From America_Report_on Pleasant Hill High School_Feb.27_2016

Here comes the brand new report from Oregon, America on school life at Pleasant Hill High School.  Yes, Ellie Goto, a senior 1st grader, joining this school for a whole year, has updated her report on her life in USA.  The world is so huge that students who are in New Zealand and Australia feel their seasons changing into autumn, on the other hand, in Oregon, Ellie feels spring is approaching.

Hi guys!  How's it going there?  In Oregon, it's getting warmer right now!  We can already feel like spring, so rainy days make me feel hard.

I would like to talk about seasons.  Now that spring sports are coming here, I am sort of sad because my cheer leading is done. Also I definetely wish to go back to football season!  Yes, I feel so down because such kinds of sports season is ending.  We don't have football games in Japan. Here in America, most people like football and baseball. We have been in basketball and wrestling season but those sports will be done soon.

Well, I had a big surprise last month! My parents and grandparents came here to Oregon from Japan!  My host family and my family had planned secretly and everyone except me knew and surprised me! When I came back from my cheer practice, I opened the door, and saw my parents taking a video. I really freaked out and cried a lot. Anyway, I stayed at a rental house with them for 5 days and made awesome memories. They also came and toured my school here in Pleasant Hill.  While they were here, we went to visit the University of Oregon and Lane Community College where they used to go. Then we visited the Campbell House the place where they were married. My parents were so shocked that many things had changed such as new buildings at University of Oregon. I'm so grateful to come here where my parents used to be and where they got married!

Now in my publication class, we are working on the pen pal with Otsuma Nakano.  My classmates have many various questions about Japan. There are a few of them who know a bit but most people don't. I try to tell them as much I can when they ask me, but I would love it if you guys who are going to do pen pal could tell them lots of things but not only about Otsuma Nakano.

I'm teaching Japanese to my friend, but it is so challenging:-( what he asks me always makes me consider about Japanese language. You know we really don't care what our sounds and what Japanese grammar is like. For instance what the difference is between "masu"and "desu" and so on. Sometimes I have to answer to their questions to say "I don't know…" but I'm enjoying doing it.

Have you ever felt like being glad when you visit somewhere? I usually feel like that, of course, my class teachers, friends and host family help me enjoy, but when I just happened to see the sky, I felt very blessed just seeing sky, stars, sunsets. I can’t explain how I am feeling in words, so I put those picture below, please feel Oregon as you can!

Best,

Ellie Goto

皆さんこんにちは！いかがお過ごしでしょうか？オレゴンでは段々と春の訪れを感じるほど暖かくなって来ています。

そして、スポーツも季節に合わせて変わります。今、チアリーディングが終わってしまったので少し寂しく、私が好きなフットボールは日本にはない為今年の夏にはとても恋しくなると思います。

そして先月、私の家族(両親と弟、祖父母も含め)がオレゴンに来るというビッグサプライズがありました。ホストファミリーも私以外全員知っていて、サプライズとして計画していたそうです。とてもびっくりしたと同時に、嬉しくもありました。家族とは両親が卒業したオレゴン大学とレーン短期大学に行ったり、結婚式を挙げた思い出の場所に行ったりもしました。長い時が経ったのですから驚くのも当然で、両親がここに来たから私も今こんな素敵なところにいる事が出来るのだと思うと、感謝せずにはいられません。

なんと今、私の取っているパブリケーションのクラスでは、クラスの生徒が大妻中野の生徒とペンパルをしています！多くの友達は日本のことをあまり知らないので、これを機にもっと身近に知ってもらえたら幸せです。私も色々なことを聞かれたりしますが、ペンパルをする予定の方達には是非楽しんで妻中の学校生活だけではなく、沢山のことを伝えてもらえればと思います。

私も友達に頼まれ日本語を教えていますが、とても説明する事が難しいです。「です」と「ます」の違いなどもその一例で、彼が質問する度にどう説明すればいいか、どう伝えればわかりやすいかをよく考えさせられます。時々「それは感覚かなぁ…」と言いたい時がありますが、それでもとても楽しいです。

貴方が色々な場所に訪れた時、「あぁ、来てよかったなぁ」と思ったことはありますか？私はそういうことが多々あり、もちろん友達や先生、ホストファミリーももちろんですが、たまにふと空を見上げると、本当に感動し「ここに来て良かったなぁ」と感じるのです。言葉では表せないので、下の写真で少しでもオレゴンを皆さんに感じてもらえると嬉しいです！

読んで下さりありがとうございました。