Yesterday

Yesterday somehow I could not upload blog.
So today I'm blogging what I was supposed to write.

After doing the internship, I went to the Seattle Public Library to study(!).
Although it was already 6pm at that time, I wanted to study seriously.
I know my bad habit that I cannot move from my MacBook once I go back to home.
So I made a surrounding that I have to study.
To be honest I bring iPad everyday but it's not as useful as MacBook.
In deed I did study for 2 hours after working.
Therefore yesterday was such a massive day.


In addition afterward there are a beautiful scenery in downtown Seattle yesterday.
Even though I couldn't see the sunset (because of the daylight saving time), I took some pictures of architecture and sky.

I was very satisfied with myself yesterday.

And also since yesterday I've started reading newspapers while having lunch at the office.
I don't want to stay in front of the PC while eating and I found there are some newspapers in the dining room.
So I decided to do it every working day.
Actually I found the article about kind of photo contest today.
It must be fun and so I'm planning to participate it.
Also yesterday I read the article about the house-barge, which I was shown when I joined the tour.
It is very famous from the movie, 'Sleepless in Seattle".
I haven't watched it yet but I must watch it since I am in Seattle!

Anyways, I'm doing my best now.
I don't know what is the best but I'm doing what I believe.

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps: 4733
breakfast: orange juice
lunch: hamburger/coleslaw
dinner:BLT with avocado/coleslow

Communication

So....
1 week has already passed since I started an internship.
It was so quick for me.
So far I've just encountered one problem.

Even in Japan I'm not sociable so much, it's much harder to comunicate with co-workers in English.
Some of them have lunch together but I'm not enough confident to join them.
It's my first hard time to encounter at internship.
I know it's gonna be easy once I join them.
I like to talk with others because I can get a lot of knowledge but I need courage.
Anyways, I'm struggling.

Actually I talk with my host mom much more than before.
We talk about weather, fashion, food, my internship, information around here and so on.

I think once I get over this situation, it's gonna be easy to communicate with co-workers.
So I'll take a chance!!!(当たって砕けろだ！)
That's all I need to do right now.

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps: 8646
breakfast: biscuit/orange juice
lunch: rice ball/salad
dinner: pot pie with stew/pineapple/watermelon

Precious Lives

In this morning I was shocked at one of the news.
It said that 8-year-old girl was used in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan and she was killed.
According to this news, insurgents told her to bring a package to a police vehicle.
A bomb was included in this package and on the way there it exploded suddenly.
No one was taken off from the explosion except for her though.
Although it happened, the Taliban has denied having asked her.

If this is the case, I cannot allow it at all.
I hope everyone who are reading my blog think as same as I do though.

She was just 8 years old.
She must have her dream.
She may be able to change her country.
She has a lot of potential to do anything.
Of course her life is one and only.
Our lives are precious for us.
I hope it is no wonder that people must not be taken off unconsciously, especially children who are innocent and are not suspicious at all.

In any case I hope it will never happen.
I know it's hard because all over the world there are still a lot of conflict.
All I can do is pray for them, I think.
I hope it's getting better soon.

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps:8521
brunch: pasta with chicken and cream sauce?
dinner: grilled pork?/mashed potato/peas/broccoli/water melon

Architecture

I felt that I had lived away from architecture since I came to the US.
However the internship reminds me the passion the attachment to architecture.

So today I visited one of the architecture in Seattle.
It is the Chapel of St. Ignatius, which is designed by Steven Holl.

At first glance, I didn't like it.
I think it's because of the color and the shape of the windows on the door.
However I was impressed when going into the chapel.

I thought this chapel seems like the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut (Ronchamp) because of the lightning.
I felt comfortable there somehow.
Anyways I really like inside of this chapel.
If you are interested in this chapel more, check it out my album on facebook.
There are some pictures I took today.

I regret that I haven't visited architecture for a long time.
There must be a lot of great architecture around Seattle.
I decided to go somewhere every weekend because I still/just have a little less than 2 months.

I must be more active!!!

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps: 15104
breakfast: nothing (because I got up at 11:00am)
lunch: bibimbap
snack: ice cream(at Molly Moon Ice Cream Shop, which is the most famous ice cream shop in Seattle)
dinner: nothing (because I'm still stuffed. lol)

Eye contact

Our class requires us to take just one class in a week to take in this quarter.
And today was the first day of that class.

Today we practiced to talk with a partner in 3 ways.
First time we talk with our partner as usual.
And next the teacher forbade one to have an eye contact in talking with a partner.
My partner didn't know what the teacher said to us at that time.
And when I started to talk with my partner without eye contact, he noticed the difference at once and he seemed mad.
And actually I felt weird as well.
It was hard to talk with others without eye contact because I always try to have an eye contact when talking with others.
Perhaps it is not common in Japan but I think talking with eye contact makes conversation more efficient.
It easy to tell others my opinion.
Thanks to this practice I noticed the importance of eye contact.
It makes our friendship almost broken at that time though.
And last my partner talked much closer than usual.
As you know it was not comfortable , even if he were girl.
It is called 'interpersonal distance' which I studied at my university because it is really important for architecture.
Even I knew it, I haven't do like this before, so this practice helped me understand 'interpersonal distance' practically.

In those ways, we leaned some way to talk with others efficiently.
I thought this class might be useless for us, but it was really interesting.
I learned how important the eye contact and the 'interpersonal distance' are.

I wish I wouldn't have any assignment though....

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps:14590
breakfast:brownie
lunch:dim sum(点心) with my friends at a Chinese Restaurant
dinner:curry rice(Japanese style)/ひじきの煮物/たこ焼き at my friends house

Differenece

During an internship I found some difference between the US and Japan even in the field of architecture.
It makes me confuse and take much time to work on some drawing stuff.
For example, they use inches and feet instead of mm.
That means they use the imperial system(=ヤード・ポンド法) .
It is totally differenet from the decimal numeral system(=十進法), which is used in Japan.
I am getting used to it at last, but on the first day it was too hard to do.
Moreover on that day I started using the new soft which is SketchUp, so it is much more difficult to do efficiently.
However it makes me much more exciting at the same time.
I can get new technique, knowledge and words.
It is not hard but exciting a lot!

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps:5266
breakfast/lunch:same as yesterday lol
dinner:cheese sandwich/tomato soup

Internship

Since last Monday I've started an internship finally!!!
I've already done with one work, which is the 3D model I drew with SketchUp(one of free soft).
I am really enjoying it.
Like yesterday I didn't notice when it had already passed the lunch time.
Usually it's never happened though.lol

These days I just did the computer stuff, so I'm eager to talk with staff in the office more and more!
I'm looking forward to the following days.

Ayumi*

[Today's]
steps:5136
Breakfast:brownie/orange juice
Lunch:炊き込みご飯のおにぎり
Dinner:BLT&cucumber sandwiches