Now I miss you guys so much! I did not imagine that I would feel so empty. I want to get together with everybody including Scott and Roger some day, but maybe everyone will be in different places all over the world, so it might be dificil... , so I think this blog is an awesome way to cathch up all the news each other through our future. Then we can decide which day we can get together. Buddies, blog when you get a job, get married, have children, divorce(!!), etc, etc.

I got an International Driving Licence! Yeah-! I will stay in my room in my host parents' house in Brisbane for a month from Feburuary 8th, so I will enjoy driving on my visit^^. I am very happy, as I love driving so much. In Osaka, too many cars of very bad-mannered drivers are so crowded on the too narrow streets, so it is difficult and a bit scary to drive a car even though I am a good driver^^. My mother always tries to make me not to drive a car saying "it is dangarous" or sth, so I cannot drive very much. On the other hand, my host parents never stop me to do what I want to do, so on this visit, I will enjoy drivng a lot^^.

Listen! I did blood donation! There is a building for blood donation next to Kadoma Driving School, and people say "Please Give Blood" out side. At driving school, people have to wait for taking classes long time, so some people go to the blood donation buiding while they are waiting for their classes. Before I entered the driving school, I saw people asking "Please Give Blood" out side, so while I was waiting for my turn to get the license, I was thinking about blood donation. I was ashamed that I had never done blood donation, so I decided to do it for the first time! I entered the buidling for blood donation, and filled my name and stuff. People there were kind, so I was relieve. I could choose how much blood I would give, 200ml or 400ml, and I have to admit that I was not brave enough, and I circled 200ml. It was my first time to do blood donation, so I was worried. However, 400ml is much more helpful for the people who have to transfuse, so I will give 400ml next time. Before I checked my blood pressure, I felt unhappy because of the woman at the desk. she said "We ask people who are over 50kg for 400ml, can you?" in a loud voice where other people were waiting! It made me so unhappy! After that, I was amazed by a girl. The girl said she wanted to give 400ml, but she was reused because she is less than 50kg. After she was refused, again, she insisted that she wanted to give 400ml. I thought she was great. The doctor said to the girl that what she said was very helpful, but they had to refuse for her body's health. This made me think if I should have given 400ml, but I could not><. I respect the girl very much. The syringe was not painful at all, and after I finished, they gave me a juice for free! I had peech juice, and it was delicious^^. I am sure that I will go and do blood donation 400ml. I received Hello Kitty's sticker and note book of blood donation, so that I will show the note book when I do blood donaton next. How many of you guys have done blood donation? I saw some busses came for blood donation at KGU, so I am sure some of you did. It was a nice new event for me. Let's go to the blood donation!

Thank you guys so much for the comments you gave to my blog. I received 11 comments! This makes me so happy because I always wait for those comments^^. I especially want to say thank you to Satoyo. I read Saoyo's blog, which Satoyo said that you do not want to talk about the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake because you had terrible memories, and it is so painful to remember them, so I was very glad that you shared your experience of that day with me. Thank you, Satoyo^^. Thank you everybody. Please drop in at my blog sometime!

There is one thing that I have to talk about now, I think. I still remember what I did clearly on this day 10 years ago when Hanshin Awaji earthquake occurred. I did not really think that I blog about this, but lots of programs and news articles are on TV and newspaper recently, and I have known some people's experiences on the earthquake's day, so it made me want to share my story. Today, on January 17th 2005, I woke up around 5:40 just to be awake at 5:46, the time when the earthquake occurred 10 years ago. I had thought if I try to close my eyes for silent prayer, I would fall asleep, so I was just awake around the time. After Hanshin Awaji earthquake occurred, I did not donate money, or send stuff to Kobe. I did not take any action for the people who suffered there. I feel this blog is like 'sorry' for it(?). Can you see what I want to say? I am a bit confused. Now 10 years have passed, and I have learned about lots of problems that make people suffer around the world in our class, and now I feel kind of guilty. As a survivor, I should have had to do... Lots of TV programs and news articles have made me think like this.

On January 17th 10 years ago, my bed shook, and I woke up. My sister and I used two-storied bed at that time, and my sister slept on the up's, and I slept on the lower's. When the big shaking came, my mother shouted "Don't move". When she talks about that day, she always say that she regrets what she shout. Now I think that mother wanted her children not to be panic, but she says, she regrets it because if my sister's bed fell on me, I would die.

Though the shaking was really big around my house, I cannot compare it to Kobe's damages.
My sister said that we went to school on that day. It is strange that we went to school as usual after such an earthquake while people in Kobe lost everything.

I also remembered that on that day, I went to swimming school after I came home from school as usual. I went to school, and took classes as usual, so I thought my swimming school was open as usual too. My father sent me to the swimming school by a car, and when I entered, stuffs there told me that the lessons were canceled, so I had to go back to my house. My father had already left there, and planned to pick me up an hour later, so he was just on the way home. I did not have money, so I asked the stuff, "Can I use the phone, please?", and then, the stuff answered, "Sorry, but the lines were out of order at the moment because of the earthquake in the morning. we cannot use telephones today". There were few people in the building, so I had to wait for my father for about an hour alone.

I was ten years old at that time, and it is surprising for me that 10 years have already passed, but I watched a TV program that one person who lost his friends or family said, it does not matter how much time passed. His mind is still on that day. He still see the confusing cities even though streets and cities have been reconstructed so beautifully.

Did you do anything special on 17th? I think that each of us remember the day quite clearly, as we were around 10 years old then. Some of my classmates told me their experiences of the Hanshin Awaji earthquake, and I was surprised and shocked by some stories. I guess many people still have unstable life and feeling. I think that those people still need counselings, and special cares to spend each day. I was sad when I watched a news reporter asked kids what do they think about the Hanshin Awaji earthquake, and one little boy just said, "I do not know! I do not know!". I hope that people not only in Kobe but also everyone will not forget the earthquake even though it was a terrible disaster. How can we let little kids who did not experience the earthquake, or were not even born at that time realize how terrible and sad situations the earthquake brought to people? I hope that more kids will think about the Hanshin Awaji earthquake, and get knowledge about disasters because knowledges can prevent lots of damages.

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

We had a look at the four metaphors to think how much influence we can take control at the society is going on in class. My group had a Roller coaster to explain, and it was quite interesting to tell the class about it, but it was also a very depreesed one. I thought of a Ship because the future is the result of our present behaivours which is to be from past experiences, so basically we can influence the future, but still, there will be somethng that we cannot expect or manage like a big sudden storm in the middle of ocean, and it is out of our control. There were many people who thought of a Ship in our class. Well, do you agree with my idea? Or do you have some disagreements to my idea even though you thought of a Ship? I am quite interested in those metaphors, so I explained the four metaphors to my sister and my brother, and asked them which one was the closest to their idea for the future and their influences.

When I asked to my sister, she asked me "What future do you mean?" This was quite interesting. She said, when she thinks about the future of the society, she takes a Roller coaster because what is going on in the society is out of her control, and she does not think that she can make any differences against its future. On the other hand, when she thinks about her own future, she takes a Ship because her actions can affect her future situation.

When I asked to my brother, he took a Roller coaster. His explanations were interesting too. He said, there are too many difficult problems around the wolrd, so he does not feel that he can change the situations. And he also said "I cannot create oil".

I am happy to be able to hear those interesting ideas from my sis & bro. Both of them are younger than me, but I think they have quite educated opinions, and they make good senses to me. Did you ask about those metaphors to anybody? I want to try more people, so that I can get more intersting opinions.