From November 15 to 18, I went to Portland . I
experienced many new things, and I had a great time there with my
friends.
At first, I visited Columbia Basin College and met
my conversation partner, Victos. He is studying Japanese, and he likes Japanese
animation and Manga. Recently, I often meet Americans who are interested in
Japanese culture, especially animations and Manga. I’m glad and feel proud that Japanese culture is affecting many people around the world. Then, I could
have a chance to talk about my presentation. I told him about my presentation
topic, Homelessness, but it was not easy for me. I was confused when I was talking.
After that, he gave me some comments and I could notice which part I should
correct and do practice more. It was a really good opportunity to talk to someone
who don’t know about my presentation topic. It made me know what I can do now to
make my presentation better.
As a big feature of Oregon State, there is no sales
tax. I was really looking forward to going shopping, and I enjoyed it with my
friends. I went to Uwajimaya which is Japanese market. It was very fun and I
felt strange. I felt as if I were in Japan, and my friends also said the same thing.
We tried to imagine that we would be in the world like Uwajimaya one month later, but
we couldn’t believe it because the last two months passed too quickly. I also
went to shopping malls. I was excited to choose some souvenirs for my
family and me. However, there was not enough time. I’m sad I couldn’t buy some things
which I wanted.
Finally, I was inspired by the Japanese-American
Memorial. I read a book, Weedflower, which is about Japanese American. It is a
sad story, but this Japanese-American Memorial shows that American Goverment and Japanese-Americans
understood and forgave each other about the war. During the war, nobody could imagine such a peaceful relation between America and Japan like today. The
memorial told us how important to forgive each other. However, we should not
forget the grief of the war forever.
In conclusion, through this Portland trip, I
could experience many new things. Traveling to new places always gives me
chances to thank and have new ideas. It is very good for me, so I want to visit a lot of new places.