ふゆ休み２０１４

Winter Break 201４


コロンビア大学はとてもむずかしですから去年のふゆやすみがほしたい。私のベッドとははのりようりをほしたいです。わたしのうちはクインズのなかですからわたしのうちは大学のちかくです。でも大学からうちまではにじかんぐらいですからあまりうちをかえりませんでした。

私は冬休みにとてもねました。そうして baking をしていました。今私はmuffinsとcookiesとパンをつくることができます。いつもわたしはbakingをしりたいですからわたしはうれしです。

そうして高校のともだちをあいました。私はともだちのなかでひとりでコロンビアへいきましたから高校のともだちをあまりあいませんでした。

アニメがつきですがじかんがありません。ですからこのふゆやすみにアニメをたくさんみていました。I finally got to watch the legend of Korra, it had always been my "to watch list" for ages. Plus I watched kuroko's basketball and juuni kokki. The latter of which is now on the list of my all time favorite animes.

Also, the fact that college winter breaks are for a full month as opposed to just 1 week like back in high school was very very nice. All in all, it was a much welcomed break.

~~ニコル

Why Japanese?

So Why Did I Choose To Study Japanese?

        What a great question, one my family continually asks. (Porque Nicole, porque? As they say in distinct Colombian accents) They don't understand why I would want to study a language that is so different from Spanish or even English.

         It's quite simple really, I have one very important dream since middle school; to go study abroad in Japan. So I have been working since then to achieve that goal. Though, this is really the first time I have taken a course officially now that I am at the university. (None of my prior schools ever offered Japanese, sadly)

       I want to be able to explore Japan, and all the cool stuff it has to offer, including it's music, food and sights without having to be that American tourist who is so dreadfully lost and out of place. I might still (probably will) get lost, but I want to be able to at least have my wits about me. Because I always found rather ridiculous those people who go abroad to a country so different from their own and don't even bother learning a little bit about the language. You miss out on so much! Plus you are a hazard too.

  So here I am, at Columbia studying Japanese, with all the trials and mistrials of learning a brand new language completely different from what I am used to. Though to be fair, the sounds aren't bad, my pronounciation is pretty on point. As per what my sensei's (both from class and language lab) tell me. And that is because all the sounds are basically covered in Spanish and English.

Huzzah for dual fluency!

But, when it comes to writing, that's another story. (I'm glaring at you kanji) If it was simply hiragana and katakana, it would be okay. But throwing chinese characters with kon and om yomi into the mix (you have to memorize both the japanese and chinese meaning of a kanji, as if just memorizing the kanji wasn't bad enough) makes for a rather difficult task.

Wish me luck and join me on my Japanese experience!

Here and Beyond,
Nicole Valencia

My First Composition: さくぶんいち

こんにちわ　せかい！：D

  　　　はじめまして　わたし　は　ニコル・バレンシア　です。

               じゅうはっさいです。

　　　　コロンビア　だいがく　の　いちねんせいです。
 　　　

　　　　ニューヨーク の　フラッシング　からきました。どぞよろしく！