My response to letters

Two writers, Manuel Sandoval and Kevin Egan, wrote interesting responses to the article “Four marines investigated for rape.” Each writer tries to convince the audience to believe his point in different way.

Manuel Sandoval、the writer of the letter “Don’t judge marines too fast”, makes an interesting point by using his authority. He was assigned to Tachikawa Air Base once, and that is his authority. He was in a similar situation to the situation which those four marines were in. He says that the woman who got raped should have known what was going to happen, and she should have been aware of those four marines. The saying he mentioned “you can take the girl out of the bar, but you can't take the bar out of the girl” is very convincing under his authority. However, most Japanese people would disagree to his point, because his idea is very America-sided. He implies that American military are protecting Japan from other counties, so American marines can do whatever they want in Japan. He also says that America is “baby- sitting” Japan. “This idea and the word “baby-sitting” may make most of Japanese people feel being insulted.

“Disgusting outlook on women” is the letter by Kevin Egan who disagrees with Manuel Sandoval. The writer of this letter tries to convince the audience to believe by using her emotion. His idea is that four marines should be investigated no matter what they have done, because they have done a wrong thing. He says that what happened to the woman who works at the bar was not the woman's fault.It is a wrong idea that the woman should have predicted what would happen next. He also mentions that this investigation has nothing to do with the fact that US military is protecting Japan from other countries. The writer does not say that he is an expert of something or he was or he is in the Army. He has no authority. However this letter is very convincing and strong.

Both writers have great points on this issue. Both writers have strong idea and those letters are very convincing. However, most people would think that the letter "Disgusting outlook on women" by Kevin Egan, is more convincing Even though he has no authorities, the audience would think he is saying a "right thing."

Why I am in IES.

Why I am I in IES? This is the question I often think about. Why am I in IES and do a lot of homework and assignments instead of hanging out with my friends? The answer for this question is “Well, this is the way it is.”

I came to Kansai Gaikokugo University, because I did not want to go to smart and prestigious universities. I do not think the person who goes to a prestigious university is a better person than anyone else. I hate that idea. Of course, I was not smart enough is another reason. This is why I decided to go to Kansai Gaikokugo University.

When I was taking a test (TOEFL) to decide which classes I was going to be in, I never thought that I would be in IES class. I was not even sure that I wanted to be in an IES class, even though I circled “YES” for the question “Do you want to be in IES”. Since this moment, I have been so sick of my life. I was very surprised when I found out that I was in IESa, because I thought there were a lot of people who like English more than know about English more than me, since this university is famous for English major.

So now, I am in the IES class and doing my thing. I do not know how I got this way. I never hoped to be in this class before I entered this university I am in this class. What can I do now? I think I just have to do what I have to do for now.

The Wednesday

After school on Wednesday, me, Akinori, and Matsu (friends from Akinori's club) went to "Bikkuri Ramen" which is right in front of school. We had no homework or assignments that day, so we were pretty happy about it.

We stayed at Bikkuri Ramen for long time. I guess it was for an hour or more, because while were eating, our friends came into that place. We talked for long time about stupid things, but it was really fun.

After we left that place, we went to the "Seven-Eleven". We stayed there for long time We started to taking photos with matsu's cell phone,since his cell phone has a great camera.

After we get tired of taking photos with matsu's cell phone, we started to call our friends. We pretended that we were a cable guy. So when we called Bob (He is one of our friends and also my co-worker.) he got so mad about it. So after he hung up, We decided to send a text message to him with the picture of us apologizing. It was still pretty funny.

So that was my Wednesday. I had a great time with my friend, even though it was very cold outside.

Trip Trip Trip.

Last Friday, I went to "The Super Sento" in Moriguchi with my co-workers. We often go to hot springs , swimming pool or Sento After we get off work. It was one of the nicest moments.

Since we have no public transportation, we have to get there by cars or motorcycles. The lucky thing is that almost 80 % of my co-workers ride motorcycles.

We had to hurry because that sento place closes at 2:30 am and we got off work at 1:00 am. When we got there, it was almost 1:30 am. It only took us 20 minutes to get there. That was pretty amazing.

After we left the Sento, we went to eat some Chinese noodle at "Hakubadouji" in Hirakata. They have many kinds of Chinese noodles and, each of them are so tasty. Since it was one of my co-workers birthday and he knew the guy who works there we all got FREE coke and Yakimeshi!!

When I got home, it was almost 6 in the morning......

After reading "Japanese: A language in a state of flux"...

I agree with Tomoko Otake, a writer of the article “Japanese: A language in a state of flux.” In this article, she says “the other may not understand a word rooted in another language. In other words, communication is being lost — not in translation, but because of no translation”

In Japan, we can see words rooted in another language almost everywhere we go. Some people might think it is a good thing, because Japan is becoming more international. I do not disagree with this idea, since I am one who is studying English and interested in different cultures of other countries. However, I think it is great thing, if all the people understand meanings of these words fully.

When I went back to my hometown, Nagoya from Osaka during this summer vacation, I realized one thing about my grand parents. They used to read every pages of the news paper every day, and spend a lot of time watching news programs on TV. Now, they only read a couple of pages of newspapers every day, and do not watch news programs on TV that much. They say they sometimes can not understand what the newspapers say and what the TV programs are about because of those gairaigo, words rooted in another language.

I think use of these so-called loanwords is not a bad thing, if they educate us meaning of these words. However, if people are using these words to just show off, they need to stop using them immediately.