早くも師走に入りました。

Thanksgivingも終わったのでNEOのロビーも今日からクリスマスツリーを出しました。

先週末は岡山駅前にもイオンモールがプレオープンしましたね。

大混雑が予測されるなか、それでも足を運ばれた方はたくさんいらっしゃったのではないでしょうか。

私はそれを狙って倉敷のアウトレットモールへ行きました。

クリスマスも迫り、どこもセール実施中です。

日本語ではセールのことを「バーゲン」とカタカナで言うこともありますが、英語のBargainは意味が異なりますのでご注意くださいね。主に動詞で「値段交渉をする」意味になります。

日本でのセールは割引率が控えめ。でも海外は90%オフがあったりします。さて、じゃぁこの原価は・・・？なんて考えたくないですね。

NEOではHalが実家用へのクリスマスプレゼントを考え始めたようですよ！

A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday I went to Korakuen Park for the first time.  I went in the evening, about 7 o’clock.  There were lights set up all throughout the park and it was beautiful. 

There are lots of old-style Japanese buildings around the park, and I sat near one and enjoyed a drink while watching the people wandering around.  Since it was the last night for the lights there were a lot of people!  I was really impressed with the park – everything was so neat and perfect looking, and the grass was cut so evenly.  The line to climb the hill in the park was very long, so I decided not to wait.  Next time I’ll try to get up there.  It was also extremely cold – I am glad that I brought a heavy jacket with me.  The bike ride home was not as pleasant, however.  I forgot to bring my gloves and my hands were freezing by the time I got home!

I especially enjoyed being able to see Okayama Castle in the background.  It was also lit up – although I don’t know if that was part of the Korakuen light show or not.  I haven’t been there yet, it is next on my list of famous Okayama landmarks to visit.  I can pretend to be a samurai or a daimyo or something!  That and seeing Korakuen in the daytime.  I am told that the park is much bigger than the area I got to see on Sunday, so I would really like the chance to explore the area a little more.

I have heard there are two other very famous parks in Japan, I would like to learn more about them and hopefully I will get a chance to see them as well.

-Hal

先週の日曜日はNEOのThanksgiving Partyでした。

準備、片付けをして下さった生徒の方々ありがとうございました！

Thanksgivingはアメリカにいる時に2度ほど体験しました。

NEOで今回作った料理と私がアメリカで食べた料理とでは少しレシピが違っていて

とても興味深かったです。

ヤム芋を使ったCandied YamsはNEOではコロコロしたものをbrown sugarで煮詰めたものでした。

私がアメリカで食べていた物は、ヤム芋をスイートポテトのように潰し、その上にマシュマロをのせて少し焼いたものを食べていました。

NEOのパーティーではCranberry sauceは缶詰からゼリー状のものを取り出して食べました。

私が知っていたものとは随分違っていました。

私が食べたことがあるのはクランベリーの実を煮詰めたもう少しサラサラしたものでした。

Thanksgivingを祝う時の料理も家庭によってレシピが違い、

とてもおもしろい発見でした。

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you all for coming out to the Thanksgiving Party last Sunday! I had a great time cooking and eating wth everybody!

We cooked 4 turkeys, mashed potatoes, yams, gravy, stuffing and vegetables. We also had apple pie and pumpkin pie for dessert.

A very special thank you to Tomoko, Yui, Takako, and Mariko for working extra hard in the kitchen.

Yasuhiro got a chance to play the "wishbone" game. The wishbone is a bone near the turkey's breast. Two people grab the wishbone and pull. The wishbone will break and the person with the largest piece will get their wish. You can see more pictures in the slideshow below.

It was certainly a warm weekend!

Our 9th? annual Thanksgiving party finished.

We didn't have RJ this year because he's gone back home to visit his family, but the party was a big success.

We'll be putting on pictures up shortly.

Special thanks to NEO students, Takako-san, Tomoko-san, Yui-chan and Mariko-chan, who helped a lot in the kitchen.