Best things about my age

The best thing to be a twenty-year-old man is enjoying more freedom, because many young people live away from home in a hall of residence when they’re studying at the university. At the age of twenty most of the youngsters are becoming more mature to make a decision about their future career, because they have enough wisdom that comes with age and experience.

  At this age you have many great plans about your future life but in reality you don’t have enough time and money to do such things as travelling all over the world.

The only bad thing is that sometimes adults that reach the age of twenty look young for their age. Some persons tend to treat people unfairly based on age, so this age discrimination can affect people who are looking for a job.

  You can say that you are in your prime at twenty, but I believe that it’s true for all ages.

First day at university

I’ll always remember the time I first went to the Oriental University. It started as a typical first day at university, when everyone tries to leave their past behind and start afresh.

I have to say that I tend to keep myself to myself so I find it hard to be open with people I’ve just met. I can’t say that I  enjoy social situations where I don’t know anyone that’s why on my first day at University I was feeling kind of nervous, maybe a bit shy. I spent the whole time looking at other students wondering how confident they looked. Then I started to communicate with them and I felt completely relieved when I realized that they were as nervous as I was.

After classes my group mates   – who will be later learning Japanese like me – said that they wanted to go to the café for a cup of coffee and ice-cream. I joined them without hesitation. Though it was raining hard, it didn’t stop us. Only a few of us had umbrellas with them, so very soon some of us got wet to the skin.

 We wandered  from one café to another trying to find a café where eight people can sit at one and the same table together. We found one  at last and had a very good time there.

Now I find it funny but three years ago it was so cold and rainy that I don’t think  it was.

 By the way, two of those people became my close friends.

Japanese family traditions

  Today I’d like to tell you about some of the Japanese family traditions.

  Like people of any other society, Japanese also follow a specific code of etiquettes, which rules the social behavior of the people. Some of them are understandable by Western people, others can look strange, perhaps. But In Japan , it is obligatory for every individual to obey the customs and traditions and to follow them without question. Some of the traditions are being followed for ages, some have been modified in modern times. Still, no matter what, even visitors are expected to learn these customs and follow them, while  they are in the ‘Land of Rising Sun.

  I will start with telling you with the description of the tradition which can look strange to most of you. It is bathing traditions.

  Bathing can be simply a matter of washing dirt off the body; on the other hand, it can also have spiritual components. One Japanese term is misogi, which means ritual purification with water. The process is important both in Shintoism and Buddhism. Thus, the bath is good for both the physical well-being and the psychological/spiritual well-being of the person.

  In the western country, people who take a bath run water into the tub, climb in and wash, then finish and drain the water from the bathtub. So, the person ends up washing themselves in dirty water. A shower, of course, overcomes this limitation but does not allow the soaking of the body that can prove relaxing.

  In Japan, the procedure is very different. When you enter the bathing place you do not immediately enter the bathtub/pool. You sit on a stool and cover yourself with hot water. You clean yourself thoroughly, shampoo your hair if you wish, and rinse it off. Only after you are clean, you enter the tub/pool to relax. This allows a number of people to use the same tub since the water in the tub does not get dirty  quickly.

  In homes with small tubs, each family member bathes one by one, in order of seniority, traditionally starting with the oldest male or the oldest person in the household (grandmother may bathe before the father of the house). If there are guests in the home, they will be given priority. In homes with larger tubs, it is common for family members to bathe together. Typically one or both parents will bathe with babies and toddlers. And even as children grow older, they may still bathe with one of their parents.

  Another very major difference between the Japanese society and Western society was the openness to mixed bathing. Although some bathhouses were divided specifically into male and female sections, many others allowed mixed bathing of both sexes. Mixed bathing was written about as early the 7th century. Again, during the Edo Period the government tried to stop the mixed bathing, with some success at least in Edo. In 1869 the government of the Meiji Period prohibited mixed bathing. 

  Now, I am going to turn to some meals- taking traditions.

  Meals in Japan traditionally begin with the phrase itadakimasu (いただきます) (literally, "I humbly receive"). The phrase is similar to "bon appétit", or saying grace to give thanks before a meal. It is said to express gratitude for all who played a role in preparing, cultivating, ranching or hunting the food. Upon finishing a meal, the Japanese also use the polite phrase Gochisosama-deshita (ごちそうさまでした Gochisōsama-deshita) (lit. You were a Feast (preparer)). So this phrase basically gives respect for making the meal.

  Bento (弁当 bentō) is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container.

  Bento can be very elaborately arranged in a style called kyaraben or "character bento". Kyaraben is typically decorated to look like popular Japanese cartoon (anime) characters, characters from comic books (manga), or video game characters.

  Another popular bento style is "oekakiben" or "picture bento", which is decorated to look like people, animals, buildings and monuments, or items such as flowers and plants. Contests are often held where bento arrangers compete for the most aesthetically pleasing arrangements.

  Let me move on to the last point of my messaga which I trust can interest you. I mean receiving guests in a Japanese home.

  Visiting the house of a Japanese person, unless they're very close to you, can be quite frightening or nervous. Like most things in Japan, there are a lot of  rules and interpretations of body language, but the good thing is that they at least make sense.

  The hosts generally offer slippers to wear inside the house, but ensuring they are clean is the guest's responsibility. A hat or coat is to be removed before the door to the house is opened. It should be put back on only after the guest has left the house, and the door to the house has been closed. 

  The guest is given the best of everything, as receiving a guest is a big  honor for its hosts.. It is normal to receive a gift from the host. The guest may politely refuse to take the gift the first time, but should accept it I the host insists, the second time.

  To the Japanese, gift giving is a way of communicating respect, friendship, and appreciation. When meeting with a Japanese colleague or visitor for the first time, always be prepared for the gift -giving ritual that has been deeply rooted in the Japanese culture for centuries.

  Gift-giving is an accepted practice experienced everyday, from taking a little something to a neighbor to receiving an extra radish from the greengrocer. If you give someone a gift, you can be sure to receive one in return. And, if you want a gift, you must give one first.

  For the Japanese, gift-giving at its finest is a sign of appreciation, and at its worst, a competition. When you return a gift, yours must be better and more expensive. In turn, the gift you will receive, will be better and more expensive than the one you gave. The value of the gifts increase in rapid succession.

  I’d like to conclude that these are just a few tips for a few occasions. There are a lot more family customs in Japan which are worth learning about.

My close friend

  I suppose I’ve got six or seven close friends. I think that good friends always have a lot in common but I disagree with the statement that they must have similar character.

  I met my best friend thirteen years ago when I went to school. We studied in the same class, and both lived near our school. We soon found out that we had a lot in common and quickly became close friends.

  I’m mot amazed we got on so well because we have so many things in common. I think we come from the same background. We grew up in apartments in Moscow. We also share the same taste in music, books, films and other things. We have the same ideas about politics and other less important things.

  I think, that our personalities are different – he's very artistic and he is an easy going person, but I am a little bit shy. Now he plays the guitar in a music band. Several times I was at their concert and I liked their music.

Nowadays we study at different institutes so we can’t communicate face to face every day as before but we keep in touch through the Internet and texting.

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my favorite book

Today I want tell you about books, book choice and my favorite book.

I prefer books over magazines, because books are nicer to read, the storyline in books isn't short, so you can read it for a long time.

Magazines are pretty and have nice cover, I'm not interested in advertising, so I never look through them, but if I have a good book, I can read it for hours.

I don’t judge a book by its cover. Before buying a book, I always read book synopsis. I’m a great fan of fiction, so I hardly ever read biographies and autobiographies. My favorite book is “Crime and Punishment” written by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Crime and Punishment is a detective novel set in Russia in the late 19^th century. The story revolves around Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.

The central male character is Raskolnikov – rebellious ex-student who lived in St. Petersburg. He formulated his own theory about people, and killed old lady, which was pawnbroker.

I enjoy reading Crime and Punishment. It is such an interesting novel. I think it was well written. The characters are engaging and believable, especially Rodion Raskolnikov. The storyline is brilliant. It’s wonderful.

my language experience

                         Some words about learning

  I think it's impossible to learn a language without making mistakes. It isn't very good if you make too many mistakes, people can't understand you. As to me, I can use my mistakes to improve my English to learn from them.

  The idea is: if you just sit back and are passive about what you’re trying to learn, if you don’t take risks, if you don’t try to use what you’ve learned, I think you can’t learn a language, or you only learn how to get by in basic situations. I fully agree with the statement that anytime you learn something, it’s trial and error.

 What makes a good student? In my opinion, a good student should be keen on learning and stick to it. Also, it’s a good idea to be a good time manager because if you make the most of your time, don’t kill the time, you can do more things during the day. I always do a difficult or unpleasant job straight away, because when I do that I can do a less difficult job or have a break. I don’t leave any work until the last minute. I think that I am a punctual person, because I try to do things in good time and never come on my appointments and classes late.

  I tried to keep lists of things that I needed to do in my head, but once my memory failed me, so I started to do lists of important things. When I studied at school, there were piles of paper on my desk. Now there is only a forest of stickers. I break huge tasks into smaller jobs. I start to do my task during two or three days.

  And what makes a good teacher? In my opinion, a good teacher is able to listen well to a student’s concerns, answer questions well, explain anything that the students might not understand. And of course a good teacher should love teaching.

  The best way to learn English or another foreign language is to go and live in an English speaking country ( or country the language of which  you’re learning), get lots of foreign friends. Communication in routine situations is also a good way to learn a language.   

My memories of childhood

                                 My food memories

  Both my mum and dad were great cooks when I was growing up. My dad was a better cook than my mum. In my family, we used to try new things and experiment with food. I’ve always loved trying new foods. The only thing I really disliked was porridge. I tried to avoid it. When I was a child and went to the kindergarten, all the children ate porridge but I drank cocoa with a sandwich.

  In our family, we always used to eat around a table, it’s our tradition. I think that meals were, and still are, a family event. My parents invite the friends and relatives and have a birthday party.

  My favourite food was the sort of thing that I remember having a lot when I was younger – food that my dad used to cook (meat dishes) and my mum’s apple pie. I know that in childhood I didn’t like candies, but now I like them.

  I used to eat junk food, but now I care about my health and I rarely eat fast food.  From time to time I can have a snack with a chocolate bar and feel quite good about it.