Differences and Similarities of transportation

Miyuki

There are a lot of kinds of public transportation which are often used in Spokane and Nishinomiya; bus systems and train systems. In fact, there are also many differences and similarities between the two cities even they use the same sorts of transportation. I came to the United States for the first time and have been surprised at the diversity of public transportation between Spokane and Nishinomiya, where MWU is and I live. In addition, as time goes on, I have also figured out resemblance. As a result, with these differences and similarities, I can understand how significant public transportation for Spokane and Nishinomiya is to meet need of people living in Spokane and Nishinomiya.

Nishinomiya has significant public transportation meeting need of people: trains and buses. Nishinomiya is a small city located on Hyogo, but it has three kinds of train public transportation systems which are very useful: Hankyu Railway, and Hanshin Railway, and JR-West. First, Hankyu Railway was established on June 12, 1899 as Settsu Electric Railway Co., Ltd and changed the name into Hankyu Railway on July 7, 1899. Hankyu Railway mainly connects Osaka, Kobe and Takarazuka with Kyoto and has no less than 10 lines. In addition, the fare is reasonable although it changes depending on travel distance; you can travel from $1.50 to $6 from 1 to 76km around the city or use integrated circuit cards (PiTaPa and ICOCA). As a result, there are 1,950,000 people using Hankyu Railway every weekday. Second, Hanshin Railway was established in 1907 as Minoo Arima Electric Tramway Company. Hanshin Railway mainly connects Osaka with Kobe and has no less than four lines; moreover, the fare is appropriate as well as Hankyu Railway; you can use IC cards, commuter passes, coupon tickets and tickets which can be discounted. Third, JR-West (West Japan Railway Company) was founded on April 1, 1987 as part of Japanese National Railways, which the government owns. It mainly helps people travel for business and leisure between small cities and rural areas in western Japan, and JR-West mainly connects Osaka with Fukuoka, which is located on north of Kyusyu. It has no less than 1,222 stations and more than 60 lines. In addition, when it comes to the fare, IC cards are accepted, and other tickets which can be discounted are also useful as well as other companies. As a result, it prospers to have 52.011 billion per year from not only Nishinomiya but also from other cities. These three train companies connect Nishinomiya with other famous cities such as Osaka, Kobe, Takarazuka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka. They help people have small trips at a reasonable expense. Now, there can be some reasons based on geography and population of Nishinomiya. First, as I referred, Nishinomiya is near large and popular cities and prefectures like Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Takarazuka. In these prefectures and cities, a lot of people commute to schools or offices, so it is essentially needed for the train to connect Nishinomiya with other big parts of Japan with lots of lines even between small cities. Additionally, there is enough population (476,329) to build many rail roads, and they meet the customers’ need in a densely populated district. This is why train systems are important in Nishinomiya.

On the other hand, the buses are also magnificent transportation, and there are three kinds of bus systems: Hankyu bus, Hanshin bus, and Sakurayamanami Bus. First, Hankyu Bus was founded on July, 24, 1927, and the buses run in the three areas: Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo, including Nishinomiya. Second, Hanshin Bus was established on December, 14, 2005, and the buses mainly run around Amagasaki, Osaka, Kobe, and Nishinomiya. Third, Sakurayamanami Bus was founded on April, 1, 2009, and the buses run only in Nishinomiya, and the routes of buses are set up around from Nishinomiya to other main cities. When it comes to the fares of the three bus systems, although it depends on travel distance, they are very reasonable as well as train systems because there are many valuable things: IC cards, discounted tickets for the elderly and children, and coupon tickets. In addition, some buses have designed barrier-free for the elderly and handicapped. As a result, these buses are used by any generation. Additionally, there should be some reasons located on geography and population of the small city, Nishinomiya. Although Nishinomiya is a tiny city, there are lots of facilities such as shopping centers and supermarkets, so it would be easier to go there by bus than by train because there are many stops standing around the city, and it takes short time to get there. In addition, Nishinomiya has large population (476,329), and it is also needed for private bus companies to provide them with public transportation which can be useful and convenient. For these reasons, both train systems and bus systems are important for people in Nishinomiya and prove useful.

Spokane also has wonderful public transportation to meet need of people living there: buses and trains. There are two kinds of important public transportation: Amtrak and STA. The former is so useful that people can travel in long distance, and the latter is also so great that people can use it to go somewhere locally easily. Now, let me explain Amtrak system. The name is derived from America and Track. Amtrak was organized on May 1, 1971 as a government-owned corporation to provide service in the United States. It also supplies passenger service on 21,000 miles (34,000 km), and 500 destinations in 46 states. In the United States, there did not use to be a national railway, and only private railways were used; however, a lot of private railways were abolished because people began to use air planes and cars, and the numbers using trains decreased in 1960s. To save train systems in the United States, small companies in each area got together to start of Amtrak. To ride on Amtrak, you need to make reservation with an identification card in advance, but there are some seats you can have without a reservation. There are basically sleeping berths and seats, and the price is different from each of them. For example, if you want to travel for Seattle to Los Angeles, you need to pay $174 for a seat, $417 for a berth, and $589 for a bedroom. Although the price is not so reasonable, Amtrak secures regular numbers of passengers (in 2008, 28.7 million passengers used Amtrak). In contrast, some people in Spokane often do not use Amtrak except if they want to travel in a long distance, and they often do not use trains because Spokane does not have local trains. This is because and the United States has a large land, and Amtrak connects only a big city with another big city because of the size of the United States. There is not enough population in each area, so it might be difficult for train companies to build new railroads in every small city. However, Amtrak is still needed for the reasons above.

Next, Spokane is famous for STA, which is the shorten name of Spokane Transit Authority. STA was founded in 1980 as the Spokane Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority. The service of buses’ running in the Spokane area started in 1883, and as STA was developing, 26 million passengers used STA in 1946. The Buses always run around the cities including Spokane Valley, Cheney, Liberty, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, and Spokane with lots of passengers (248 square miles (642 km2) and STA has 149 buses running around these areas). There should also be a reason why STA is popular in Spokane: the fare. In 2011, you need $1.50 for single ride regular fares, $0.75 for VIP fares, and $3.50 for Day passes for adults and VIPs. In addition, you need $45.00 for Adult 31-day passes and $22.50 for VIP 31-day passes. Additionally, there must be some reasons based on geography and population of Spokane. Spokane is a part of Washington State, and there are a lot of stores clustering together in small parts of Spokane like Valley Mall and North Town. These streets are so crowded, which means that there is enough population for bus companies to prepare many buses. For these reasons, STA is also important for people in Spokane. These train and bus’s systems of public transportation are important with great and valuable things like reasonable fares.

Finally, through learning both features of public transportation, I have reconfirmed that both public transportation is important in the two countries. In addition, the differences and similarities are also significant to satisfy people living there. The differences are the amount of railways and frequency of using trains. In Spokane, trains connect only from a big city with another large city; however, in Nishinomiya, trains connect not only between big cities but also small towns. In addition, the reasons why they use trains are different. In Spokane, people use them to travel in a long distance, but in Nishinomiya, people use them not only travel in a long distance but also in a short distance. As a result, the frequency of using trains becomes different. The similarities are that these buses run around the cities and there are a lot of bus stops to be useful. In both Spokane and Nishinomiya, people use them in an easy way, so the frequency becomes almost the same. As a result, I have realized how valuable and interesting both systems of public transportation of both Spokane and Nishinomiya are for people to go either in a long distance or in a short distance.

My Goals

What are my short-term and long-range goals in life? In fact, I have never considered about those things. I enrolled at Mukogawa Women’s University without thinking about anything but studying English. I have been learning English for about seven years with no goals, but I have realized the day has come when I have to decide my short-time and long-range goals to keep studying English. I want to discuss what I have been working for and how I can make my goals come true.

First, let me discuss short-term goal: to be more active and responsible for my duty. In fact, looking back to my life at the university, I was too negative to express and behave myself in Japan. In addition, I tended to depend on someone whenever I was in trouble. On arriving at MFWI, I have noticed I have to propose my opinions not only in classes but also in daily life to keep following differences between America and Japan. In other words, I should be required to make myself understood clearly. Additionally, I have to be responsible for what I do because I live with my classmate not alone. I should not be lazy here as I was in Japan; I have to take care of myself. I want to mend my habit and change my mind to meet these needs. Next, let me explain about my long-range goal: teach English to someone who need me. I tend to care about small spots in sentences such as why people use particular words to express themselves, and then I wonder how many people have the same questions like me and how I can help them. I am interested in Linguistics, and I want to learn it as possible as I can if it might take me a long time. I will always be careful to notice whatever can be questions of linguistics and also keep studying English having fun. I have to consider about my aim more seriously, but these are my goal that I am thinking about for now.

It might be true that questions about what my aims are and how I can reach them are the most difficult to answer in my life. It is the fact that I wondered how I would write down my opinions on paper; however, it was an important opportunity and the time to decide what to do in life. I want to be active for everything facing me and answerable for my attitude. Additionally, by behaving myself neatly, I also want to be serious to learn English and linguistics. I will teach English to people who wants to share my knowledge. My goals should be controversial; however, I am going to develop these ideas.

Summary of my classroom observation

Miyuki

How interesting a class of other countries! I visited Cheney High School today and found a lot of diversity. What I got interested in was the student-teacher interaction and the attitude of the students in the class because they were completely different from those of Japan. I am going to summarize what I learned and explain about my impression from the class.

Let me discuss the student-teacher interaction and the attitude of the students in the class that I observed today. It was about a diagram, which seemed to be so difficult. The interesting class had both boys and girls (fifteen to sixteen), and they were seriously participated in the useful lecture of a diagram. The teacher used power point, and the students also used a machine to calculate, which I thought was the latest way to teach something. The interaction between the teacher and students and the attitude of the students in the class was great, for example the teacher asked a lot of questions to make students understand what he said, and they tried to answer questions he gave and ask questions all the time. Although there was a little silence, they also tried to express their opinions raising their hands and respond to him nodding and saying “Yes” and “I do”. The teacher accounted for what one of the students, who honestly said that she did not get it, could not understand in a friendly way: he listened to her opinion and explained the question gently. Through the class, I realized that they helped each other and were connected with strong relationships.

Finally, let me conclude what I learned from the class that I participated in at Cheney High School. It was my first time to see how students in America took a class, and I found many differences between America and Japan. The most amazing things were the relationship between students and teacher and students’ attitude for a class. They were excellent and would hardly happen in Japan. Through this observation, I understood how American students spent their time at school a little bit and deepened knowledge of studying abroad. As a result, this experience encouraged me to know lots of things about other countries.

What a great trip!

Miyuki

Don’t you want to know about the trip to Seattle for the three days? The small trip to Seattle was so amazing and wonderful, so it might be above description. Through the stay in Seattle, I learned a lot of things which were all terrific and was moving me all time; moreover, I found Seattle was a great city attracted by beautiful nature, bustling atmosphere, and friendly people. All the experiences in Seattle will be my one of my great memories that I never want to forget during my stay in the United States. Not to forget these amazing recollections and to let you know how splendid the Seattle trip was, I want to write down what the most impressive things for the three days.

Many things I saw and experienced were moving me all time during the Seattle trip: Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass, Washington History Museum, the University of Washington, and Washington State Capital. First, I was being absorbed in Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass because the glass art was graceful with the colorful design, and at that moment, I felt as if I were a part of the glass art. In addition, as I walked under the bridge, the pattern of color changed, which never bored me. Next, Washington History Museum stood stately, and there were many mystic objects I had never seen before, which attracted me all the time. Additionally, the guide explained about the history in a friendly way, so I enjoyed being in the museum. After that, the University of Washington was so lovely because the buildings were like castles, and I felt I was walking in a wonderland. When I stood in front of a big fountain and looked back to the way I walked on, I saw Mount Rainier, which looked magnificent. The guide said that she hardly saw the mountain because it often rained in Seattle, and I was glad to hear that we were lucky. Finally, Washington State Capital was fabulous because when I entered the building, I was surprised at the design and construction; there was a big chandelier which was presented from Tiffany and seals of George Washington. It was my first time to visit these places, and they were all so wonderful that they attracted me in the new world.

I am fond of all of them and I want to go to Seattle again. These buildings imprinted me a lot and fascinated me to take lots of pictures which will be one of my valuable treasures, so I will never forget the important memories. If you are curious about Seattle, I want you to visit Seattle at least once and have fun like me.

Get Though Culture Shock!

Miyuki

What do you feel when you stay other countries for a long time? Some might feel happy, excited, or comfortable. On the other hand, others might get unhappy, disappointed, or uncomfortable. In fact, there are 4 stages of culture shock that one would go through during a stay in other countries: the honeymoon stage, culture shock, the acceptance stage, and the integration. Not everyone but most people would experience these stages, so if you know them, it will help you adjust yourself to a new environment. In other words, it is important to understand the stages to learn to live in a new culture.

Through these stages, it might be easy for your emotions to change from happy to unhappy easily like a roll coaster; for example, at the honeymoon stage, you might be excited because everything is new and seems to be interesting. At the second stage named culture shock stage, you might be depressed and get angry or sad easily against a new culture. At the next stage called the acceptance stage, you might begin to feel so comfortable that you could accept new customs, and you might not be angry or sad so often. At the last stage: the integration stage, you might think you are a member of the new country because you are used to it. As you go through the four stages, your emotions would intensely change, and then you might learn how to live in a new world.

If I try to put myself at these 4 stages of culture shock, I am unfortunately at the second stage, culture shock. This is because I sometimes do not feel good with a new environment such as food, language, and living. There is some food I cannot eat because of a difference of taste, and I have struggled to make myself understood in English. Moreover, I often have a difficulty sleeping, which phenomenon has made me notice that I suffer culture shock, but, I will not take it seriously because I know it will pass and go on the next stage soon. If you also have culture shock like me, I will tell you the situation under which you are at is temporary and you do not need to worry about it too much, so you will see an exit of culture shock soon.

Each country must have something new for you, so it is no wonder that you feel comfortable or uncomfortable during a stay in other countries. In other words, living in other countries is not easy; however, if you know you are going to get used to new customs and culture thorough these 4 stages of culture shock: the honeymoon stage, culture shock, the acceptance stage, and the integration, it might be a piece of cake for you to live together in a new environment, so you will have fun, adjusting yourself to the new wourld.

Diversity of Class Teaching

Miyuki

How come the classroom teaching is different between MWU and MFWI? About three weeks have passed since the classes started, and I found attractive and interesting differences between them. They have made me understand some rules in America and also helped me reconsider about Japanese rules. As a result, it is founded that both of them have peculiar systems and should be respected because these are individuality of two countries: diversity between MWU and MFWI.

There are a lot of diversity of class teaching showed in every class between MWU and MFWI. First, classes of Japan have an interesting rule of class teaching. It might be required in a class to be passive or dependent, and this attitude could keep a classroom to be quiet and help students to be in harmony, for example, in almost all classes except English classes at MFWU, I do not need to speak so much but listen to a lecture carefully without saying anything for ninety minutes. This is because the system might have a lecture keep going smoothly; moreover, teachers can teach students information efficiently in limited time. On the other hand, classes of America have other different system of class teaching. It might be required to be active or independent, and this attitude might help students have their own opinions about a topic and learn how to study by themselves, for example, in all the classes at MFWI, I have to not only pay attention to a lecture but also express myself with my own opinions during each class. Additionally, this rule might have students encourage each other to study hard and also make classes become more colorful and energetic. Both of them are quite different from each other; however, they are not good or bad but their personalities, so they should to be esteemed.

Finally, the useful characteristics or differences of each I have got comparing two types of classroom teaching should be turned out. The Japanese rule wants students to be silent and to concentrate on a lecture without saying anything, which might make a classroom calm down. On the other hand, the American system wants them to be powerful to express themselves with their own thought, which might make a classroom become interesting. I have come to MFWI to learn differences of culture, education, and life. I am not supposed to choose which the best is; however, I will input respective advantages from both of them and treasure this important diversity and features.

Wonderful Homestay Weekend!

Miyuki
How wonderful homestay is! In fact, I did not know how amazing it was before I spent time with my host family because it was my first time, and I was anxious about what would happen to me. Contrary to my worries, the homestay was terrific; I learned American culture more directly than I do at MFWI. What surprised me was the housing and some food, so I want to talk about these things accounting for my impression and how fun the homestay was.

What do you think about homestay? You might feel nervous, but you do not have to be because it is very fun. The most interesting things are housing I stayed, and visited and food I ate. It took about fifteen minutes to go to the host family’s house from MFWI, and when I arrived there, I was surprised at the size and construction of the house because I had hardly seen such a residence in Japan. On entering the residence, I noticed that it was filled with a lot of beautiful furniture, uncommon ornaments, and sweat love of the family. In addition, I realized that the house was designed in a different way from Japan’s; there is more extra room than there is in Japan. I understood some Americans use many rooms for different purposes like a bedroom and a library. On the other hand, some Japanese use a few rooms in diverse ways like they often share a bedroom and a library. Next, when I helped the host family to make dinner, pizza, I was also amazed at how they did it; there were two big ovens and a dish washer. I have hardly heard that people in Japan have such these things in their kitchens, so I was astonished to see their wonderful ways of cooking. Additionally, I learned differences between America and Japan of what food people ate at every meal. I mean that food I ate was completely different from food I usually eat in Japan; I ate cinnamon roll in the morning for the first time. These things I learned from a visit to host family’s house were new for me; however, they were also interesting to know some culture of America.

Do you understand how brilliant homestay is? You might feel strange about differences between America and Japan, but you will start to enjoy them. In America, housing is lovely because there are a lot of rooms with nice stuff for different purposes, and food is delicious and healthy. As a result, I had a great time with my host family. You can go through great experiences if you have an opportunity like me.