手紙

たけしくんへ、
おひさしぶりです。たけしくんはおげんきですか。私はげんきです。私の大学のせいかつはいそがしいですが、とてもたのしいです。高校より大学の方でおもしろいことがたくさんあります。でもプリンストンは小さいまちなので、ときどきつまらないです。
たけしくんは今ロンドンでべんきょうしますね。ロンドンとペキンと、どちらの方が好きですか。ロンドンでよく何をしますか。ロンドンでかいものとしょくじが高いので、アルバイトをしますか。そして、まだ中国語をべんきょうしますか。
高校のそつぎょうからあっていませんがたけしくんはいつペキンにかえりますか。私は毎年のなつにペキンにいますよ。たけしくんもかえって、もういちどいっしょにボーリングにいきませんか。
では、ロンドンのみんなによろしく。
王舒月

健君へ、
お久しぶりです。健君はお元気ですか。私は元気です。私の大学の生活は忙しいですが、とても楽しいです。高校より大学の方で面白い事がたくさんあります。でもプリンストンは小さい町なので、時々つまらないです。
健君は今ロンドンで勉強していますね。ロンドンとペキンと、どちらの方が好きですか。ロンドンでよく何をしますか。ロンドンで買い物と食事が高いので、アルバイトをしますか。そして、まだ中国語を勉強していますか。
高校の卒業から会っていませんが健君いつペキンに帰りますか。私は毎年の夏にペキンにいますよ。健君も帰って、もう一度一緒にボーリングに行きませんか。
では、ロンドンのみんなによろしく。
王舒月

カラオケが大好き！

ルムメートの明日美ちゃんと一緒にカラオケにいく時に、明日美ちゃんは毎回この歌を歌います。歌詞（lyrics）がはやいなので、あたしは歌えませんが、この歌が大好きです。

歌の名前は“どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう”です。英語で"I wonder why I fell in love with you"といいます。バンドは東方神起です。韓国のバンドですが、日本語でよく歌いました。このバンドはもうたくさん変わりました。さいしょは五人がいましたが、今は二人がいます。それでも、今もいいバンドですよ。

東方神起

ひらがなで：とうほうしんき

えいごで：DBSK/TVXQ

一緒に＝いっしょに
時＝とき (time/when)
毎回＝まいかい (every time)
歌＝うた
歌詞＝かし (lyrics)

メキシコ！The End!

あたしは  おそいね…ごめんなさい！メキシコのりょこうの最後のブログです。きれいな写真がたくさんありますよ！

Sorry this is so late! (>_<) It's hard to write about a trip that is so old... Anyway, after Oaxaca, we took the night bus back to Mexico City, and that's where we spent our last few days. Our hostel was right next to the Zocalo, so the first thing we saw in the morning while looking for the hostel was this:

The Zocalo with a view on the Cathedral.

Background: The National Palace.

What are these weird, colorful animals?
We're not sure either, but it has to do with the Day of the Dead...

The hostel's location was perfect to visit the Cathedral and the National Palace (part of which is now a museum), so that's what we did first.

Inside the Cathedral

Inside the National Palace.

Then we headed to the Templo Mayor – a compound of ruins right in the middle of the city.

One of the patios within the Templo Mayor. See the rows of skulls on that wall?
Background: the Cathedral.

This painted bas-relief of the dismenbered goddess of the moon is
one of the most famous findings in Templo Mayor. (Reproduction)

 The rest of the day we spent walking around the old center of Mexico City. We mostly walked along the main streets... Got some delicious ice cream, and found a few gems...

Mexico City's Art Museum.

Day of the Dead Art. Chalk on whatever-the-ground-was-made-of.

Unique bench!

それから、つぎの日に、バスでTeotihuacanにいきました。Teotihuacanはメキシコシティのちかくにあります。It is a huge Aztec compound, with three famous temples: the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun. It's a trek to go from the first (at one end of the straight road that runs through the linearly arranged compound) to the last (at the other end), but it was worth it. It was a beautiful day, too.

Inner façade of the Temple of Feathered Serpents. Heads of feathered serpents alternating with
Tlaloc heads (four-eyed, snake-like god). We can see the bodies of the serpents in bas-relief.

Pyramid of the Moon.

The view from the Pyramid of the Moon (but a fraction of the whole complex).

Pyramid of the Sun.
(Huge building – the biggest of the three, but somehow not as interesting.)

Finally, we spent our last day in Mexico visiting just one museum in Mexico City: the National Museum of Anthropology. This museum is so worth the money, the time, and the energy!! I could have spent at least two days in there... There's just too much to show, but just a few highlights for me:

メキシコのネティブの文化はきれいですが、すこしこわいですね…　

最後＝さいご (last)

文化＝ぶんか (culture)

Time flies! (Third Cycle Goal Statement)

It's already the end of the Second Cycle??　速かった！速すぎる！ I didn't see time go at all...?

Reflection on the Second Cycle of Pronunciation Exercises:

I went to the Japanese language table at least once a week every week, except this week (I've been busy for several reasons – actually I don't think I ate dinner in the dining hall more than once this week). I also watched some anime but not much. However, I watched a lot of Japanese movies instead. I also completely failed at doing "official" shadowing. Overall, this cycle hasn't been as successful as the last in terms of doing what I planned to do. But I got a lot of practice during Thanksgiving break because I hung out with my roommate and other JSA members (EASの大学院生とJSAのメンバーとカラオケにいって六時間ぐらい歌って初めでしりとりをしました)。I think I improved a lot, especially in terms of fulfilling my goal – speaking faster and more naturally.

Third Cycle of Pronunciation Exercises:

My goal for the rest of the semester will be to stop randomly changing from one level of speech to another. I want to reduce the (very frequent) awkward moments when I realize I've been using informal speech with a teacher or formal speech with my friends. Because this is also relevant to Korean, it is a very important exercise. What I do all the time, especially, is answering うん instead of はい or いいえ. (Although at least it seems that's not that bad in Japanese. It seems to be a bit weird in Korean.)

In terms of concrete activities, I think I will repeat my goals from last time: shadowing (hopefully I will have more time to do it this time), going to Japanese language table and talking more there, and using Japanese with my friends. I will try to watch more anime/movies because those are very useful to understand when to use formal/informal speech.