30/Aug/08

I played lacrosse in Clapham common today, which is on the Northern Line. This was the first time to play lacrosse in England. I had a great time there. One of my main reasons of studying abroad is to play lacrosse in other country.

My teammates are very kind and so it is very nice team. It was difficult to understand their conversations because their English, especially pronounciation and speed is different from university teachers.

After the game, we drunk at a pub in the common. This was also first time to go pub in England.

I realized that sport is good way to communicate with those who do not know well each other because players can play without many conversations.

I was sorry that I forgot to bring my camera.

28th&29th/Aug/08

28th
In order to get my mobile phone, I went to phone shop in Camden. I asked the clerk and then she told me that I did need my bank account card. Actually, I made my bank account yesterday so I have not got my card yet. I will have to go to the shop again after my card will arrive.

29th
Tomorrow my father is going back to Japan so we went to have a dinner to Savoy Hotel. The hotel has a one of historical restaurants in London which serves us delicious Roast beef!!!! I love it. At this restaurant, the cook came to my seats and there he cut for me.

I will do my homework below.
What did you find useful?
In the Internet Detective Online tutorial, there are something new for me.
For example, URL stands for ''Unifrom Resource Locater'' and gives us some hints.
What did you learn from this tutorial?
I need to improve my skill to search internet for my research of university. At the same time, I have to be carefull not to misuse some information from Internet because there are a lot of information which we can not know who made. Futhermore after I found out somethig good I also have to pay attention not to plagiarize it.

The homework2 in pp26 of our textbook; Summarising.
University lecturers begun to use the programme which is named ''TurnItIn'' to find out whether their students '' has copied'' some information or not.(Duncan,2007,p5)

26&27/Aug/08

26th
I ate French meal for lunch with one of International officer of Londonmets. This was the first time for me to eat French but I am loving it.

I made my own bank account at Nat-West. I was nervous because I was afraid that I probably could not understand what a bank clerk was saying. However,when I actually went there, the clerk was really kind. Safely I could do my task that made my bank account.

27th
When I met my host family, it was difficult to understand what they were talking. But now, gradually I have been able to know their conversation and so it is my favorite time to talk with my host family before I sleep. Althogh we talk about something rubbish, it is so funny that I often find out that over an hour pass. Today, we were talking about ghost, for my host father Haci suddenly remembered the ghost which he saw last year!! I do not know why he suddenly remembered that but then we talked about ghost which were belived in own countries.

25/Aug/08

I went to one of the most historical university Cambridge ''http://www.cam.ac.uk/'' with my father today. He is coming to London to work now. I found out that the structure of Cambridge university is different from most of Japanese universities. On the one side, Cambridge university has some colleges. At first some colleges, for example St.trinity college and St. King's college, were made by Roman and then gathered into one. We call it university. On the other hand, in Japan we usually establish university and then set up some departments inside it. Japanese universities do not have hitory of university as old as English ones. Most historical university was founded about 150 years ago.

24/Aug/08

I went to shopping Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. I needed clothes to wear in Fall and Winter. When I came here, I could not bring them because of the regulation of airplan.
Oxford and Piccadilly are really nice place to get something. They have a lot of kinds of shops.
If you get there, absolutely you love them.

For self-study what I did in the followings.
Unit 4 of my vocabulary book.
New words;
conceive abstract dissertation consequence prejudice estimate
discrepancy=disagreement
rigorous=severe, strict, rigid
methodology

Watching the film'' it's a boy and girl thing.'' It is easy story but difficult to listen their conversations for me.
http://www.itsaboygirlthing.co.uk/

23/Aug/08

Today is Saturday and so we do not have class.
After I got up, I saw DVD ''the Holiday'' with subtitle at home to listen English.
The film genre is lovely comedic story and Cameron Diaz is really cute.
English of this movie so speedy that I could not understand without subtitles.
However movies have pictures. These are really helpful for me to understand what happenes in it.
Eventually I wish to understand movies or TV programmes without subtitles.

After that, my visiting to Soho excited me. I went there to eat dinner with my father. He is coming now in London to work.

By the way, the weekend homework is really difficult for me. I spent lots of hours to on my homework. But it taught me globalisation's present situation.

22/Aug/08

Today I could not say what I thoght in my class and the library.
I think it is because I do not know how to explain my opinion in my daily life. It is not fact that I am thinking about anything. Therefore it is practical for me to assume the conversations which are had in the daily situations and translate them from my own language Japanese into English beforehand. I think it is also useful to look back the day I could not speak well.

One illustration of this is today.
When I looked for some books in the library, I could not find out my books. But I could not explain my situation.
→(to library stuff)Excuse me, I can not find books I want to read, do you know where they are?

I did not know how to use the borrowing machine. But I could not express my problem to the library stuff.
→I do not know how to use this machine. Could you tell me how to use it.


In my class, when I have to explain what the text teachs and which note-taking is good for the text to my group.
→This text told me three types of motivation. They are achivement, affiliation, power. Threfore I think the title/key words note-taking is the best way.

Now when I talk to someone, I am too careful about grammer to speak others.

Do you have any good idea for this?

21/Aug/08

I ate dinner with my host family and then we sung a song together. It is really fantastic time.
My host father is originally Turkish and his name is Haci which is similar to my name.
Moreover his Engish is very well. I have to learn English harder so that my English will be better.

What I did for my study today:
Unit 3 of Academic Vocabulary in use.
It was such a difficult unit for me that it took me a lot of time to do that.

The death penaltyshould be used to deal with murders...
Some people consider that death penalty is effective to publish people who killed someone

The police should take a tougher stance on dealing with younth crime...
It is generally agreed that the police need to have a more patient attitude to teenager's guilt.

Fast food should be banned in all school canteens...
A common viewpoint is that fast food is unhealty for all students.

University education should be free for all...
It is widely believed that students in college do not have to pay for their higher education.

Politicians are not doing enough to tackle global warming...
Recent research has suggested that politicians do not have enough effort to work on climate changes.

It is harder for women to succeed in business that it is for men ...
It is oten argued that women have more difficulties to win better positions in their companies than men.

The dangers of the Internet are greater than the benefits it brings...
Many people say that the disadvantages of the Intenet are bigger than advantage of it.

20/08/08

my note:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6346325.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/457000/457029/html/nn2page1.stm

Now I am interested in Car business. So there are helpful to get information how globalization affect my subject area.

I read my self study book, academic vocabulary in use, and do exercises in it.

19/Aug/2008

Today I bought a book that Susannah recommended,Academic Vocabulary in use, for my self-study.


And I read the book for one unit.

When I was eating dinner, one of my host mother friend Ann has come to my house and talked with her.It is really fantastic and good to listen English.

first homework

Hello my name is Hajime Shimakawa. I come from Tokyo, Japan. I am a undergraduate student at Keio university in Japan. In England I am living in Camden town. I love sports, especially baseball and lacrosse. So now the sport I am interested in the most is lacrosse. Do you know lacrosse? It is originally an Indian sport and really speedy and has hard contacts. I have played lacrosse since I entered my university. I am planning to continue playing lacrosse in London. My major subject is Business and Commerce. So also at this university I am going to study business. Especially I want to study enterprise and management companies. My job has been a tutor to teach mathmatics for an elementary student for one year. I always became happy when my student got good marks on his test.

One reason of my studying abroad is to speak, write and read English more fluently. Present circumstances of my English are weak in areas of speaking and listening. Therefore these are my self-study targets. To improve my weak points I have to carry out three tasks in my self-study. First, I have to buy one academic vocavulary book and remember at least one chapter per week and write example sentences using the new words I have learnt in the book. Second, to speak well about my subject business, I will read more books and articles written in English. Third, to speak more fluently I will try to have chances to talk with native speakers. For example joining the lacrosse club practices on weekends , or going to dinner with my friends who speak English. In conclusion I think the best way to speak English well is that I use it as often as I can.