文化荘の訪問 & 最後の文法テスト

we went to Yamada sensei's house to visit on saturday and it was fun! the name of her apartment is called ''Bunka Soo'' = (literally translated into culture cottage or something like that...)

i cooked laksa!! *finally* besides burning her white pot brown, and getting confused over when to add oil, how much water to add, and when to cook noodles, i also managed to find out what exactly a Kotatsu looked like!!

A Kotatsu is a japanese style table (ie: LOW) that is heated! the 'table cloth' is long and drapes over ur legs, keeping the heat in and you feeling toasty in the cold winters as u sit and eat with family and friends. cool huh. i think i'm going to get a Kotatsu as a study table next time haha! the Kotatsu is the square table we are all gathered around. it was makeshift, but it was wonderfully warm!

also notice how close the 'study table' (in the left corner of the pic), the 'balcony' (you can see the silhouettes of the black jackets), the 'kitchen' (in the right hand corner of the pic), and the BEDROOM (left foreground - with the pink bedsheet) are! that's japanese style living for u! living like hamsters and loving it!


that's Atsumi Sensei, Kawashima Sensei, Me, and Yamada Sensei (L-R)

Also, just to prove that I DID cook Laksa (for the first time in my life, here's a photo:

the laksa would have been a disaster had not Atsumi sensei been around to offer calm support, because Yamada sensei was half-screaming, "this is not 料理(ryouri)：cooking, this is 実験(jikken)：an experiment!!!!!"

It was a Lovely time - we had cheesecake, courtesy of Kawashima sensei, and Love, courtesy of John (the only guy in the pic abv). :P that's really all that's needed in life huh.. Love and Cheesecake *collapses into a giggly heap*


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Well TODAY is THE FIRST DAY OF THE FINAL SERIES OF EXAMS of the ENTIRE AYF COURSE. so i decided to commemorate this happy-sad occasion by trotting off to the teachers' room before the first exam to take a PHOTOGRAPH. hee hee.


Miura sensei (seated) is holding the dreaded GRAMMAR questions, and the two ladies, Kawashima sensei and Nohata sensei are holding the LISTENING questions.

this is how we looked right before the grammar test....



if u pay close attention to the photograph. u will be able to see that there are some pple who are VERY SERIOUS and others who.. well.. just keep TRYING to be. :) I think this photo truly encapsulates the kind of people who make up the 11th batch.