AGU in America 2006

Hiromi (m)'s visit to Maryland

2008-03-25T11:14:00.002-04:00

I had the great pleasure of seeing Hiromi Satoh here at the University of Maryland yesterday. "Hiro" (as I always think of him, to distinguish him from the other Hiromi Sato) has been attending a three-week program at Fordham University outside New York City, and before returning to Japan for the new semester, he scheduled visits to Maryland and Washington state. In Maryland, he was hosted by Ji Won, former mentor extraordinaire. After a very long day of classes and meetings, I met them at the coffee shop at Stamp Union. Laura, Shania (one of our "unofficial mentors" from 2007) and two other UM students were also there. It was lovely to see everyone and to chat at some length with Hiro in English (he spoke very well!!). This was my first opportunity to see a former AGU in America participant face-to-face, and I really enjoyed it.

Meanwhile I have been keeping touch with several AGUers on Facebook, where we have a group "AGU in America" with seventeen members, including mentors, participants from 2006 and 2007, and even two former participants from 1994 and 1995 who happened to come upon the group in Facebook and joined it! (Back then, I was not involved with the program, but Aoyama Gakuin did send groups to MEI for several summers.) If you are a member of Facebook, do join us; if you aren't a member, registration is free.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-26T11:07:00.001-05:00

This tree is at the Hillwood Museum and Gardens in Washington, DC, where I went recently to enjoy the Russian Winter Festival.

Stay connected with Google Groups and an online reunion!

2006-08-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

While it isn't always convenient to check 22 blogs for new posts, you can stay connected with your AGU in America classmates, mentors, and teachers through our Google Group. Sign up for the group at http://groups.google.com/group/agu2006.

Also, mark your calendars for our first AGU in America Online Text Chat Reunion, which will be held at Tapped In (http://tappedin.org/) on Thursday, September 14, at 1 pm GMT (I think that's 10:00 pm Tokyo time). See you there!

Do you remember when I posted a picture of Black-eyed Susans, the Maryland state flower? Here's a picture I took of the Black-eyed Susans in my own front yard:

Sweet Sorrow

2006-08-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet: "Parting is such sweet sorrow." Indeed, it was a sweet sorrow to see the group off at the airport on Wednesday, exactly two weeks (or a lifetime?) after they arrived. On August 2, we went there knowing only their names. Now, we knew their faces, their thoughts, their love of fun (and shopping), and much more. How sad we were to see them go!

Laura and Tim met the group at the Quality Inn and rode in the vans with them to the airport, where Ji Won, Kevin, and I went separately. We stood on a long, slow line to check the luggage in, and then Ji Won generously treated everyone in the group to coffee. We drank our coffee, talked, sang, took pictures, cried, and hugged until it was time for them to go through security. We five stood and waved as each AGUer, with Tatsuya Uchida bringing up the rear, passed through the security checkpoint and into the restricted area. We continued waving until we had lost sight of the very last person. Even then, we stood around and talked about what an amazing experience these two weeks had been for all of us. "It was the best part of my summer," Tim said, and I do not think anyone disagreed.

After we went with Kevin to the United Airlines counter, we went to the parking lot. Ji Won had his car, and I took Tim and Laura back to the Quality Inn. Then I went to MEI to finish some paperwork. It felt strange to walk on campus, knowing that "my kids" were gone. I kept imagining I was seeing them!

When I awoke this morning, I checked the ANA website and found that the plane had landed safely at Narita Airport. As I write this, it's about 1 p.m. on Thursday, so that means it is 2 a.m. on Friday in Japan. I imagine they are all sound asleep in their own beds.

Now that "AGU in America" is no longer in America, it seems appropriate to end the blog and to recommence with a new way of keeping the group united and in touch. I am going to investigate GoogleGroups and YahooGroups and will let everyone know how to register for an "AGU in America 2006" group. I hope that the students will continue to post to their blogs as a way to practice writing in English (including pictures and slideshows!). I still plan to add a few pictures or slideshows and perhaps a few links to the sights we saw, so I hope people will not stop checking the blog just yet! However, I think this particular blog should come to an end with this post. I have really enjoyed doing it!

PS I will set a date for our first intercontinental chat around the middle of September. Watch your email for details!

Farewell Ceremony

2006-08-17T08:55:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, the last day of the program, many of the students wrote very touching posts, saying how much they had learned and enjoyed themselves during the past two weeks. It made me very happy to read them, and sad too, of course, to think that the program was coming to an end.

In Kevin's class, they learned a song which he had written and set to the music of a popular Japanese song (What is the name of the song?). The song goes,

We came from Tokyo;
Our flight was long and slow,
But finally we arrived here in Maryland.
The weather was hot;
Go swimming we did not.
We didn't have enough time for that!

We had a lot of fun on trips to Washington.
We went to the top of the Washington Monument.
We saw memorials, but no Baltimore Orioles;
Then we went back to the Quality Inn.

We went to Mt. Vernon,
George Washington's home;
On the way back, we fell asleep on the boat.

We wrote a lot in our blogs
And talked about Sponge Bob.
We ate pasta in a Georgetown restaurant.
We went to the Fair;
We saw pig races there.
Some of us sang karaoke, too.

We ate lunch in the Student Union
And missed our Japanese food.
We saw the Prange Collection of publications.
We touched the turtle and saw free concerts.
All this we did in two weeks!

We took a tour of the Washington Post.
We used a coin laundry to wash all our clothes.

We came from Aoyama to U of Maryland.
We hope that we will come again.
It's never "goodbye";
It's always "see you soon."
So see you soon, see you soon.

The Farewell Ceremony took place in the afternoon in the Prince George's Room, in Stamp Union. We were late getting started because we couldn't get Kevin's and Ji Won's slideshows set up quickly enough. Of course, all the Japanese were on time and had to wait outside! I felt bad about that. But finally, at 2:30, we opened the doors and everyone came in. Marsha, Linda, Tatsuya, and I all said "a few words". Then we enjoyed the wonderful slideshows. As I watched, I remembered all the fun things we had done: the Mall, the memorials, the Washington Monument, the Old Post Office, the museums, the Washington Post, the family panel, the photo scavenger hunt on Diversity Day, the student panel, the Prange Collection, Annapolis, Mount Vernon, and the Fair. All passed before our eyes so quickly. In almost every picture, the students' smiling faces expressed their pleasure. It was a joy for me to watch. (Then there were the funny faces they made when they were fooling around, and the peaceful expressions they wore when they went to sleep on the metro or boat!) Kevin made a copy of his slideshows for everyone, and Ji Won is putting his on his website for us all to enjoy again and again. I enjoyed them so much that I completely forgot to award the certificates. Fortunately, Uchida-san reminded me!

After the slideshows, we had refreshments: a cake which no one saw because of the late start and the necessity of cutting it during the slideshows (but I took a picture of it!), cookies, fruit, coffee, and tea. Amy Wasserstrom and Eiko Sakaguchi from the Prange Collection were there, as well as Yukari, and Michael, Aleshia and Forrest from the student panel. The room was buzzing with English and Japanese conversation. And then the picture-taking started! We overstayed our time and no one wanted to leave until Ji Won finally took the microphone and enjoined the students to return to the Quality Inn "to have fun." And they did: they played basketball, and they went out for a final dinner at AppleBee's. And from the look of them the following morning at the airport, they must have stayed up very late packing their suitcases for the journey home.

Here are my pictures from the Farewell Ceremony:

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Kevin's class

2006-08-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

County Fair

2006-08-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

It was another beautiful day, although a little warmer, but with a beautiful fresh breeze.

This afternoon we took the group to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland (where I live). Unfortunately, it took us a really long time to get to the fair on the metro and bus. When we arrived at 5:00, most of the students were already pretty tired. Half of them needed to go back to the hotel at 7:30, but the other half ("the intrepids") went out for karaoke with the mentors!

We split into groups at the fair. Some of us watched the pig races (and some ducks, too). We saw the baby animals at "Old MacDonald's Farm", rabbits, cows, and horses.... We walked through the carnival, but nobody went on a ride; but Yuiko told me she took a pony ride!! Some people ate "fair food".

The Fair was swarming with people of all ages, shapes, sizes and ages. I hope the students used the opportunity to observe Americans!

Afterwards, Kevin escorted the tired ones back to the Green Line; Ji Won, Laura, and Tim took the intrepids for karaoke; and I walked down Chestnut Street to West Diamond, where my husband picked me up. The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower to wash off all the dust and dirt from the Fair!

Still, I enjoyed the Fair, as I always do.

AGU in America had more than just field trips...

2006-08-14T13:38:00.000-04:00

We also had classes!

Mount Vernon

2006-08-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

Today, Sunday, was our field trip to Mount Vernon. It was another spectacular day, weather-wise: sunny and in the mid 80s with low humidity. :-) The day almost got off to a bad start because we nearly missed the boat (my fault! I misread the Dash About shuttle bus schedule), but to make a long story short, we didn't. The boat ride down the Potomac to Mount Vernon was very pretty, although the boat wasn't as nice as the one we took yesterday in Annapolis.

When we got to Mount Vernon everyone was hungry (it was after noon), so we first went to the new food court and had lunch. I had a black bean burger and a berry cup. Two of the girls split a gigantic hot dog. Someone else had pizza, and several had wraps. Then we got stuck in the gift shop, which was very big and had lots of interesting items. When we finally extricated ourselves from there, we went through George Washington's mansion. I don't think many of the students could understand the interpreters' explanations, but I think everyone enjoyed sitting out back looking at that spectacular river view afterwards! Laura, Kevin, Ji Won and several of the students amused themselves with Mad Libs.

On the boat trip back to Alexandria, almost everyone fell asleep.

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I felt sure they would want to return to College Park, but the entire group decided to stay on and explore Alexandria instead! I guess they had gotten their second wind. I left them to their explorations and went home to celebrate Vicki's 14th birthday.

Suddenly the end seems very near. Although it has been hectic, I am going to miss them when they leave! :-(

Annapolis

2006-08-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we had our field trip to Annapolis, the capital of Maryland (and former capital of the U.S., for nine months!). We had chartered a bus, which picked everyone up at the Quality Inn in the morning. The driver was very nice and dropped us off right in front of the State House, where I discovered another turtle (Maryland Mosaic--see slide show above). We had a short guided tour of the State House. The guide spoke slowly and clearly, and I think the students understood her pretty well. I learned some things I didn't know, such as that the swirly round markings on the floor are actual fossils!

Afterwards, we walked down Cornhill Street to the dock, where we all bought tickets for the Severn River cruise at 12:30. After buying the tickets, we had time to grab something to eat. I got a very nice crabcake sandwich at a deli on Main Street. Not cheap, but tasty!

The cruise up the Severn was delightful. The weather was spectacular. Many of the students congregated outside in the front of the boat where we could enjoy the fresh breeze as we passed some pretty impressive mansions on the shoreline. Nobu and Eriko both got a chance to pilot the boat!!!

After the cruise, which lasted an hour and a half, we had another hour and a half to explore Annapolis or eat more. I got a delicious mango smoothie (Yum) and drank it while I visited the new Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley memorial.

Most of the students slept most of the way home, but when they arrived back at the QI, they headed right back out to Georgetown with Ji Won and Laura to shop some more. When it comes to shopping, they are indefatigable! I went home and cooked for two straight hours. It had been a long time since I had prepared any food!

A Visit to the Prange Collection

2006-08-12T08:48:00.000-04:00

On Friday, we divided the students into two groups after lunch for a visit to the Gordon W. Prange Collection, "the most comprehensive collection in the world of print publications issued in Japan during the immediate post-World War II years, 1945-1949." Professor Prange, a UM professor who served as General MacArthur's chief of historical staff, arranged for copies of newspapers, books, magazines, photographs, posters, and maps published in Japan during the occupation to be archived at UM. The collection is unique in the world, and Japanese scholars often come to College Park to conduct research there.

Eiko Sakaguchi, the curator of the collection, and Amy Wasserstrom, the manager of the collection, were kind enough to give us two hours of their time. The students saw a video and were conducted through the stacks, where they marveled over 50-year-old manga, children's books, movie magazines and other items. Dr. Sakaguchi also spoke to the students in small groups. Laura worked for the Collection up to the day before AGU in America began, so she met us there, and Ji Won and Tim also joined us later. Professor Uchida and Yukari F. rounded out our group. It was a very special experience!

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After a walk over to the Robert H. Smith School of Business (the B-School) looking for some more of the Fifty Nifty Turtles, I left the group with the mentors to take a short rest before they set out to take Georgetown by storm. They are great shoppers!

Education Day

2006-08-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

Last night, seven of the students went to Wheaton for karaoke with Laura, Ji Won, and a couple of Ji Won's friends, after dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl. They must have gotten home quite late, but they were all in their seats at 9:00 sharp this morning. What a super group! :-)

This afternoon's special activity was a panel discussion on student life in the U.S. and at Maryland in particular. I had a really difficult time finding panelists for this because so few students are around now, but in the end the six panelists who volunteered to come were terrific. They spoke about choosing and applying to schools, choosing a major, living on campus, campus clubs and other opportunities, working on campus, sports on campus, campus social life, academic requirements, and international student perspectives (Yukari F. talked about her experience as a Japanese graduate student here.). Some of the group did not understand very much, but that was to be expected as their listening comprehension is quite low, and one week is certainly not enough to change that very significantly!

After the panelists had all had their say, we served juice and cookies and it turned into a party! Besides the 5 native English speaking panelists, Kevin and the three mentors all came, so the ratio of Japanese speakers to English speakers was almost 2:1, and I was thrilled to see most of the students smiling and talking with the Americans. They seemed to be having a wonderful time, and instead of going until 3 as expected, the fun went on until almost 3:30!

Good news: after weeks of uncertainty, the State Department has confirmed a speaker for us! Veteran Foreign Service officer Peter Kovach will speak to the group about U.S. diplomacy by way of a videoconference on Monday morning. :-)

And...I ordered our tickets for the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair today! I made two posters from newspaper clippings about the Fair, but I couldn't really describe it well. It's something you just have to see!

Diversity Day

2006-08-09T22:50:00.000-04:00

This morning I showed you how to create a photo album using Bubbleshare and to add it to your blogs. I hope that when you return to Japan, you will make some albums from all the photos you are taking and post them so that I can see them! If you do that, please send me an email (or post a comment on the main blog, which amounts to the same thing) to alert me so that I will check your blog.

Kevin and I took most of the group to lunch at the Dairy today. I had a veggie wrap, which was good. Everyone had UM ice cream (yum!). I had Final Exam Cram (cappucino ice cream), but I wish I had had coffee chip instead. I like the Dairy!

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In the afternoon, we had our field trip to Chinatown, Adams-Morgan, and Shaw/U Street, three multi-cultural DC neighborhoods. We got a late start, but we finally got on the metro at about 2:30. At the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro station, we split into three groups for the Photo Scavenger Hunt. We had 40 minutes in Chinatown, and my group found everything except a Chinese street sign and a liquor store.

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Then we got back on the metro and went to Columbia Heights. From there, we had a fairly long walk down Columbia Road to Adams-Morgan. When we arrived at 18th Street and Columbia Road, everyone was tired and hot, so we went to Tryst, an unusual coffee house, to have coffee or tea and rest a bit before continuing. I was very thirsty, so I really enjoyed my ice-cold blended capuccino! Afterwards I went out with Eriko and Rikko and we managed to collect a lot of the photos for Adams-Morgan, but I am not sure the other 2 groups took any pictures there (they were enjoying the rest too much!).

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After that, we walked to U Street, which was another long walk. We didn't arrive at our meeting place, Cafe Nema, until 7 p.m.! At that point, most of the group was too tired to continue, so Tim escorted them back to College Park. Ji Won and Laura stayed to have dinner with about 6 students at Ben's Chili Bowl, and Kevin and I went home. I got home at 8:00! It's now 11:00 and I am going to bed!

Lone picture from the U Street/Shaw Photo Scavenger Hunt: A Civil War Memorial

American Family Day

2006-08-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

Today, August 8, was American Family Day. We all gathered in the multimedia center and the AGU in America team showed pictures and talked about their families. The group got to hear about families of different backgrounds, religions, and styles. Laura and Ji Won's families immigrated more recently than Nina, Kevin, and Tim's families, retaining more of their original culture. Nina's family is characterized by a lot of "mixed" marriages: interfaith, inter-racial, and intercultural. Nina's and Tim's families are very spread out, with different people living in different states, and half of Ji Won's family still lives in Korea. Kevin's family is really small, without a large extended family like Nina's or Laura's. Ji Won has a lot of close friends that he considers to be like family.

The students wanted to know if our families ate together (some of us), who pays for a wedding (it varies, but traditionally it's the bride's family), and whether our parents both worked outside of the home. We also had many questions for them about Japanese families.

Afterwards, everyone except me went to Pentagon City Mall to "shop till they drop"! What did you think of the mall? Did you buy anything? Where did you eat?

Media Day

2006-08-08T05:31:00.000-04:00

On Monday, August 7, AGU in America had a half-day field trip to Washington, D.C. It was another hot day, although not as bad as last week. We met at the College Park Metro Station at 1:15. As usual, everyone in the group was on time (only Tim and Ji Won were late!). Professor Uchida accompanied us.

We changed to the Red Line at Fort Totten. The air-conditioning in the metro car was not working very well, and by the time we arrived at our destination (Farragut North), everyone was very hot. Some of the group went to Caribou Coffee to cool off, and the others went to the National Geographic Museum at 17th and M Streets N.W. It was wonderfully cool inside, and they gave everybody a nice paper fan. We saw the crusader castle exhibit and the soccer photographs. It was so hot that nobody wanted to go outside to look at the pictures by Reza around the exterior of the building, but several people did some shopping in the small store!

At 2:45, we all met and walked to 1150 15th St. N.W., where the headquarters of the Washington Post are located. Our guide, Carrie, showed us a short movie about the Post, its history, and how it is produced. Kevin showed this movie in class this morning, too! After that, we visited the immense News Room and learned about the different sections of the newspaper and what they contain, e.g., the A (front) section, Metro, Style, Sports, Business, etc. It was pretty interesting, and several AGUers asked good questions. I think some of them are gaining confidence in their English. :-)

At 4:00, I went home, but the group stayed in DC to explore the downtown area around Lafayette Square. They got back to College Park at 7 p.m., too exhausted to watch All the President's Men, a movie about the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, in which the Post played an important role.

Memorials and a Monument

2006-08-05T21:49:00.000-04:00

Today, Saturday August 5, we had our first major field trip, to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. We met in the hotel lobby, walked to the metro station, and took the metro to Foggy Bottom, where George Washington University is located. It was quite a long walk from the metro station to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, our first destination. After visiting the Wall, the Three Servicemen Statue, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, we went next to the Lincoln Memorial. There were so many steps up to the top, but everybody made it. The weather was sunny and clear, hot in the sun but not too humid, with a nice breeze, and the views of the Mall were great. Everyone took lots of pictures. Then wewent to the Korean Veterans Memorial, and by the time we had seen that it was noon and everyone was tired and hungry, so I decided to skip the FDR and Jefferson Memorials, and we went directly to the Old Post Office Pavilion for lunch, visiting the World War II Memorial on our way. It was a pretty long walk to Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, but I think it was worth the trek. The OPOP had a great food court, live music (jazz again!) and some stores to browse in. We stayed there about two hours, eating and resting in the air-conditioning. The only unfortunate thing was that we couldn't visit the tower because the elevator power was out. :-( Ji Won entertained everyone with card tricks.

At 2:45, we walked back to the Mall to await our turn at the Washington Monument. We had tickets for 3:30. When I decided to go there, back in May, I assumed that it would be hazy, hot, and humid, and that the visibility would be poor, but the weather was perfect: it was so clear that we could see 35 miles from the top of the Monument!

After we came down again, the majority of the students opted to go back to College Park and relax, but three intrepid young women (Miki, Mimaki, and Eriko) chose to visit the National Museum of American History instead! I sent the mentors home with the rest of the group, and together we four saw several very interesting exhibits. After that, we took the metro back to College Park. We were really tired!

Here is a sampling of pictures from our trip, courtesy of Ji Won Moon:

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Jazz in the Garden

2006-08-05T06:45:00.000-04:00

On Friday, August 4, our first optional activity was a trip to Washington, DC to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, where there was a free jazz concert. The students had their first ride on the metro and got their first view of Washington, DC. They saw the Navy Memorial, the National Archives, the NGA and Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Gardens, and the National Mall.

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AGUers Join the Blogosphere

2006-08-05T06:40:00.000-04:00

On Friday, August 4, all twenty AGUers created their first English language blogs! (For most of them, it was their first blog in any language.) After creating their blogs, they began to work on their first post, describing their trip here (the salient details for many were the 14-hour duration of the flight from Japan and the pleasure of watching lots of movies). Most of the students succeeded in publishing at least a short post on their first day as bloggers. :-) Links to their blogs are in the sidebar; as of this writing, 14 of the links are functioning properly.

Later, almost everybody went to the National Gallery Sculpture Garden for live jazz and art. It was a beautiful evening, a little cooler than the past few days (when the temperatures reached 100 degrees). They also visited the Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden and got their first look at the National Mall.

First day in class

2006-08-05T06:36:00.000-04:00

Everyone was on time for class on Thursday, August 3. AGU Dean Tsuchiyama joined Marsha Sprague (Director of MEI), Linda Sahin (Assistant Director of MEI and AGU in America Program Director) and the AGU in America team to welcome the group to MEI and the University of Maryland.

First Dinner in America

2006-08-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

Some of the group went to Noodles and Co. for penne on Wednesday evening.

Finally--Arrival!

2006-08-02T21:15:00.000-04:00

When I woke up this morning, I immediately turned on my computer and checked ANA's website, only to find that Flight 2 would be four hours late! I called Kevin and the mentors and set a new meeting time, but I couldn't go back to sleep.

Ji Won, Laura, and Tim met me at MEI at 1:15 and I drove them to the airport, where Kevin met us. The plane came in at 2:44 p.m. and about an hour later, a group of very tired-looking students and one professor emerged from the International Arrivals room. Everyone looked pretty happy to be off that airplane and at their destination at last! But we still had to get people into the Blue Vans for the long drive to College Park. We all got to the Quality Inn at about 5:30. We got the group checked in, handed out keys, folders, and hospitality bags, and helped them find their rooms. I hope they will get a good night's rest, but it can be hard to sleep when your body thinks it's daytime.

After four months of planning, I can't believe the group is finally here and the program is starting tomorrow! :-)

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Heat Wave Coming -- and Bon Voyage!

2006-07-31T18:50:00.000-04:00

Just in time for your arrival in the DC area, we are expecting temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 39 degrees Celsius) over the next few days. Inside it will be cool, but outside, it will be scorching! Be prepared.

Remember to refer to July 12's post on changing time zones: it has some advice about minimizing the effects of jet lag.

I want to wish you all a very nice flight. See you VERY SOON!

What Should I Wear?

2006-07-25T19:02:00.000-04:00

Americans, especially college students, tend to dress quite casually. You won't need to bring fancy clothes to Maryland. Since it will be hot, you will probably want to wear shorts or very light slacks, or casual dresses or skirts in cool fabrics, such as cotton. The only time you may want to dress up a little bit is for our closing reception on August 14. Still, even for that, men need not have jackets and ties, and women could still dress fairly informally. You may want a light sweater or jacket because it can be quite cold indoors due to the air-conditioning.

If you like to swim, you should definitely bring your swimsuit, and a coverup to wear while walking from your hotel room to the pool. You may want a hat to shield yourself from the sun. You can bring sunblock or buy it here. There is a weight room in the hotel too, so if you plan to work out there, bring appropriate clothing.

It could rain any day, so don't forget a folding umbrella.

Bring comfortable shoes (athletic shoes are fine)--we'll be walking a lot on our various field trips! For around campus, sandals or flipflops are cool and comfortable. Remember, Americans wear the same shoes indoors and out!

There is a public laundromat just up the street from your hotel, so you will be able to wash your clothes while you are here.

If you have any questions about what to bring, just leave a comment here.

Maryland's Sister State

2006-07-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

While surfing the web this morning, I discovered that Maryland has a sister state in Japan: Kanagawa Prefecture. Did you know this? I didn't! I am learning something new every day while preparing your program!

Our weather here is beautiful again. On my outside thermometer, it is 89 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius), and the humidity is low. However, according to the weather forecast, the heat and humidity will be back tomorrow. :-(

Here is a photo of Holzapfel Hall, where the Maryland English Institute offices and classrooms are. The front of the building faces McKeldin Mall, a broad expanse of green bisected by the ODK fountain, which you can see behind the turtle in the second picture in my previous post, Mentors and Turtles. (Click on "May" in the Archives (sidebar) to access the post.)

I am always very pleased when one of you leaves a comment on the blog. I have now heard from Yuiko, Maiko, Seri, Ryo, Mimaki, and Fuminori. I hope the rest of you will post a message before you leave for Maryland next week!

Cultural Imports

2006-07-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

American culture has had a lot of influence around the world. MacDonald's and Coca-Cola, American movies, and American popular music are just some of the many American cultural exports. We are used to exporting our culture to other countries.

Nevertheless, we have recently seen a large influx of cultural imports from Japan. Karaoke, sushi, anime and manga seem to be everywhere. My husband and I have started doing (or trying to do) the daily sudoku puzzles in the Washington Post. (We are not very good, although he is much better than I am!) Our almost-14-year-old daughter, Vicki, is a devotee of Sailor Moon, Sailor Stars, and Inuyasha. It's amazing to me to hear her singing along in Japanese to her Sailor Moon videos! She watches some of them in Japanese and has learned a few Japanese words from the captions. When I give her something, she now says, "Arigato!"

A Visit to the National Geographic Museum

2006-07-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

Today I went to the headquarters of National Geographic with my husband and daughter. (AGU in America will be going there on August 7!) My husband wanted to see the model of a crusader castle which is on display there. It was awesome! We also enjoyed two photography exhibits. This picture of a Turkish dervish is part of a marvelous outdoor exhibit of the photographs of Reza, an Iranian-born National Geographic photographer.

I discovered that the first language other than English in which the National Geographic was published was Japanese. Did you know that?

Black-eyed Susans

2006-07-20T07:01:00.000-04:00

Each state in the Union has an official state flower. Maryland's state flower is the Black-eyed Susan, or rudbeckia. It's like a yellow daisy with a dark center. Black-eyed Susans grow wild here, and many people also plant them in their yards. My Black-eyed Susans are blooming like crazy now!

Changing Time Zones and Jet Lag

2006-07-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

When you travel from Asia to America, you find yourself on a different day and at a different hour. The clock on this blog shows you the time it is here. During the summer in Maryland, we are on Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4). How many hours' difference are there between EDT and Tokyo time?

Jet lag is the name for the disrupted sleep patterns and feelings of tiredness, irritation, and disorientation which can affect international travelers. Since you have only two weeks to spend in the U.S., you will want to avoid the effects of jet lag as much as possible. Here are some tips:

On the plane:

o Set your watch to EDT as soon as you board.

o Drink lots of water (not alcohol!)

o Sleep if you can. Consider using earplugs, a neck support pillow, or an eyemask, but avoid using sleeping pills on the plane.

o Walk around the plane as much as possible.

When you arrive:

o Immediately start eating and sleeping according to the new time zone.

o Exercising in the early morning and late afternoon may help re-synchronize your internal clock.

Source: DeAnne Musolf Crouch, “Beating Jet Lag: Travel Tips” http://gorp.away.com/gorp/travel/skills/jet_lag2.htm

Beautiful Weather

2006-07-09T21:56:00.000-04:00

Washington summers are famous for being "hazy, hot, and humid," but so far this summer, the weather has been wonderful (except for all that rain we had). This weekend has been particularly lovely: temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very comfortable, and low humidity. I love to sit outside on my deck and read. What's the weather like in Tokyo?

Even though the weather is pleasant here now, don't count on it being so nice when you are here in August. You should come prepared for very hot, humid weather. However, buildings, buses, and the metro are air-conditioned and can be quite cold, so you will need a sweater for inside wear. Don't forget a folding umbrella, because we often have thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening.

I took this picture of the red begonia "M" on the University of Maryland campus. It's in the center of a traffic circle, just down the street from Holzapfel Hall, where our classes will meet. It faces the campus Main Gate on Route One (Baltimore Avenue), where your hotel is located. Cheer the Turtle!

Happy Fourth of July!

2006-07-04T17:57:00.000-04:00

Today is Independence Day, aka the Fourth of July. On the street where I live, neighborhood parents and kids got together for a little parade, complete with red, white, and blue decorations, "tattoos," streamers, leis and even doughnuts. The kids were so cute! I wish you could have seen them. Here are a few snapshots to give you an idea of what it all looked like. Click on any picture to enlarge it. (You can see my house in the background of the second picture.)

Like many other Americans, we will celebrate the Fourth of July with a cookout at some friends' home. Afterwards, we will watch the local fireworks display. You can watch some fireworks too, by clicking on the Fourth of July link in the sidebar!

Thanks to my neighbor, JoAnn Schimke, for sharing her photos.

Rain

2006-06-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

We are having some very unusual weather this summer in the Washington area. It has been raining "cats and dogs", as we say, for several days. Traffic has been affected and even some government buildings are closed temporarily due to flooding! This will be over by the time you come, but it has reminded me to tell you a couple of things:

Our weather in August is generally hot and humid without much rain, but there are sometimes thunderstorms in the late afternoon or evening. We will be walking a lot, so you should bring an umbrella, just in case. (You can also use the umbrella to shield you from the hot Washington sun.)

Your hotel has a small swimming pool, so you should also bring a swimsuit!

Speaking to you from Maryland

2006-06-22T18:28:00.000-04:00

Museum Day

2006-06-06T18:34:00.000-04:00

Sunday, August 6 will be "Museum Day" in the program we are planning for you. We are going to escort you to two of Washington's most interesting and popular museums: the National Museum of the American Indian (Washington's newest museum) and the National Air and Space Museum (the most visited museum in the world!). I think you will enjoy both these unusual and fascinating museums. To get an idea of what you may see when we go, you can access their websites from the links in the sidebar.

Mentors and Turtles

2006-05-25T14:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I met with Laura, Ji Won, and Tim, all together for the first time. We went over the schedule draft and they had lots of good ideas. We are all looking forward to working on the program together.

While I was there, I took some pictures of the decorated turtles which appeared all around campus this spring to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the university's charter. Here are a few of them:

Perhaps you are wondering, "Why turtles?" The Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is the official state reptile of Maryland and the official mascot of the University of Maryland. All of the university's sports teams are called Terrapins ("Terps" for short), and our slogan is "Fear the Turtle" (or sometimes, "Cheer the Turtle!"). Click on the Fear the Turtle link in the sidebar to find out more. The Fear the Turtle Sculptures link will enable you to see the turtles I photographed here as well as many others.

Hello Japan! from Maryland

2006-05-18T07:43:00.000-04:00

The AGU in America 2006 team:

Nina Liakos, Teacher/Coordinator: "I am really looking forward to meeting you on August 2. I hope the program we are preparing will be interesting, educational, and fun for you!"

Kevin McCaughey, Lecturer (here pictured with friends in Ukraine): “Hi, everybody. I'm in California right now, already getting ideas for the program in August. I'm excited about working with Japanese students. I really enjoy their energy and positivity.”

Tim Daniel, Mentor, in Honshu, Japan in 2005: "Hi, everyone! I'm excited to be a student mentor for the "AGU in America" program. I've never been to Aoyama Gakuin University, but I studied at Kobe University for a year and traveled all over Japan. I like sports (especially baseball), languages, drawing, and reading. See you in August!"

Laura Jacob, Mentor, at UM: "Hi! I am Laura, one of the mentors, and I am looking forward to making this a great program!"

Ji Won Moon, Mentor: "Greetings all! My name is Ji Won and I am honored to serve as a student mentor for all of you. I am very much looking forward to meeting you and getting to know you in the future, and let us make this program one of the most enjoyable and unforgettable moments in life!"

The team is complete!

2006-05-12T12:41:00.000-04:00

Tim Daniel and Ji Won Moon have accepted offers to be
student mentors, along with Laura Jacob. I am very excited
about working together with these bright, enthusiastic young
people on what is shaping up to be a really fun program! The
next step is to set up a face to face meeting with all three
mentors and Linda. I would like to share our draft schedule
with them and get their ideas. Now that the spring semester
is over, I have to get to work on finalizing the details for
classes, speakers, panels, field trips, and activities!

Student mentors again!

2006-05-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

We have been interviewing prospective student mentors this week, and I am really impressed by the applicants we have spoken with. All of them are bright, eager, and talented.

More student mentors

2006-05-03T15:23:00.000-04:00

We have suddenly been inundated with applications for the remaining student mentor positions! Linda and I will be interviewing all the candidates over the next week and hope to complete the team by May 10.

Laura Jacob joins the team

2006-04-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

We have hired undergraduate Laura Jacob as our first Student Mentor! I did not get to meet Laura when she came for her interview on Thursday, but Linda and Aaron (who stood in for me) were both really impressed. I am looking forward to meeting her soon.

On another front, I am investigating the possibility of a tour of the Washington Post. I think that will be really interesting!

It's a "go"!

2006-04-26T09:04:00.000-04:00

AGU has confirmed our program! There are exactly 20 students signed up (the maximum number). This is exciting news!

Linda and I will interview the first applicant for the Student Mentor positions tomorrow morning.

Welcome to Kevin!

2006-04-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

Linda emailed me yesterday to tell me that she had just hired the second lecturer for the AGU program. His name is Kevin McCaughey. I don't know anything about Kevin yet other than that he lives in California, but I have just emailed him and hope to Skype him very soon.

Other than tweaking the schedule a little bit, not much else has been done since my last post; we are waiting to hear if enough students are recruited for the program to happen. I am also quite busy finishing up the spring semester here at MEI.

First Planning Meeting

2006-04-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

I have accepted the position of coordinator/teacher for the 2006 Aoyama Gakuin University study tour at UM, August 2-16, 2006!

Although the program will not be confirmed until April 28, when AGU will know if they have enough participants, Linda Sahin (MEI Assistant Director) and I had our first planning meeting this morning. Linda had drafted a tentative (very full) schedule of classes, field trips, activities, and outings. I put in my two cents' worth. For one thing, I would like to transform the "cultural observation journal" into individual blogs where the students could keep a running record of what they do and see while they are here, as well as what they think about it. I also want to schedule an hour each day in the computer lab for the students to reflect on and write about their experiences (with language guidance from the teachers) and post them on their blogs. They will be able to upload their photos to their blogs, and their families and friends in Japan can keep tabs on what they are doing and seeing by visiting their blog every day.

The schedule Linda suggested looks great, with lots of variety (sightseeing, sports, arts, panel discussions...). We will use the afternoon and evening activities as content for the morning language classes: for example, before seeing the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the students could read or hear about these two U.S. presidents and the memorials themselves. I think that the students will already know a lot of grammar; what they will want to do here is to increase their vocabulary through exposure to content, and to improve their ability to speak and understand spoken English.

There will be a second teacher hired as well as three "mentors," UM undergraduate students who will accompany the group on field trips and outings and participate in activities with them. My job as coordinator will be to make the necessary contacts, find panel participants and outside speakers, and nail down the specifics. I think it should be fun (as well as a lot of work!).