せんしゅうのげつようび、アーサービナードのレクチャーがありました。He offered some perspectives about the atomic bombings of WWII. I think one of his most interesting points was how the words in English and Japanese that are often used to refer to the bombings are rooted in inherently different perspectives. The Japanese word ピカ is an onomatopoeia for "flash" or "shine", and the use of this word to refer to the bomb is to assume the perspective of the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who saw only a great flash, as they were there on the ground in the midst of the explosion. A common American term to use, however, is "mushroom cloud", which in a way has an opposite denotation, as it implies a perspective from above the site of the bombing, far away in an airplane. Binard pointed out that using this phrase is a way of distancing ourselves from the people that this directly affected. He even mentioned the candy company that created the "atomic fireball" with a picture of a mushroom cloud on each package, as if this were a light, fun matter. Meanwhile, when Binard himself was discussing the event while in Japan, his own use of the word ピカ allowed him to feel closer to the people of Japan and put himself in their shoes. It was a very interesting point about the use of language, and how two different words for the same thing can convey so much meaning beyond their literal connotations.

せんしゅうのもくようびににほんのえいががありました！アリエッティでした。かわいいでした！It was a great film, and I'm glad I got the chance to see it! To all of you who couldn't go and haven't seen it, I do recommend it!
Also, I was excited to be able to pick out some words I could understand now and then! Perhaps in a few years I'll be able to get most of them!

Typical Day:

げつようび
ごぜんはちじにおきます。はちじじゅうごふんにシャワーをあびます。くじじゅうごふんにかがくのじゅぎょうへいきます。じゅうじはんにあさごはんをたべます。じゅういちじにへやでべんきょうします。じゅうにじごじゅっぷんにすうがくのじゅぎょうがあります。にじににほんごのじゅぎょうがあります。さんじにとしょかんでしゅくだいをします。ごじにジョギングします。ろくじはんにばんごはんをたべます。じゅういちじにねます。

はじめまして。わたしはルイです。いちねんせいです。アメリカじんです。せんこうはこうがくです。どうぞよろしく。

One of my favorite foods of all time is the Japanese treat mochi. Where I live, you can really only find the kind filled with ice cream, which is, of course, delicious, but my favorite way to eat it is by itself in the form of chichi dango - slightly sweetened but with no filling. I am lucky enough to be able to visit Hawaii frequently because my family lives there, and they are home to an amazing mochi shop, Nisshodo, to which I am sure to make frequent trips whenever I am around. Beyond chichi dango, they have almost any variety you can think of, including fillings of red bean, lima bean, peanut butter, even a fresh strawberry. They have butter mochi, chocolate mochi, and flavored mochi like strawberry and blueberry, and so much more. It's all made fresh daily and I can attest to the fact that there is nothing better than a box of very fresh chichi dango. If anyone finds themselves in Honolulu sometime, Nisshodo is definitely a great place to stop by.

Don't be fooled by the not-so-welcoming storefront. This is where they make the mochi; they don't actually have their own actual store, but they do sell it out of here, as well as in local grocery and convenience stores. Walk inside and you will be amazed.

Box of Assorted Mochi

Chichi Dango

Shelves of Mochi

Making Mochi