'. Sudie said that this ice cream is the best.  I had a vanilla ice cream. It was so delicious!!  It was sunny and very hot, so we really enjoyed the ice cream.

City Walks

I walked to Magnuson Park, which is located near my house. I walked this trail in the park. I'll show you a map and the trail. 

 

 

It was a sunny day, and I saw many people there, swimming in the lake, reading books, playing frisbee, playing with dogs, and enjoying the sunshine.

 

 

I saw a lot of boats. People can launch their boats from here.

 

 

I found some people eating something in the bushes, so I walked over there and saw what they were eating. It was a blackberries, so I copied what they were doing. The blackberries were good but a little sour. I think I ate more than 10 during this walk. You can find blackberries everywhere in this park. So, I walked and stopped to eat, and walked farther and farther.

 

 

There were tennis courts, big field, and a football field. 

 

 

It took more than one hour to finish walking this trail. I expected that it would be shorter than 30 minutes. I should have worn shoes instead of sandals.

On my way home, I happened to see a burning car. Earlier, when I was in the park, I saw black smoke and wondered what it was. Now I know, that it must have been from this car. I don't know what happened to the car. 

 

The more I go around Seattle, the more I find new things. My Seattle will never end!


 

 

Summer Festivals in Japan

Hello. I'm going to tell you something about Japanese culture today.

We have a lot of summer festivals, which are called "Natsumatsuri" in Japanese. Each city or town usually havs its own Natsumatsuri. Some of them are very big and famous. Others are small, so you can meet your neighborhoods and enjoy talking with them.
The festivals usually start in the evening like 4pm or 5pm. There are many shops that sell lots of things like frankfurters, shaved ice, yakisoba, takoyaki, yakitori, apple candies,baby sponge cake, drinks, toys for kids and so on.
After dark, you can see beautiful fireworks. You will also see couples there too. Many girls wear Yukata, which is a kind of traditional dress. 
I have enjoyed the festivals every year since I was a child. Now, I really miss the summer festivals! If you have a chance to visit Japan in this season, you should go to the Natsumatsuri!

I will show you some pictures here.

Yukata

 

Takoyaki

shaved ice

apple candies

 

many shops

 

 

Thank you!(^^)

 

Seattle Life

Hello, I'm going to write about part of my life in Seattle.

First of all, I will tell you my sad story. I lost one of my earrings a few days ago. It was my favorite pair. I bought them in NY last month. Where is your partner?  I shouldn't have put it in my pocket.

The next topic is about the celebration of 4th of July. It's Independence Day in the US. It was a wonderful experience for me. I went to Gas Works Park, which is one of the best places to watch fireworks. The fireworks were beautiful and fantastic! Blue and red colors reminded me of the American flag. Before the fireworks started, I listened to the national anthem. A lot of people sang along to the music. It was so amazing and so cool.

Lastly, I'm going to write about DVDs. Every week, I rent two DVDs from a library. Of course, it's free. I rented Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland this week. My favorite character in Toy Story is the green men. They're so cute♪ In Alice in Wonderland movie, they speak British English, so it was a little difficult for me to understand. I hope that watching DVDs will help me improve my English skills.

Thank you! (^_^)

Introduction

Hi, my name is Haruka Iwamoto(岩本遥). I am a college student in Japan and also a UW student now. I came in Seattle three months ago to study English. I am interested in biology. My major is animal science and am mainly studying about animals for beef, pork and chicken production.

My home city is Kobe, Japan. Kobe has mountains and seas and you can see beautiful night view from the mountains. Also, you can enjoy shopping near the sea. I love Kobe!
Here is a map.

Kobe is famous for beef, which is called Kobe Beef. But it's super expensive, so I have never eaten it. I want to eat it when I can make a lot of money in the future.

I like to play sports. I belong to a futsal team and a tennis team in my university. Do you know futsal, which is like mini soccer? My brother also likes to play soccer.
They are my futsal teammates in Japan. Can you find me in this picture?

 

Thank you!