阿部博一　Official Blog

Hello!! I am in San Diego for winter break.
I got through the finals last week. I expect all A's in my classes. My dorm closed the day after the finals finished. I asked my dear friend Carol for my stay during the winter break. I stayed with her in 2004 back to my freshmen year in university. She looks like a pure Japanese, but she is a real Westerner. Her native language is English. She is a third-generation Japanese American.


At the Soccer Party with my buddy.






Decorations for Christmas






At the Aquarium in University of California, San Diego.




Whats going on!?

  

Hi, fellas. Don't you think it is appropriate to say "fellas" since only passionate readers check my blog. Thank you for visiting my capricious blog.

My first semesters was over yesterday. The last week went by really fast caz I was busy both preparing for the finals and applying for grad school. The finals were not that tough over all. I believe I am all A's in my all classes. All the dorms at school shut down during winter break, so I am leaving for San Diego for winter break tonight. Its been 7 years I went there last time. Experiences at San Diego influenced me a lot. I would not be here if I had not been there. So excited to see my host family again.

A cold weather makes me think of VVAREN, my ex-team. I was wondering what they are doing and stuff like that. Here's one thing I would like to refer to. I am so proud of Arimitsu Ryota being selected "Best 11" in JFL. Its hard to mention but I would say professional sports are above our imagination. Its more competitive than we imagine. They dont buy services. They only buy results. And its extremely tough to stand out among other pro players. Ryota scored 19 goals this season. Its an honor that I played football with him for three years and I wish he will accomplish more next season.

And also, I want to mention about Mr. Sato Yukihiko. I e-mailed him when Mr. Matsuda passed away. Nobody can understand how much Mr. Matsuda meant to Yukihiko. He emailed back to me saying "Matusda's sister told me to do my best to soccer for Matsuda. She also said I should stick with soccer until I am totally satisfied." Yukihiko meant a lot to me when I played soccer. We hang out a lot. I personally hope he will play soccer next year again. According to him, his best is not in the past but in the future.

Finally, I want to say "How's it going" to people in Nagasaki. Did you enjoy VVAREN this year? I restarted my life and i am still struggling with my life. However, one thing i am sure is i am stepping forward in the United States.   

This is for your English reading.
SO, IF YOU GET A HEADACHE READING ENGLISH, STOP HERE.
Its gonna be a LONG. Its a research paper for WORLD CIVILIZATION.
STILL FOR SOME GUYS, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING. HOPE YOU ENJOY


What made Christianity become Christianity? : The study of the prosecution against Christianity, Constantine, and the Council of
Nicene
Christianity is now spread all over the world. It is the most populated religion whose number of memberships amounts to ten billion that is approximately one seventh of the world population. Historically speaking, the era ruled by the Roman emperor, Constantine, was undoubtedly the turning point of Christianity because Christianity became the official religion of the Rome Empire during this period despite of the fact Christianity had been prosecuted for years by the Roman Empire until then. It is easily envisaged that a certain political power worked on this event. On the other hand, The Nicene Council was held in this period. The definition of Jesus Christ was discussed in the Nicene Council. Contemplating the fact that over one billion people around the world worship Jesus Christ as the god, the Nicene Council is invariable. I would like to explore Christianity in the period of Roman Empire and the Nicene Council.

To begin with, the reasons why Christianity was prosecuted in the Roman Empire should be examined. Numerous factors and reasons can be considered the prosecution of Christianity. I would like to focus on three reasons that are considered to be the chief reasons of the prosecution against Christianity. First off, the religious bedrock of Roman people is attributed to polytheism; therefore, it is easily assumed that Christianity, a monotheism religion, was a strange concept Roman people according to William Edward Addis. I should clarify the religious concept of Greek, considering the strong influence of the Greek culture for Rome, Greek people humanized their Gods such as Zeus, Hera, et cetera. This might be because Greek people considered the gods as a practical existence rather than a supernatural one. Therefore, Greek gods took human form and people tried to act like them. In the meantime, they did not worship the only mighty god. This is plausible since the idea of the only mighty god does not correspond with the idea of gods as a practical existence. This concept inherited to Rome. Roman people also recognized gods as a practical existence; therefore, Christianity that worships the only one god, Jesus Christ, was strange and unacceptable to Roman people. Next, the Roman ancient law of the Ten Tables prohibited a religious innovation. It was stipulated, “Let no one have gods apart or worship new or strange gods privately, unless these gods be admitted by public authority.” It was obvious from the context that Roman authority disliked the burgeoning of new religions. It would have seen as treason if people had violated the law. Being Christian must have been seen as treason against the Roman Empire Since it was not officially admitted by the Roman authority until Constantine. In addition, it gave the Roman Empire the legitimate reason for prosecuting Christianity. Finally, one of the features of Christianity put them in a difficult position. Christians often had meetings or social meals. This is not because they had secret meetings in order to rebel against the Roman Empire, but because they wanted to keep in touch with other Christians or they studied Christianity for a better understanding. However, Roman people thought that they did something necromantic at their meeting, and they saw Christians as dangerous pagans. Therefore, conflicts inevitably occurred between the Roman Empire and Christians. Some Roman Emperors prosecuted Christianity severely. For instance, Nero accused Christians of setting the fire on the Roman cities; however, Nero was suspected he himself burnt Rome. It is said that Nero prosecuted Christianity as his scapegoat. Considering the circumstances at the time, Christianity can have often been a scapegoat since it was seen as the icon of pagans for Rome due to the number of memberships and well-organized structure.

Despite a long history of prosecution on Christianity by the Roman Empire, Christianity turned an official religion in the period of Constantine. It is no exaggeration to say that Christianity ranked in the top among other pagans by Constantine. Considering the vastness of the Roman Empire, the official religion of the Roman Empire, Christianity, was doomed to be the world biggest religion. I shall delve into two major changes Constantine made: the change of the Roman capital to Constantinople, and Christianity as an official religion of the Roman Empire. First and foremost, he moved the Roman Capital to Constantine where Istanbul, Turkey is located. From the economic prospective of view, this is understandable because the economy was stronger in the East Rome than in the West Rome. Since sea routes had not developed at the time of the Roman Empire, people in the West Rome must have passed through the city, Istanbul now, for trading with the East Rome and Asia. Therefore, businesses, commodities, and people naturally concentrated on the middle point where Constantine would move the capital. What is more, Constantine wanted to reset the Roman Empire, which was declined to corruption. One of the intentions he had was to create a new Roman Empire at Constantinople under the new concept, Christianity. In the second place, Constantine turned Christianity to the official religion of the Roman Empire. Years of prosecution for Christianity did not bear much effect, and the number of Christians was increasing. Constantine was a very pragmatic politician, so he considered it pointless and impossible to refrain people from Christianity anymore. In addition, he personally admired Christianity’s creeds and practices. Put it simple, he took an interest in Christianity.

Finally, let me examine the Council of Nicene. I believe the Council of Nicene is important for the following two reasons: The definition of Jesus Christ as the god and the unity of Christian concepts. First of all, the biggest concern of the Council of Nicene was to determine whether Jesus Christ was the God or human. The issue was argued between three groups. Two groups supported the idea of Jesus Christ of “homo-ousios” which means Christ is the same as the God. The other group agreed with the idea of “hetero-ousios” which means Jesus Christ is different to the God. In the end, Jesus Christ was defined as the same entity as the God, and the concept of Trinity (The father, son, and holy spirit), was established. In the second place, it is a remarkable fact that Constantine himself called the Council of Nicene. As I mentioned at the previous paragraph, Constantine tried to rule the East Rome by Christianity. At that time, Christian concepts varied from sector to sector. Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, Constantine must have thought it had to be solid and united. Thus, in the Council of Nicene, bishops worked out to unify sporadic Christian concepts into the one solid concept that every Christian should share. It is assumed that Constantine considered the unity of Christianity equaled to the unity of the East Roman Empire. Moreover, The unity of concepts on Christianity was de facto the beginning of Roman Catholic Church.

In conclusion, Christianity experienced heaven and hell in the period of the Roman Empire. After years of prosecution, Christianity was accredited an official religion by Constantine. The bedrock of Christianity was argued at the Council of Nicene and it has been still surviving. The conversion of Constantine to Christian seemingly occurred all of sudden; however, the reality was that the prosecution of Christianity started to be questioned and Constantine made a wiser choice for his Empire. We cannot gainsay that some politics or individual interests may have had an influence on the issues I stated above. However, I firmly believe that Christianity became an official religion of the Roman Empire for reasonable reasons, and the outcomes at the Council of Nicene was thoughtful decisions of bishops participating the Council.
  

Still touring in Arizona

Im staying with my Navajo friend. They are Native American. They were here in the US first. just saying. they live a different system to us. they are heavy on clan. what im thinking about... we shouldnt think we are normal caz its our normal not other's. we shouldnt force our rules caz its our rules.

















  

Im in Arizona with my Navajo friend for thanksgiving break.

The Grand canyon was beautiful. Its above words. I will stay here until next Sunday.



















  

Many ways to write essays. I wrote a comparison essay which literally compare more than two things.
Its written in a plain English so everyone can enjoy it. I compared my life in Japan and in America.

Between athletics and academics: A professional soccer player to a student
Playing soccer with my friends always reminds me of my career as a professional soccer player. The first stage of my life was devoted to soccer. After graduation from college, I got a contract as a professional soccer player in Japan. It was my dream-come-true moment. I renewed my contract twice and at the end of the third year, I was cut. While seeking my dream job, I prepared for a career above a professional player because I was aware of the fact that a professional life would not last that long. This is why I started learning English to earn a master’s degree in the U.S. I am currently studying at CCC, KS to brush up my English before attending graduate school for a master’s degree in public affairs. My life changed 180 degrees after I quit playing soccer.

People think that professional sports are full of glory and praise. The reality was different. Our season was from March to November. The team I played for started team practice in the middle of January. As a season ended, we had a one-month vacation from the beginning of December to the middle of January. During the season, we had a league game every week and 18 members out of 30 were selected as a squad. I was completely exposed to a severe competition I had never had. We played dead or alive each week to get in a squad. In the mean time, once we were selected as a squad, we are given a chance to become a hero in the soccer field. Nothing was compared to playing soccer before a huge crowd. Whenever I scored a goal in the game, my fans praised me vehemently. Many people in our hometown recognized me since I showed up on a local media often. That was like a illegal drug that once you tasted it, you would surely want it again. In order to be a successful soccer player, I imposed a lot of rules on my life such as avoiding oily food, working-out every other day, or not staying up late. I gave up leisure to achieve higher goals as a professional player.

I am now currently studying at CCC, KS. The environment around me changed completely. The first day I came to McPherson I felt being excluded since I am a minority here. Besides, no one recognized me in McPherson. Language, culture, religion, and practice are all different to Japan. What is worse, McPherson is in the middle of nowhere, so I felt I was sent to another planet. I was retired from athletics and decided to go back to academics. My friends recommend me to look for another professional team because they thought I was still competitive in the soccer world. However, I had one resolution even before I became a professional player. That is “The first team I play for is the last team.” I could have stuck to soccer, but I did not want to constrain my life within soccer. I spend most of my spare time at the library. As an international student, I am required to study both class and language. While disciplining myself, I hang around with my friends because I would like to learn language and the American culture. Although I avoided a fast-restaurant food on purpose until I came here, I enjoy fries and hamburgers here in the U.S. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” I often stay up late for homework, reading, and talking with my friends and I bring books and coffee with me instead of a soccer ball.

Not a lot of ex-professional athletes go back into academics after their professional life. However, I firmly believe that athletes have a more positive and stronger mentality compared to other people since they are exposed to a severe competition constantly. Equipped with a strong mentality and experiences as a professional player, they can be competitive in any fields. I consider a second career for professional athletes more important because no athletes can perform professionally until 50 years old. I did not expect my new life started in McPherson, Kansas in the middle of nowhere. My life is unpredictable; therefore, it is interesting and worth living.
  

I said I devote my blog to those who are keen to learn English or study abroad. I will be able to specify my study at grad school, but for a time being, I post general education stuff. Louisiana Purchase and Andrew Jackson are often referred at the TOEFL test. Both of them were between Revolutionary war and Civil War.

1. Louisiana purchase
Napoleon considered it difficult to force Americans out of their land in America and also he had more interest in the war with Britain; therefore, Napoleon offered their vast land in America with a considerably reasonable deal. The idea of Louisiana Purchase was contrary to Jefferson’s political idea for the following reasons. Firstly, he had a strict interpretation of the Constitution that did not allowed the central government to buy new land. Secondly, Jefferson worked on reducing the national debt as much as possible. Finally, he was on anti-France alliance with the British. However, he eventually decided to buy Louisiana. This shows his ability to make logical and realistic political decisions.

2. Jacksonian Democracy and Modern America
Andrew Jackson was the first president not from Virginia and Massachusetts. He grew up in the middle class and called himself “Champion of the common man” He promoted a new democracy with Van Buren. Jacksonian Democracy was heavy on the following three qualities. Firstly, their party was for ordinary farmers and workers. Secondly, they were against economic elites. Finally, they offered western land for needed people. On the other hand, the Whig Party was established to challenge Jacksonian Democracy. It more focused on increasing economic growth in the U.S. They conflicted each other and this was the beginning of the Second Party System in the U.S.

I will post my personal statement for grad school soon ,which, I believe, help you a lot when you write your personal essay for colleges in the US.
  

If people have good manners, the world would be a better place?

My answer

If all we have good manners, our world would be much better. Nowadays, it is repeatedly argued that people are losing manners and common sense. We should notice the importance of manners, which facilitates our life. I, personally, believe that good manners and common sense stem from justice. Some people would say that it is impossible to define what justice is because it varies from person to person and this claim is plausible. Therefore, I avoid the discussion what justice is in this essay. Let me focus on the very basic justice that we know by heart such as respecting others, helping others, and so forth. It seems easy to accomplish these basic justices, but reality is that most people do not live justice. Since I am a college student, I want to take examples from a campus life. First off, college students living in a dormitory have to share a shower room occasionally. Only a few use a shower room neat, and unfortunately most of the students do not think about people who share a shower room with. Another example is that some students listen to music loud in the library. Justice in the library is studying, researching, and reading. Even 5th grade students know the justice at the library. However, some college students cannot follow the justice at the library. Finally, what is justice in class at college? Obviously, the justice in class is listening to lecturers, thinking about a subject we learn, and taking notes. How many students are actually doing all of these? Some students eat in class, chat with friends, and take a nap. In conclusion, the more people become aware of justice, the better life we would have. As I mentioned above, most of us do not accomplish basic justice that we all are supposed to have the same understanding. The violation of justice might be a trivial matter on the individual level, but it is transformed to a serious issue on the society level. It is time to think about what is a right thing to do.  

Let me talk about how to adjust yourself to the us.

Once you get in the us, you cannot count your english as a talent caz its just a language. Still you have to show something special of you, otherwise you would be judged a useless Asian. For me, i stand out myself through soccer.

My career as a pro soccer player helps a lot impress myself. Actually, it doesnt matter whether or not you play well. What is important is you have something you share with them. Soccer is my diplomatic weapon. it was, it is, and it will. I love soccer.

Anyways, ive decided my topics for history class. Freemason and Revolutionary war for US history. The Nicene Council for World Civ. I am glad to have an opportunity to be educated from Japan and US in history education wise. Its interesting and provoking for me.

Gotta do a lot on this weekend. I hope you have a nice weekend. See ya.  

If i am forced to name one important quality for studying in the us, I would say a writing skill is an essential for college students here. We are required to write essays almost everyday. We barely learn how to write an essay at school in Japan, but here in the us, they have strict styles for essay. Basically, we all have to follow them. I am now working on three essays: Two essays for history class and one for English Composition class. Heres an essay I wrote for an English Class. Go ahead and enjoy it. Its all about myself.

Who are you? : Analyzing myself
I have never strictly attempted to identify myself. To delve into myself is personally scary to some extent because I want to believe, as everyone does, that I am special and different to others and I am a person beyond data and analysis. It is no exaggeration to say that this is my first time to think about myself objectively. For analyzing myself, I would like to divide Hirokazu Abe into four divisions: elements, values, talents, and obsessions.

Let me think about my elements. People around me often say that I am sarcastic, sensitive, and ambitious. First of all, I like to respond people in a sarcastic way. This is not because I like to make fun of others but because I would like to enjoy a conversation to full extent. At the same time, I don't want others to think that Hiro is a boring person. Cole Ouren, a soccer coach at Central Christian College, told me that American sarcasm might not be acceptable to other countries, but I have been sarcastic since I was in Japan. What I want to say is my sarcasm is not the influence of American culture but the character I was born with. Next, I am sensitive. I recognize this character as my weak point since I tend to take what others say more seriously than what they probably mean to say. In addition, I behave as if I did not care about what others say and think about me. In other words, I have unnecessarily much pride, which doesn't always bear good outcomes. Finally, I set higher goals in my life. My attitude towards life is that I can live our life only once, so I would rather chase my ideals than realities. It may seem reckless to some people. However, being ambitious is an important piece of my components. But for ambition, Hiro would be not Hiro.

I would like to think about my values for the life. I have three important values in my life. Firstly, I value an outcome that is only obtained through fervent efforts. Therefore, I don't want a success that doesn’t match my efforts. What is important, I strongly believe, is the process of achieving goals rather than results. From this perspective view, I don't believe the existence of geniuses. We can be genius for something if we give a full-devotion to something what we want to achieve. Secondly, I put a higher purpose before myself. It is said that "No sacrifice, no victory." My value totally agrees with the idea of the saying. If I were a solider, I would be able to die for a mission because I consider this kind of sacrifice as an honor. Finally, a priority in my life is always family. This idea may seem contradict the idea of putting higher purpose before myself. However, I can make sense by saying that my family is the highest purpose of my life.

Before talking about my talents, let me define the word, talent. Talent is something we cannot obtain but something we are born with. Unfortunately, I was not born with much talent. However, if I am forced to name my talents, I can name two talents. My first talent I was given is soccer. I got a contract as a professional soccer player and renewed it three times until I was cut. Considering the fact that only a few soccer players can get a contract as a professional player, I could say that I have a talent for soccer. My second talent is patience. I can live an abstemious life. My father often referred to me as a monk since I prefer to expose myself to severe competitions and to discipline myself like a monk living in austere quarters. I have no hesitation to do so because, as I stated above, I want a success after being patient. The second talent, I consider, is applicable to almost anything in life. Therefore, I always take the same attitude towards problems I face in my life: being patient until I get a breakthrough.

How I behave change from person to person. My behavior can basically be divided into three parts. First off, I like making joke around with my friends. I am so childish when I have a good time with people who I know well of. I naturally become talkative with my friends and behave like a 5th-grade boy. Generally speaking, most men have this aspect of behavior. Secondly, I try to act like swag before women in order to impress them. Swag is a slang meaning cool. To be honest, I would rather not mention this aspect of me because acting like a cool boy in front of women seems cheating. However, I would like to say that most boys act different to what they usually are before women. I consider it male’s natural instinct. At last, I show respect to people older than me. It is a Japanese tradition to be polite and kind to older people. I was born in Japan and grew up in there, so the tradition is incorporated into me. I show respect to people even who are just one year older than me and I use a proper language speaking with them.

Finally, let me talk about my obsessions. I am obsessed with many things. Firstly, coffee is a part of my life. It is more like addiction than obsession. I like the whole process of brewing coffee and coffee per se. Grinding coffee beans, which some people think troublesome is my favorite time of a day. Too much caffeine does harm to our health; however, I could make a seemingly legit excuse saying that coffee is much better than smoking. Secondly, I am bibliophile. I cannot go into sleep without reading. Especially, classic books attract me regardless of the fact that they require us to understand the history at the time. History stimulates my intelligence; therefore, classic books meet my needs. I read from Shakespeare to Suzanne Collins who is an author of The Hunger Games. In the end, exploring myself, I often encounter characters that I don't want to come out. The last obsession is the one. I am obsessed with an academic hierarchy. I have a legitimate reason for this. My first life was devoted for soccer to realize my dream, a professional soccer player. Therefore, I chose a college from athletic perspective view rather than academic standpoint. However, a professional soccer player is a short-term occupation. We have to balance academics with athletics preparing for a career above pro. Honestly, I regret choosing a college from athletic perspective view and I do want a high diploma to restart my life. I do not want to be judged by a university I graduate from.

In conclusion, Hirokazu Abe consists of various factors. Each one of factors plays an important role on Hiro. Thinking about the fact that I am twenty- six and my character is mostly formed, these facts will go on in my life. I would rather grow my strengths than improve my weaknesses because a life that I grow strengths will be much more fun than a life that I spare time for struggling with my weaknesses.
  

Well, its been like one and half month since i last posted. I am such a lazy person.

Heres my excuse. I lost the camera connector to computer so that I cannot post pictures. Assuming no one wants to read an article without entertainment like pictures, i stop writing. Good excuse. But, Ive made up my mind. Some people might be interested in studying abroad. I start writing for those people. I heard some students at my ex-college learn English to study abroad. I hope this weblog help those guys what college life in the US is like.

First off, Japanese students can get a higher GPA if you have a resolution to study hard everyday. Even if your speaking English sucks, everyone around you helps you do homework. I can say that studying abroad make more benefits to you than attending college in Japan. One thing you gotta be careful is that being in the us doesnt mean you can naturally improve your English. I know many japanese who dont speak english even though they stay here for years.

Dont worry. Japanese is far different from English such as word order and pronunciation. To be honest with you, if you are thought to be good at english in Japan, your english would be not as good as native speakers. but, remember most americans speak only English. if they make fun of you, curse them in japanese.

Im currently taking history, math, bible and english classes. I would like to talk about my classes next time. Finally, I want to say thank you to people to send me messages on my birthday. I turned 26. My second life has just started. See you tomorrow, maybe.



  

I know its so annoying that all is written in English without pictures.
However, I would like to share what im doing. Here's a story of pen I researched for a class.
Caution: If you're interested in English or the word origin of pen, please go ahead and enjoy it. Otherwise, you had better stop here.



“This is a pen.” is the first English sentence that we, Japanese, learn at Junior high school. There is no doubt that pen is a quite common English word. Pen, for most of us, means a tool of writing in modern English. If you are a student, you are required to use it almost everyday whether or not you like it. Despite the fact that we have a variety of ways including computers to record information, we are still much dependent on pen as a useful recording tool. Generally speaking, common words have a rich history so that we can easily envisage that pen has an abundant of historical stories.

To be my surprise, pen originally meant a small cage for animals such as cow, swine, poultry, and so forth. According to English Oxford Dictionary, pen started to be used for this usage in the late tenth century. This usage eventually began to diverse its original meaning. For instance, Jail where most of the people do not want to stay is called pen, which is presumably derived from the oldest usage of pen. In addition, a small room for a submarine is also called pen. In the mean time, pen began to be referred to a feather of a bird in the late fourteenth century. We might find interrelated connections between these two origins since the oldest usage of pen meant an animal’s room. The current meaning of pen can be attributed to this usage. Thus, we can basically divide oldest usage of pen into two usages: a small room and a bird’s feather. The latter one, as I mentioned above, was developed into a common usage later.

Thinking about pen, I, personally, come up with an image of ballpoint pens sold at Walmart. As a gift, we might select a good fountain pen. Professors usually have a decent pen. Let me think about more historical pens. I am sure that most of us know a feather pen. This is the missing link between the original and modern meaning. People invented a pen by spitting lower end of the quill into two nibs. They dipped it in ink and used it to write down something; thus, pen once meant a bird’s feather was imbued with a new meaning, a tool of writing. This usage is introduced around the same time as its original meaning was. At that time, what we call a penholder today was collectively called pen. Hypothetically speaking, the fact that a penholder used to be called pen could be attributable to the other original usage of pen meaning a small room. As stated above, we can say that pen came to have its current meaning as a writing tool at the relatively early period of its word history.

Pen, finally, reached a present usage. From the middle age of its word history, pen grew into a various branches. The oldest usage as a small room began to have a meaning as construction of confining water for a weir or dam. On the other hand, the other original meaning of pen began to indicate author’s writing manner and writers themselves. Moreover, pen began to be applied to a tool for pricking letters. This might be because the sharpened lower end of pen was useful for piercing holes in paper. For this purpose, a feather doesn’t meet the criteria; therefore, iron or lead was applied for pen for pricking. Pen that used to be made of feather turned to be a metal pen. Thus, pen began to be made of various materials. Nobody using a feather pen a couple of hundred years ago could imagine that almost all of the pens are now made of plastics.

In conclusion, I selected this word because I consider that pen is a prestigious tool for those who seek academics. The maxim says that the pen is mightier than the sword. It is no exaggeration to say that pen is a symbol of intelligence. Admittedly, pen, a tool of writing is a very common English word. It is surprising that pen etymologically means a small room for animals and a feather of a bird; nonetheless, pen is now widely recognized as a tool of writing. Presumably, pen would have other meanings in the future.
  

My blog has been dead for a while. Anyways



The "old" gym at the school.



Working out. I try to work out twice a week.



Im a player's coach of the Varsity soccer team. They remind me of my soccer days.
We have a game every week in the season.



Men!! Hold up!! Central gotta get this thing on rock!!



The well, a coffee shop, is closed on Sundays so I study at the public library on sundays.


To be honest, I reconfirm that we never get language without living with them. Kansas is the center of the U.S. The majority of people have little opportunity to interact with international people in their life. They are pure americans. They hardly accept Asian accent. The only way to communicate with them is to get their accent. im working on it. I feel that my brain construct english brain rapidly. i made a good choice that i attend a small liberal arts college first. Im pretty sure even someone who got 990 on toeic cannot understand english spoken in america without living in the U.S. so What is TOEIC test? its meaningless. I do not understand companies in japan recommend workers to take such a test. Obviously, language is one of the weak points of us. americans never speak like textbooks. we rarely have chance to attend a Christian school, so i have a great experience here. Christianity is not just a religion here. I go to church every sunday and read the bible. whether you like it or not, the Bible is the best seller book forever and ever. Its worth reading. I learn something every single day. I like my life.

Execute small things and capitalize what's needed to be done. I have a really big goal now.
  

Sorry for my laziness. The school has started. I am intentionally taking two history courses, History of World Civ and US History.
I have a great time here. Let me talk about my school and town.



This is my favorite place. Library
It's usually open until 11:00 pm. I often jack one of the desks.



Most of my classes are here. Science hall
It's over 100 years old.





This is Pasons Hall where I am staying. Male dorm.



He is Jaren. He is a true American. He looks like Asian, though.



This is a coffee shop, The Well. A bookstore is attached. Nice!!



I used to play Chess. Now, I have no idea how to play Chess. I'm working on it.


Kansas is the dead center of the U.S. It's hot in summer and cold in winter. I plan to go to San Diego during the winter break. I have a friend there.

I make it a rule to deal with everything in English during my stay in America. I consider English Only Policy is an important discipline for international students.
  

These are events set up for new students and Tiger is a symbol of our college.


The school started today. Classes were interesting and entertaining. This is what I want.


I play soccer for the Versity. I am a playing coach now. Everybody asked me where Nagasaki is.   

He is Mo wearing a Ninja Mask.  

あと個人的な連絡なんですけど、山ちゃん！！パソコンからのメール拒否にしてません？
メールくるけど送れないっす！！  

8月2日にGREが終わってから17日の出国に向けて準備を進めてました。

そんな中、色々な人たちが自分のためにFarewell partyを開いてくれました。

俺の最大の財産は間違いなく友達だな。

18歳の時に実家を出てから帰るたびにバカ騒ぎしたり、人生について語る地元の仲間達。

ボールを通じてつながった全国の仲間達。

25歳の再出発は、たくさんの仲間に支えられながら。
  

今月からアメリカでの学生生活が始まるけど、自分は２つの事を日本で証明出来たと思う。


一つは独学にて高いレベルの英語力を身につける事が可能だという事。


俺は俗に言われる“英語学校”に通ったわけじゃないし、目立った留学歴があるわけでもない。まして両親がアメリカの大学に行っていましたなどという英語に関するバックグランドがあった訳でもない。我が家で英語を使いこなすのは三代さかのぼっても俺だけだ(笑)


さらに俺は大学に入ってから英語を独学で勉強し始めた。中、高と英語は大嫌いだった。


しかしながら、TOEIC910をとり英検１級の１次にパスし、現在のTOEFLibtは95だ。TOEFLは次回のテストで必ず100以上をとるつもりだ。


俺が英語学校などに通わなかった理由はただ一つ。そんな金はどこにもねぇ(笑)高い金を払わなくても、英語は勉強出来る。それを自分は証明出来たと思う。



もう一つは、勉強と運動の両立が可能だという事。しかもこの場合の運動はアスリートレベルでの話だ。

俺は小、中、高、大、プロとすべてアスリートレベルで競技を行ってきた。そんな中で時間を作り勉強した。これは価値のある事だと思う。

俺はサッカーするなら勉強も頑張らなきゃいけないと自分に言い聞かせてきた。サッカーがあるから勉強していた。

だから、運動をしながら勉強する辛さ、厳しさは本当に分かる。また仕事をしながらほかの事を勉強したりチャレンジする大変さも本当に理解出来る。


スポーツと学問は両立出来る。



元サッカー選手がアメリカの大学、大学院に留学するというのは、おそらく前例がない面白い実験だと思う。


ただ逆に今までこういうパタンが少なすぎたようにも思える。スポーツを本気でやった奴らは学問はしょうがないみたいな風潮が確かにある。


いやスポーツにそこまで本気になれるなら、他の事にだって本気になれるはずだ。


そうすれば競技生活を終えた後の生き甲斐をみつけられるし、他の分野でまたトップを目指して人生生きていける。それってすげぇいい人生だと思う。  

ブログの写真を変えて心機一転やっていきます！！
８月２日にGREというアメリカの大学院に必要な試験を終えて、晴れて自由の身になりました。
この３ヶ月間で４回テストを受けました。これからは８月17日の渡米に向けて準備していきます。服つめたり、服つめたり、服つめたり（笑）


ブログを再開するにあたって、PLUSS＋の渡辺和博さんに写真等でかなりお世話になりました。ありがとうございます。








少し前ですが
２ヶ月ぶりに試合!!最近図書館⇔職場だったから、顔が焼けまくって痛い!!





そしてこちらの商品は完全なる自己満足なので我慢して下さい(笑)


三ヶ月ぐらい前からEDWINのXXXを狙っていました。そしてついにGET!!宝です(笑)


アメリカ行く前にmade-in-Japan デニムが欲しくて。EDWINのデニムは買ったことなかったけど、このXXXには一目惚れ!!


40年代のスペックを忠実に復刻し…以下略(笑)とにかくヤバい!!もちろん生デニムを購入し育てます。


今地震が来たら間違いなくこいつをもって逃げます(笑)


あとパソコンMacにしました!!


気がつけばあと10日ちょいで渡米。自分の中でやっと時間が動き出した今日この頃。