Joanna's jolly blog!

 On October 2, my roommates and I went to watch the screening of the Grave of the Fireflies together! I was happy that we could do something together, and I was sharing a part of Japanese history and pop culture with them.  Reflecting on my movie experience, this movie taught me more about what regular Japanese civilians experienced during World War II. Oftentimes in history classes, I only learned about the Japanese-American experience during the war or the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I was very intrigued to see what the war was like in Japan and how the food rationing system worked.  I will admit that I did not cry at the end of the movie, but it left me feeling heavy and caused me to be more motivated to engage in peace studies. The saddest part to me was when Setsuko was left alone for long hours while she was suffering from malnutrition. I find that it's hard to place who the villain is in the story when every...

 This semester of learning Japanese was very fun! I think Japanese class is one of the few classes where I look forward to attending. Not that my other classes aren't enjoyable, but I'm very interested in improving my Japanese skills! For me, talking to my other classmates in Japanese and learning about their lives through another language forms a great bond between us. I also enjoy the fact that the Japanese class is very small, so we can all get to know each other well. I find it funny when my classmates ask funny questions, and the cultural differences come out. I can tell that through the Japanese language that the Japanese culture puts a great value on respect and politeness. I hope to continue to learn Japanese throughout my time here at Notre Dame!

今年の サンクスギビングはワシントンDCに行きました！母の弟はワシントンDCに住んでいます。そして、私の高校の友達はワシントンDCにもいきました。私の家族と友達はサンクスギビング晩ご飯を衣装に食べました。サンクスギビングの晩ご飯はとてもおいしかったです！ラムやポタトとケーキをたべました。サンクスギビングの後で友達とワシントンモニュメントにいきました。