二十ねんごのわたし

二十ねんいわたしはとてもいそがしいせいかつがあります。わたしはさむいてんきがすきですから、わたしのうちがニューヨークにあります。

ニューヨークのふゆはほんとうにさむいですが、すきですよ！

わたしのうちはニューヨークのアパートです。おおきいです。そしてとてもひろいです。

このうちはわたしの「ideal」です。まどのそとはとてもきれいです。

ニューヨークのせいかつはいそかしいですが、たのしまちです。しずかじゃありません。

二十ねんごのわたしはかいしゃではたらきます。かんたんなしごとじゃありませんから、まいにちほんとうにおもしろいです。

わたしのじむしょうです。きれいなデザインがすきです！

そしてたのしいです。ごぜん８じからごご６じまではたらきます。６じにうちぇへかえります。

７じぐらいかぞくとばんごはんをたべます。

わたしはりょうりがじょうずですからよくかぞくとうちできょくじじます。

かんこくのりょうりと日本のりょうりがいちばんすきです。

かずおくは４人です。かおくのなかでしゅしんとむすめが２人います。かんぺきなかずくがあります！

まいにちいっしょにセントラルこうえんをさんぽします。そして１かげつに４かいみんあでいっしょにデパートへかいものしにいきます。

セントラルこうえんです。きれいですね？

ニューヨークのデパート

にぎやかなせいかつでがあります。でもいいかぞくがいますから、せいかつあとてもたのしいです。

しぜんしはくぶつかんのアドヴェンチャー

きょうはとてもいそがしかったでです。

ごぜん９じから１２までクラスがありました。（；へ：）
そして、１２じはんから３じまでまたクラスにいました 。（ ；´Д｀）

それから、４じにともだちとしぜんしはくぶつかん(Natural History Museum) へいきました。
ともだちは３じはんまでおしごとがありましたから、ともだちにしぜんしはくぶつかんのまえであいました。

わたしのメトロカードが２ドルけどありましたから、またかいました。ニューヨークのメトロはほんとにたかいです！(Additionally, a few times, the turnstiles have eaten my money, forcing me to swipe through the turnstile twice in order to get through...!) (╥﹏╥)

７９thストリートまでちかてつで３０じゅっぷんぐらいかかりました。While I was waiting for my friend to arrive, I noticed how nice the weather was. きょうはとてもいいおてんきでした！かんぺきなあきのおてんきでした。( > ◡ < )

しぜんしはくぶつかんでともだちとエンバイロメンタルサイエンスのしゅくだいをしました。
だから、とりのexhibitとアニマルのexhibitをみました。

Hall of North American Mammals

しかのジオラマ. These are all painted by hand! すてきです。The abilities of people are endless.

We also had to answer questions about a exhibit featuring millipedes and other small bugs. It was magnified 24 times, so the bugs were practically life-sized.
むしが。。。だいきらいから、this exhibit made me feel sick, and I had a really hard time looking at this display. :( I won't include pictures for semi-obvious reasons...!

しぜんしはくぶつかんはまいにち５じ４５じゅふんまでですから、ちょっとじかんがありませんでした。だから、we weren't able to see the ocean life exhibits, or the dinosaur fossils. ざんねんでした！

それから、タイのレストランへいきました。We were really hungry because neither of us had eaten much earlier that day. We ran to the nearest/tastiest place we could think of! タイアイスティーをのみなした、そしてパッタイとフライライスをたべました。おいしいかったです！

タイアイスティー

パッタイ

フライライス

それから、うちへかえりました。きょうはとてもたのしいかったです！

Nostalgia

One of my favorite things about visiting Korea two years ago was visiting my best friend. Our meeting in 2012 was almost like an anniversary for us, because it had been years since we had last seen each other. On that day, we went shopping together and ate しゃぶしゃぶ。Of course, we also took lots of sticker pictures（プリクラ）together！

We both agreed that the にほんのプリクラbooths were the best! The backgrounds were really pretty and you could add really interesting effects. We had a time limit because there were a few people waiting to use the machine after us, but if you happen to have unlimited time, you're able to spend as much time as you want editing hair, eye color, and decorations. Once you take them, they're printed out for you as stickers, and if you choose, you could get them laminated. If you use them as stickers, you could stick them onto your books or folders, but I always keep mine laminated because I treasure them as rare memories. With recent technological developments, they now make it so that you can send your pictures straight to your phone. Technology はほんとにすぎおですね。

My friend, Ayoung, managed to 'dye' her hair green/black for this picture.

The pictures are taken on a green screen, so you can super impose yourself onto a patterned background, or outline yourself with a a wallpaper! You can also draw onto the photo, add frames, and add stickers/accessories.

I think this is one of my favorites... I love the background and it really makes me miss my best friend...! Naturally, there's something very silly and whimsical about プリクラ, but when I look at the プリクラ on my wall, I become reminded me of my treasured best friend, which makes me look forward to spending more moments with her, even if they are in the non-immediate future.

My best friend currently live in Korea, so we haven't lived in the same country for the past four or five years. She has been studying Japanese since her freshman year of high school (approximately six years ago), so she is so knows a lot more Japanese than I do at the moment. I really wish to catch up to her though! Sometimes she practices with me.

We talk a lot about visiting Japan together. いつかいしょににほんへいきます。それから、とうきょうやきょとへいきます。I suppose we can also visit many プリクラ when we go to Japan! そしてwe really want to visit おおきなわ together, because we've heard that the sea/beach areas are really beautiful. I personally want to visit あきた！さむいですが、きれいです。These plans aren't quite concrete yet, but surely we'll make it a reality.

おおとや

せんしゅうのすいようびにともだちとにほんのレストラん「おおとや」へいきました。
レストランでわたしはおろしとんかつをたべました。
It was so crispy and juicy-- definitely some of the best とんかつ that I've had in a while!
そしてわたしのともだちは海鮮丼（かいせんどん）をたべました。
ほんとにおいしいでした！

One thing that I was able to notice was the care and hospitality with which the servers would treat the customers. It made the experience feel especially authentic, as if I were truly in Japan. Additionally, the meal and dishes looked so carefully and thoughtfully chosen and placed, which made it feel like the restaurant put so much care into each detail. As a really detail-oriented person, I seriously appreciate when restaurants are meticulous like this!

わたしのとんかつ。I got the おろしとんかつ, so instead of regular とんかつ sauce, I dipped it in a ぽんず sauce. I ordered the set meal, so I also got ごはん、みそごはん、みそしる、 茶碗蒸し（ちゃわんむし）、and salad as well! 

The food was so delicious, that my friend and I hardly spoke while eating. Whoops.

Japanese food is among my favorite, and I find both cooking and eating Japanese food to be really comforting. Korean and Japanese are my favorite cuisines, and I love to make both and experiment with the two!

We ended the meal with あんみつ。We were so stuffed, and the あんみつ was small, so it was the perfect way to end the meal.

あんみつ：comprised of あんこ、ぎゅうひ、おちゃアイスクリーム、みつ.

This restaurant has become one of my favorites for its atmosphere, food, and service. I want to go again soon!

にほんのふうけい

I'm a really big fan of photography, and even though I'm an amateur photographer myself, I love to look at photos of different architecture and scenery.

Japanese scenery leaves an impact on me especially, because the natural tones are crisp, bright, and and warm, while the the urban color palette and architecture are cool, muted, and smooth. 

ほんとにきれいです！いつかにほへいきます。

Such makes for an interest contrast and sense of balance, which is extremely aesthetically pleasing.

かわちふじにわ：One of the places that I have most wanted to visit for a long time! ふじのはな are my favorite.

大阪城 (おおさかじょう)：うつくしいしろ。A really beautiful and classic castle in Japan.

ならのならこえんのなら。My cousin who visited Japan told me that there are so many なら (deer), and that they come up to people and like to be petted/fed. すごいですね！

とうきょう：The colors are dark and cold, but feel smooth and mysterious.

にほんおちかてつ：きれいでしょ？... Sometimes the New York Subway trains look dirty in comparison!

なりたくうこう：The interior of なりたくうこう itself has a clean and minimalistic design.

えちごゆざわえき: Among the resort areas in Japan, えちごゆざわえき is supposedly popular for its skiing and おんせん。The fog and snow give the area a very mystical feeling.


I don't quite have the skill or vocabulary to talk about these places in Japanese (in full detail), but I hope to study Japanese and be able talk about these places, as well as visit these places (and more!)

Hello!

Going through college, I realized that I have an affinity for languages. Currently I'm fluent in three languages, English (19 years), Korean (19 years), and Spanish (12 years). Learning languages has always been enjoyable, so I decided to pick up a fourth (and I'm hoping to learn a few more in the future!). I decided to start with Japanese because I've always been intrigued by the culture of Japan. The Japanese language is also particularly interesting to me, because both it and Korean are derived from the Chinese characters. As a result, the two languages are similar in structure, and they both share some words. Each time I come across a word in Japanese that is similar to a Korean word, I feel very intrigued. I also love to travel and explore new places; that being said, I enjoy learning about different cultures (food, clothing, fashion, interactions, scenery). I hope to someday be fluent to a degree that would let me visit Japan and converse with native speakers without issue.

Sakura flowers and paper lanterns. My favorite seasons are spring and autumn!

I can read some of this label now.

Coming into this class I found myself surprised by the complexity of the language and the pace of the course. True to what people say, the class does move quickly. Despite the fast pacing, however, I now find myself used to the dynamics of the class and I feel comfortable with the material. Initially, I felt nervous whenever I would be called on to speak, but I am gradually becoming more confident in my own speaking and knowledge of Japanese. One thing that particularly excites me these days is that I am now able to read hiragana. Therefore when I look at cosmetic labels, I can typically interpret the directions without confusion. Although my pacing is somewhat slow (and I can't read kanji or katakana right now), I notice that I am gradually reading faster with each experience.

わたしは。。。

はじめまして。
わたしのなまえはハナ・キムです。
かんこくじんです。
バーナードのにねんせいです。

１９さいです。
ニュージャージーのノーウッドからきました。
どうぞよろしくおねがいします。