Author Archives: DavidPfitzner

 
　コンパドレスレストランで１年間働いていた間、ハワイ州税と連邦税を支払いましたので、ハワイ州の居住者になることができました。それで。私は大学に通えることになりました。

　もし、ハワイ州居住者でなければ、例えば、日本語のクラスでは、９６８ドルプラス１４０ドルの本代が必要です。でも、居住者は１８０ドル、プラス本代。これは一年間のトータルにすると、大きな違いが出てきます。

　私はパートタイムの学生として二年間通っています。これまでに単位を３０取りました。これらは基礎のクラスです。四年制の大学に入るまで、あと３６の単位を取らなければなりません。ハワイ大学を卒業するには１２４単位を取る必要があります。 Continue reading →

 
　ハワイで生活を始めるにあたって、一番に直面する問題は、いい職を得るということです。ハワイに移り住んでから、私もジェームスも、いい仕事を見つけるために、いろいろ苦労しました。

　ジェームズは、ワードセンターにあるスポーツ店、「パウダーエッジ」というお店で仕事を見つけました。彼は今もそこで働いています。キャンプやハイキングなど、彼の趣味にかかわる仕事なので大変気に入っています。ちなみに、ジェームズは、ライアンにもその店を紹介し、ライアンもそこで働いています。

　私は、ワードセンターにある、「コンパドレス」というレストランで働いています。ウェイターとマネージャーをしています。この店では、スペイン語が話せること、勤務時間が自由に決められこと、また結構、収入が良かったので選びました。 Continue reading →

ホノルルに住んでいます。 大きさは、１ベッドルームです。それはパンチボールという丘の上にあります。アラモアナビーチから自転車で１０分のところです。家賃は、５７５ドルです。 ルームメイトと分担して支払っています。一日のほとんどは外出していますので、まだ家は必要ありません。 しかし将来は、自分の住まいを持ちたいと考えています。出来れば家がいいと思います。

わたし の すんでいる ところ
 
　ホノルル に すんでいます。おおきさ は、ワンベッドルーム です。それは パンチボール という おか の うえ に あります。アラモアナビーチ から じてんしゃ で じゅっぷん の ところです。やちん は、５７５ドル です。ルームメイト と ぶんたん して しはらっています。いちにち の ほとんど は、がいしゅつ しています ので、まだ いえ はひつよう ありません。しかし しょうらい は、じぶん の すまい をもちたい と かんがえています。できれば いえ が いい と おもいます。
 
平成１５年１０月１６日木曜日
 
 

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　私のルームメイトは、ライアン　デイビッド　ホームズと言います。彼は、私の故郷、ワシントン州の出身で、中学校の同級生です。彼とルームメイトになってから一年になります。彼がハワイに来た時、私には、別のルームメイトがいました。ジェームズ　エラーで す。ライアンがやって来てからしばらく、三人で住むことになりました。 一人あたりの家賃は安くなりましたが、窮屈な生活でした。こんな生活が、三ヵ月間続きました。

　その後、ジェームスがインターンシップでハワイ島コナに行くことになり、この生活は終わりました。それはよかったのですが、彼は荷物を全部、アパートに置いたままコナに行ってしまったのです。その間、彼は家賃を払いませんでした。彼がいつ戻って来るのか解らなかったので、私はフラストレーションがたまりました。しかし、三ヵ月後にガールフレンドを連れて戻ってきました。そして、彼女と一緒に荷物全部を持ってアパートを出て行ってくれました。私達はほっとしました。 Continue reading →

 
    Some of the things i want to improve on is my ability to know when to use certain phrases and responses. I still have trouble saying (So) instead of (Hai). I also am looking to improve on using (Desu). However i think i have been able to comprend a lot more of what Shuzo has been saying and look forward to practicing more Japanese negotiations. If i can perfect these small things i think they will have a big impact on my Japanese.
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    After celebrating my twenty third birthday in Washington State, I felt a change in awareness about myself. It was the first time i had returned to Washington in three years and only the second time i had been there in the past five years. What i realized was some of the habits I had unconsciously developed from my family. One of the most prominent habits was my spending. For the past three years I have been spending excess amounts of money, just as my family does, yet i lack the income they have. I have never balanced my budget or bought things on sale. I have always bought things new and at top dollar, just like my family. Yes, my family budgeted their finances when they were younger, yet I never really understood this process. The result of not understanding or caring about budgeting for me has been debt. Continue reading →

 
     I have been living in Hawaii for three years now. Before Hawaii, I was living in Spain. I was studying Spanish and Spanish culture at a private school in Barcelona. At the time, I had a friend living in Hawaii who wanted to know if I wanted to live in Honolulu with him. I told him I would love to, yet I didn’t very much money. After living in Spain for three months I had used up the time on my visa and all my cash was gone. So I returned to Washington and my friend called me again. He said he had just talked to his mom who had a extra plane ticket because the credit card company screwed up and purchased two instead of one. I couldn’t believe it. I knew I had to go to Hawaii. Now, I just needed some cash. Luckily it was around the time when your tax money comes back. I had made a lot of money the summer before and had quite a bit coming back to me in taxes. So I was set and I moved to Honolulu. Continue reading →

 
     Since I lived in Osaka and with an Osaka Family. I began to learn Kansai Ben. This came naturally to me and everyday I would learn new words. I had been studying Tokyo Ben for the last 2 years and knew the polite responses, but I got a laugh out of speaking Kansai Ben. A lot of other people laughed when I spoke as well. After about a month I began to get really good and would hang out at my Host parents business. They owned a dry cleaning business in Senrioka. I would sit at the front desk sometimes with my host father and talk in english and Japanese, but he always got a laugh when someone walked into his business to drop off their clothes. I would be sitting there quietly with my blue eyes, light skin and head full blond hair. They weren’t sure how to react to me, so I always broke the ice  by saying, "Mo kari maka?"  Then they would respond by saying "Bochi bochi den na!!" and we would all start laughing to together. Then I would say "Nandeyanen" and they would just look at me in shock and start laughing all over again. Continue reading →

 
I remember travelling at over 150 mph on the ground while still being able to look at the scenery around me. It was very quiet and peaceful traveling at this speed. I was soaking everything up. I kept staring out my window to see every new village we were passing by. I was heading to Tokyo from Osaka. This was a weekend trip in between my classes to visit a friend that I had made in Hawaii.  He told me that if I ever made it to Japan to see him in Tokyo. So I was taking him up on his offer. I was really excited to go to Tokyo. I had never been and have always been curious as to what life was like in such a gigantic city. My thoughts continued to pass through my mind as to what was going to happen that weekend. Before I knew it the train stopped and we were in Tokyo it had taken a little less than 3 hours to get there. This was amazing to me. I felt much better getting off the train than I had ever felt getting off a plane.  My friend waited for me in a desinated spot and so did a great weekend of adventure in Tokyo. Continue reading →

 
When I first began speaking Japanese at my restuarant. I would mess up many times and say words wrong. For example one time I had a table with Japanese people and I thought it would be cool if I aksed them if they wanted their check in Japanese. "Would you like KANOJO," I asked. They looked at me funny and said, "Eh, Nani?" "Would you like KANOJO,"  I asked again.They were really confused and I was getting a little emabarrassed. So, I decided to just say, "Would you like the check." "Oh cheku!" they said. "You mean KANJO, you were asking us if we wanted your girlfriend!" they explained.My face turned bright red and we all began laughing together.

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