Wall of bilingual text~

I started writing a long entry on Tuesday, but... I'll finish it later. Someday.

For now, instead, something a little different. The last few days I've been using lang-8, to try to improve my Japanese by writing blog entries in Japanese and then seeing how native speakers correct them.
So here are my entries from there (after correction), with English translation by me.

Written on Tuesday (first entry):
はじめまして！
東京で１０ヶ月の交換留学しているコリンです。よろしく！！

もう、来日から４ヶ月も経って、留学の残っている時間が最近少なくなってきた！今日は今学期の最後の日だし、すぐにこの１０ヶ月の半分が終わってしまうから、少しあせっている。XD
日本へ来る目的はたくさんあったけど、主な一つは、日本語が上手に成りたいからだ。思ったより、日本でも上達するには時間がかかっているけど・・・確かに、日本に着いた頃と比べて、今は僕の日本語が上手くなったと思う。この春休みにも、がんばって勉強しようと思っているから、大丈夫だな。
でもその前に、授業と試験がやっと終わったのに、もう期末作文を三つ書かなくてはいけない。その３つは英語で書いてもいいけど、たぶん、なかなか時間がかかると思う。

でも学校について書いてばかりだとつまらないから、ちょっと来月の旅行について書く！春休みに日本語を一生懸命に勉強したいと思うけど、休みだから、楽しむこともちゃんとやりたい。だから、北海道に四日間の旅行する！バス・ツアーだけど、ほとんどのは札幌に近いと思う。２月に、寒すぎるから、北海道に行くのはだめと友達は言ったけど、冬の雪は北海道の特長だと思う。それに、僕はアメリカの北にあるけっこう寒いミシガン州から来たから、大丈夫なはずだ。本当に楽しみにしている！東京の優しい冬を楽しんでいるけど、今年も雪が見たい！

(Oh god translating is so hard couldthesesentencesbeanymoreawkwardinEnglish)
Hello!
I'm Colin, and I'm studying abroad in Tokyo on a ten-month exchange. Nice to meet you!
It's already been four months since I came to Japan, and the time I left left in my study abroad is getting short! Today is the last day of this semester, and soon half of the ten months will be over, so I'm fretting a little. XD
I had many reasons for coming to Japan, but one of the main ones was that I wanted to become good at Japanese. Even while here in Japan, it's taking longer than I thought to get really good at Japanese, but... Certainly, compared to when I came to Japan, my Japanese has gotten better, I think. I'm also planning to study hard this Spring break, so it's okay.
But before that, although classes and exams have ended, I still have to write three final essays. I'm allowed to write them in English, but I think they'll take a pretty long time.
But just writing about school is boring, so I'll write a little about my trip next month! I'm planning on studying my hardest over spring break, but it's a "break," so I also want to have plenty of fun. So, I'm taking a four-day trip to Hokkaido! It's a bus tour, but most of it is near Sapporo, I think. Because it's so cold in February, my friend said it's no good to go to Hokkaido, but I think that winter snow is Hokkaido's specialty. Besides, I'm from Michigan, in the north of the US, where it's pretty cold, so I should be okay. I'm really looking forward to it! I'm enjoying Tokyo's mild winter, but I want to see snow this year, too!


Written on Wednesday:
昨日は最後だったから、今日は、平日だけれど、授業がない。でも、キャンパスに行かなくてもいいにもかかわらず、朝８時に起きた！つらい~
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でもよかった。８時に起きた訳は、父と話したかったからだ。日本の午前８時は、父のいるアメリカのミシガン州では、午後６時だから、父にとって、都合がいい。父はいつも忙しくて、大変そうだから、東京ではちょっと早い時刻でも、ミシガンで便利な方がいいと思った。インターネットで、お金がかからず、でお互いに声が聞こえて、顔も見ることができるから、とても快適だった。
実は、１０月に来日してから、三回しか父と話していなかった。ちょっと足りないかな...　
それから、その後で、２時頃キャンパスに来てしまった。作文を書かなければならなくて、やっぱり部屋で全然勤勉に集中できない。
...でもな...そう言っても、今、キャンパスでは、作文を書いていなくて、この日記を書くことになった。 ^^;;
今日書いている作文は博物館に関する授業の期末作文だ。課題は、自分で、好きな博物館に行って、その博物館について深くて考えて、作文を書くことだ。だから、ぼくは三鷹市にあるジブリ美術館先週に行ってみた。今三鷹市にある寮に住んでいるから便利だし、ジブリのアニメーションの映画が好きだし、友達も勧めてきたからだった。そして、自分の目で見たら、やっぱりすごい思った。美術館内では写真を撮ってはいけなくて、ちょっと残念だったと思ったけど。
ジブリ美術館はけっこう楽しんだけど、いま、その美術館について何を書けばいいかな... と思い悩んでいる。

皆はどう？部屋でよく勉強できる？ちゃんと時々は両親に連絡する？ジブリが好き？ジブリ美術館は行ったことある？
個人的には、部屋じゃなくて、図書館などで勉強するのは別にいいと思う。でも、もっとお父さんと話さないとね。

Yesterday was the last day so today, even though it's a weekday, I don't have class. But, even though I didn't have to go to campus, I got up at 8! Ugh...
But, it was good. The reason I got up at 8 was to talk with my father. 8am in Japan is 6pm in Michigan, where my father is, so it was convenient for him. My father is always busy, so even though it was a little early in Tokyo, I thought a convenient time in Michigan would be better. By means of the internet we could hear each other's voices and see one another's faces for free, so it was really nice. Actually, since I came to Japan in October, I've only talked with my father three times. I guess it's not really enough...
After that, I ended coming to campus around two. I have to write an essay, and I really can't concentrate on my work in my room. But, you know... Even saying that, right now, here at campus, I'm not writing my essay, but have ended up writing this journal entry... ^^;;
The essay I'm writing today is the final essay for a class about museums. The assignment is to go to a museum of our choice, think deeply about that museum, and write an essay. So, I went to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I chose it because I'm currently living in dorm that's in Mitaka, so it was convenient, I like Ghibli's animated movies, and a friend recommended it. And when I saw it with my own eyes, I thought it really was great. Although, I couldn't take pictures inside the museum, which I thought was kind of a shame.
The Ghibli Museum was pretty fun, but now, what relating to the museum should I write about... ...I'm wondering.
What about everyone else? Can you study well in your room? Do you sometimes contact your parents, as you should? Do you like Ghibli? Have you been to the Ghibli Museum?
Personally, I don't mind studying not in my room but in places like the library, but I should probably talk with my Father more...


Written yesterday morning、in a rather different vein:
僕の一番好きなバンドはスピッツだ！
２００５年に、高校の３年生の時、初めてスピッツを聞いてから、ずっと好きだ。スピッツのバンドメンバーは少し年をとっているけど、とてもかっこいいと思う。あんなに感動させる曲を歌える人はすごい才能を持っていると思うからだ。僕はいつもカラオケでスピッツの歌が歌いたいけど、スピッツの歌手の声が高すぎて、けっこう歌いにくい。
スピッツが好きになる前にも、一番好きなバンドは日本のバンドで、「Ｃｏｒｅ　ｏｆ　Ｓｏｕｌ」というバンドだ。スピッツと違って、Ｃｏｒｅ　ｏｆ　Ｓｏｕｌは日本でもあまり有名じゃないと思うけど。その前は、L'Arc~en~Ciel だった。　結局、高校の時、あまりアメリカの音楽を聞かなくて、ほんとんど日本のを聞いていた。
アメリカでは、日本のＣＤが買いにくいから、たいていインターネットでファイルを手に入れた　＾＾；；　でも、日本に来てから、Ｂｏｏｋ－OｆｆなどでＣＤをちゃんと買っている。

ちょっと恥ずかしいけど、実は、中学校の時、字多田ヒカルを発見して、その時初めて日本語に興味を持った。その後で、その興味が多様化して、音楽やポップカルチャーだけじゃなくなったけど、やっぱり、字多田ヒカルは最初のきっかけだ。
それに、今も、一番好きな歌手は字多田ヒカルだ・・・　あああ、かっこ悪い、僕?　ＸＤ

My favorite band is Spitz!
Ever since I first heard Spitz when I was a junior in high school I've liked them. Spitz's band members are a little bit old, but I think they're very cool, because I think someone who can sing such moving songs has an amazing ability and talent. I always want to sing Spitz songs at karaoke, but Spitz's singer's voice is too high, so their songs are hard to sing.
Before I came to like Spitz, too, my favorite band was a Japanese band, called "Core of Soul." Unlike Spitz, I think Core of Soul isn't very famous even in Japan, though. Before that, it was L'Arc~en~Ciel. In the end, in high school I didn't listen to much American music, but almost all Japanese music.
In the US it's hard to buy Japanese CD's, so I usually got the files from the internet. ^^;; But, since I've come to Japan, I've been properly buying CD's at stores like Book-Off.
It's a little embarrassing, but, actually, in middle school I discovered Utada Hikaru, and then first became interested in Japanese language. After that my interest became more diversified, not just music and pop culture, but, ultimately, Utada Hikaru was the initial trigger.
And, even now, my favorite singer is Utada Hikaru... Ahh, is that uncool? XD