Below are some of the new phrases and concepts I learned this trip from my partners while working at their school.

Japanese vocabulary lesson:

1.  sunflower = hi ma wa ri  ( hi = sun, ma wa ri = turns toward) 

2.  go hon = rice

3.  melon tree = chestnut trees

4.  Japan has purple magnolia blossoms that are incredible

5.  'Nani ga ta bet tai desu ka?' -

What would you like to eat(for dinner)?

6.  'Non demo i desu yoo' - whatever is fine

7.  'go ku ro sa ma de shi ta' - thanks you very much ( formal)

* note: de shi ta ( past tense), desu ( present tense)

8. chopsticks -  'waribashi'

9. Japanese classes have a period for integrated studies = 'so go gak shu'  This period includes culture, International research, language, and a zest for life

10.'honne' - true feelings

11.'takemei' - false face ( to save face in front of someone)

12.*frog in kanji represents the animal as well as 'return safely'

'inn kan' = the stamp with your name on it for signing in every day at work.

13. Miso comes from cooking fish heads (fish brains) or soybeans

14. fans -'oo chi wa' - the folding fans are called 'sen su'.    

Funny American Phrases:

"Go with the Rhythm" - I think they were referring to 'go with the flow' ??

A Photo of Mohammed Ali in the Sports section of the Mall has a quote that says ' Impossible is Nothing' - I think they meant 'Nothing is Impossible'