Harajuku

I want to introduce Harajuku, where is a town of Tokyo. Young people especially go to the town to go out with friends, to go shopping, and to see different kind of people, so there are quite a lot of people like a festival every day. Harajuku has been giving birth to the newest fashion and culture which catches on young people for a long time. Thus, you can find the trend of Japan when you go there, but at the same time it is really difficult for you to recognize the culture clearly. Because lots of strange people stay in Harajuku and you can see people who wear weird clothes or are piercing all of their body: If you take pictures, they must be colorful. Now Japanese "Manga" which is comic are quite popular in Japan that some people imitate the character of Manga. It is also one of the big industry in Japan.

I can't understand why Harajuku people want to wear strange costumes. It's disgusting, but it's true that they are one of the aspect of Tokyo and Harajuku is composed of weird people. Anyway, you'll be able to enjoy a lot if you visit Harajuku. You can take a picture with Harajuku people if you want. They look strange but they are gentle as far as I know.

In the end, I was searching on Google to introduce the town and to put some pictures. But, I realized it's quite different between Harajuku and 原宿 in Google Images although the meanings are exactly same. In Japanese letter, you can see landscape or some snaps. On the other hand, you can see a kind of Harajuku style in English. Both of them are true, but the difference is interesting, I think.

Alcalá de Henares

Hi again!

I´m going to introduce you my city: Alcalá de Henares. It is 20-25km from Madrid, 35 minutes train ride.
It´s  the second biggest city of  the "Comunidad de Madrid" and World Heritage.
Alcalá is full of very beautiful places, museums, traditional events, bars, libraries...but I only told you about 4 things:
The University of Alcalá de Henares (or Cisneriana). Built in 1499 by the Cardinal Cisneros, it was one of the most important universities in Spain in the Golden Age.

The Cervantes Square (La Plaza de Cervantes) is in the centre of Alcalá. It has the Cervantes´sculture, called informaly as "El Monigote" by the young inhabitants of Alcalá where the most of people usually meet.
It is a very beautiful place to go for a stroll.

All the days, but specially during the weekend, to lunch and dinner the bars are full of people going to have a beer, vermouth or wine with a "tapa" free with each drink. The tapas used to be a piece of bread with spanish ham or chorizo, but now they are small typical spanish dishes or typical sandwith. It´s supposed to be an aperitif before lunch but it has become the lunch or the dinner.

The week around the 9th October, there is a famous event. Alcalá become a Medieval City, the people wear medieval costumes and sell handmade things, food...everything! there are gigs everywhere, in the streets, in sceneries...

The Don Juan Tenorio in the streets of Alcalá is a very famous event in my city.

I hope you have enjoyed with this small description of my city!

My first week in the course

Hi!!

I´m Laura, I´m investigating how to use the blog and, at the same time, I am taking this oportunity to tell us how has been my first week! I like that the class is full of people of a lot of countries and, when we are making the exercises and we have to speak with other partners, it became more interesting because you can learn things about another lifestyles, cultures, foods...
In my first day of the course, one teacher made me one test and after that, another one interviewed me with another girl just to know our level...the girl that came with me spoke perfectly, then, for a moment, I thought that my level was awful!!! but the teacher tell her that she had a very high level to go to our course...I breath after to listen this!!
I´m very happy because I can undestand more or less all that the teachers say and, of course, to my partners. But I can not undestand yet to all the british people in the street...I think I will need much more time!

Greets to all us...see you tomorrow!!!

Kaiseki

This is traditional Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki. You could see many kind of foods, but these are served as course food little by little, which is mainly composed of starter, boiled food, grilled food, soup, and sweets although it depends on the course menu. Kaiseki doesn't only have great taste, but also shows you how it looks and traditional Japanese style. For the sake of it, Kaiseki looks really beautiful and is basically reflected on season. Vegetables, fish, and even plates are different in four seasons. In addition, only sophisticated cooker can cook Kaiseki with fresh foods and traditional style. They have to train for a long time, probably until they give up having knives. It's especially difficult to make lovely flavour with fish, seaweed, good balance of ingredients, etc.

I've had Kaiseki with my family for only a few times, because great one is quite expensive and it's hard for only young people to go to eat in atmosphere. The last time that I had it was just before I came to London. Fresh foods with superb tastes really great. It's the one of the reason that is impossible for me to forget Japanese. In my city, I can eat a variety of foods of the world, but I think Japanese people became not to have Japanese food like Kaiseki: compare to other food, it's expensive, so it makes me happy whenever I have Kaiseki and have any opportunities.

HongKong steamed fish 香港清蒸魚

Raw oysters , Chinese steam fish and sashimi

Dear all ,

My favourite dishes are raw oysters , Chinese steamed fish and sashimi .

Raw oysters don't have to cook , when you enjoy raw oysters with lemon juice , tomato juice and Germany white wine .

You can taste tasty raw oysters juicy from the sea , you can feel a bit fresh salty from the sea .

Me and my husband always eat raw oysters in a restaurant or buy it in a supermarket then enjoyed raw oysters at home.

Chinese steamed fish cook with spring onion , ginger , good soya sauce , chilli and corianders , put a fish and seasonings on a big dish then prepared a wok and poured some water into the wok , then put the dish with fish into the wok , recovered a lid then steamed eighteen minutes , it is done.

I am a dab hand at Chinese steamed fish , hahaha , I mean that I can cook Chinese steamed fish very delicious and I felt pride , but before cook , a fish have to still live , sorry .

Because from 1895 until 1945 Japan dominion Taiwan fifty years , Taiwanese love sashimi as well .

Sashimi don't have to cook , it is raw fish , when you eat sashimi with soya sauce , wasabi and sake ( Japanese wine ) .

Every time when I eat out , I tend to choose Japanese restaurant , I really enjoyed sashimi and sake.

One of photo which I enjoyed sashimi and sake in a famous Japanese restaurant , CHEERS .

with love

Chen Chen

The Secondary and High-school

Dear all ,

I studied in a state maixed secondary and studied in a state single-sex high school. I remember the high school students cannot wear trousers in the winter .

My favourite subjects was Chinese literature , because the Chinese literature teacher was handsome and I really like Chinese poem as Tang dynasty ( 618-907 ) poem and poets and the Song dynasty ( 960- 1279 ) poem and poets . But I didn't like physics and chemical , because I didn't know what were they discuss about ? I felt bored .

In my high school , my English teacher always asked me to sing a pop English song at lesson , I really loved the song so I like my high school English teacher .

In my secondary school , I like the Chinese literature teacher because he was a gorgeous and tall man , I love him at the moment and he taught me a lot of Chinese poem , but I didn't like the English teacher because he felt all the students were stupid and he didn't interested to teach us .

In my secondary and high school , I was in serious trouble because a lot of teenage boy wrote me the love letters to school for me , they didn't know where I live in and I had to see the headmaster . They made me in a big trouble so I didn't like them . Study here is better because nobody sent me a love letter .

Taiwan education system is the best in the world , because 97% young students can into the university , the government provided low interest ( 1.2% ) to young students , the students graduated and get a job then they pay back money to the government.

I was a good student at secondary and high school , until now , I am a good student in Hugh eyes.

with love

chen chen