Konnichiwa from Shibuya! Hi! This is Jess Robinson, the new  LEX  Intern, reporting from  Shibuya , Tokyo! I arrived about a week ago but I feel like I've been here much longer. I'm currently living with the  Satoh family in  Nerima   ku , which is in the north eastern side of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Since it is primarily a residential area (and far from the center of Tokyo) the houses are a little more spread out and the area is fairly green. On my morning commute, I walk past a couple of fields and enjoy passing by the wide variety of trees, including  pomegranate  trees. My host parents are very kind people and already we share so many great laughs and interesting conversations. I started working in the Hippo Family Club Headquarters in  Shibuya  this week. On Monday I made my first journey from my home to  Shibuya  which includes changing trains in  Ikebukuro and walking through  Shibuya  train s...

Thailand! It was my first trip to Thailand and I had no idea what to expect. But as the plane touched down into this country of vibrant colors, tropical fruits, kind smiles, and unique energy, it seemed like anything was possible. I was so surprised when I met my host family, and my host greeted me in Japanese! As it turns out, she lived for one year in Japan as an exchange student. She also studied Japanese at her university, and could therefore speak and write like a native Japanese! This made the  homestay  very fun because the two of us could talk about all kinds of topics, from dreams to school to politics. It was my first time to have an "older sister" so I was happy that we grew so close. However, all our talking in Japanese attracted some weird looks from strangers. (I don't exactly look Japanese). Sometimes people at common tourist spots, etc. even greeted me in Japanese, which always made me laugh. While I expected to improve my Thai speaking skills, I w...

Language Acquisition in Action Reading Heather's "Ears Turned ON" post, I came  across  so much that sounded familiar. It is now almost  exactly  six months since I landed in Japan, but my language ability has improved so much! I even surprise myself sometimes! When I first landed in Japan, my head was spinning from all of the new sounds that surrounded me. Picture a computer with an input overload--I could almost feel my brain whirring through the words, and trying to pick up on familiar-sounding phrases. My responses were slow, disorganized, and often wrong. I was tired. But I was also determined. I always heard that practice is the key to success, so from day one I practiced my Japanese at every opportunity. When someone asked me a question, I stumbled my way through the answer,  racking  my brain for ways to express myself in Japanese. When I ran into a word that I didn't know, I substituted the word in English and just kept on talking. Even whe...

Culture From a Child's View Giving school cultural presentations ("kokurika") is one of the best parts of my job. The kids are always so full of energy, and eager to learn! At a typical "kokurika," we share some multilingual songs and games, and then guests from around the world talk a little bit about their country's culture. I have to admit, though, it is a little bit intimidating. To think that I, a small-town Minnesota girl, am responsible for representing the 300 million+ people in the United States is unfathomable! Nevertheless, it is exciting and interesting. Although I come as a presenter, I think I learn as much as the students! One thing I am always surprised by is the cultural details that the kids are so interested in. No matter what I talk about--Halloween, breakfast foods, typical grade school life in America--they choose the funniest things to remember. Some of my favorite questions have included, "What type of video games do you ...

Snowy Setsubun Yesterday it snowed in Tokyo! What a treat to wake up and see white outside the window. My first impulse was to run and ask "Is school cancelled yet?!" My host brother and I had a snowball fight and built a snowman, (which we named Yukidaruma-san). By evening most of the snow had turned to slush. My host family and I decided to brave the cold and go to the temple for the Setsubun holiday. We threw soybeans off the balcony, yelling "Fuku wa uchi, oni wa soto!" ("Good luck in, devil out!") We also performed the same ritual at home with my host dad, who was lucky enough to get to wear the oni (devil) costume while we threw soybeans at him. For dinner we ate makizushi, which is traditional for the holiday. We ate in silence while facing the SE (the lucky direction for this year). I asked my host family how this "lucky direction" is determined. They weren't sure so we looked it up online. Apparently, it is determined by the ...