Christmas!

Recently, I can see many Christmas decorations in many places. I like Christmas but I know only Japanese Christmas, so I want to know about the American one. Therefore, I chose this topic and I'd like to contrast American and Japanese Christmases.

First, I'd like to write about decorations and food. Japanese decorate trees with ornaments and eat Christmas cakes. When I found out that Americans don't have Christmas cakes, I was very surprised because I thought Christmas cakes came from America! After I came here, I learned that Americans eat turkey, not cake. Also, American Christmas decorations are so gorgeous. They have many kinds of ornaments. For example stuffed dolls and candles. They are so cute!

Second, I'd like to write about who Christmas is held for. In Japan, Christmas is only for children and couples because Christmas is not connected to religion, it is only for fun. Couples go to special places, so many places hold events for them. Also, when I was a child, adults in my area held a Christmas party every year. We ate cakes and enjoyed singing songs and games. In America, it is for family and they celebrate all together.

Third, I'll write about Christmas presents. As I wrote, Chrismas in Japan is for children and couples, so only they get Christmas presents. Also, the presents are from parents or a partner so it might total one or two in all. In America, all people exchange presents so they can get many presents. That's nice! Also, they place their presents near the Christmas tree or in big socks and in the morning, they can see the presents. In Japan, parents put their presents at their children's bedside.

In conclusion, the American Christmas is more major and a bigger event than in Japan where Japanese soaked up the American culture. However, there are a lot of differences between the two countries. They are unique and interesting for each other.

The Culture of the Southwest

During the Southwest trip, I could experience many different things between Spokane and Japan. I could learn people's thoughts about nature and customs.

First, I'd like to write about the scenery. The land was so different. It was very dry and flat so there were few tall plants expect cacti. I was often thirsty. The sky was sooo wide and near to me, so I felt I could touch the sky. Moreover, the night sky was impressive. In the Grand Canyon, I could see the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen. The stars were shining and shooting stars could be seen. Also, I could see the Milky Way Galaxy! How beautiful it was! In Spokane, I had thought the sky was nicer than that of Japan, but the Grand Canyon's sky was beyond Spokane. Also, the buildings were different. Most of them were adobe style, so the city was like a sand city, monotone and simple.

Second, Southwest food was very fresh for me. Most foods contained chilies and beans. They were a little bit spicy but very delicious. Many people were eating colorful salads or something containing chilies. I felt how the chili was one of the most important foods for them. Also, I was very surprised when I knew we could eat a cactus's flower. In a gift shop, there were many cactus things like cactus candy and cactus jam. It tasted good so it surprised me more.

Third, I could see the coexisting of Native Americans and Mexicans. They cherish their cultures and I felt it was a very good thing to keep their cultures. However, when I visited Acoma Pueblo, a guide said if a man marries another country's woman, they can't enter the pueblo's community. I was sad about it but I also felt they couldn't help doing that to keep their culture.

This trip was really good for me because I could know about other country's culture and learn to be respectful.

American Family

When I first came here, I was very surprised because most American families have different ideas about "family" from Japan. They always express their love and like to talk about their experiences or share information about their family with other people.

First, I sometimes hear my RA say, "I love you" to her parents when she calls them. In Japan, people hesitate to say that even if they are boyfriend or girlfriend because they worry about being teased. I think to say our love is a very good thing because people can understand each other and be relieved.

Second, American families talk about what happened today with important people. I've never talked with my father about love so when my RA's father said, "I asked about her boyfriend," I was very surprised. I think to talk about that with my mother is no problem but if I talked with my father or my brother, I would be very ashamed. I can't understand how American people can do that. However, having communication is a good way to make the family's bond strong, so I want to try that.

Finally, American families like to share their family's experiences with other people. For example, in an American house, there are a lot of pictures of the family and also relatives which they show people who visit. Also, enjoying with other people is not only for relatives but their friends. Parents treat their children's friends like their real children. Eating food, going shopping and inviting them to family events...that is very common in America. I think American communication is very good for understanding family so Japan should imitate that. But I can't understand why many American young people want to be independent from their parents although they think family is important. I don't know about the American family system very well, but I think that family is valuable in American and Japan.

Diet

I'd like to write about how to live a healthy life in America. There are many different customs so I'd like to compare American life and Japanese life and figure out what is the best way to keep my health.

In America, there are many kinds of food... American, Mexican, Italian and also Japanese, and they are decorated colorfully and look so delicious so I eat them carelessly. However, most of them are made with a lot of oil, spice and sweetening, and they have many calories. Therefore, it is easy to get fat. Moreover, we can't go outside easily so it is difficult to do exercise. It's true we can do some exercise in our home, but we don't have much time to do that.

In Japan, we often eat fish. Fish has less fat than beef and we don't use much oil, spice or sweetening, so we get fewer calories than with American food. However, some foods are high calorie. For example, boiled meat is more oily than America meat. However, I could do exercise when I was in Japan. I walked with my dog one time a day and I had to walk to my school, so it was good exercise.

I think whichever country we are in, we should eat moderately and exercise. Also, we should not eat too much sweet food because it is not natural and can harm us.