May in Seattle this year has been hit-or-miss weather-wise; a good mix of bright sunny days and cloudy, drizzly days. But it has been just a little cooler than usual. Nevertheless, the students have been actively joining outdoor activities, such as “skim-boarding” with the Rock Talk conversation club, tennis, and jogging. Three HTC students entered the 8 km “Beat the Bridge” run near the University of Washington, to support diabetes research.
At the beginning of the month, the Shoreline students went to see the Mariners play against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field (the Mariners lost again!), and the next day they went on a tour of Safeco Field as a class field trip. (The Edmonds students went to a ballgame and stadium tour last month.)
At the beginning of the month, the Shoreline students went to see the Mariners play against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field (the Mariners lost again!), and the next day they went on a tour of Safeco Field as a class field trip. (The Edmonds students went to a ballgame and stadium tour last month.)
A special event this month was the wedding of one of our former students – Yoko Arai (TTJC) – who had studied at HTC Shoreline in 2006. She had worked at the Nikko Restaurant in Dusseldorf , Germany for two years, visiting Seattle occasionally. At some time during those visits, she got engaged to Dave, the leader of Rock Talk, and they had a lovely wedding on May 15. Most of the HTC staff attended, and several of our current students helped at the reception, serving drinks and cake. Several of Yoko’s former classmates came from Japan just for the wedding to serve as Yoko’s bridesmaids. It was great to see them all again. Yoko and Dave will be living in Seattle. Let’s wish good luck to the newlyweds.
Another special visitor who arrived in May is Yuki Okutsu, from Hotel Century Southern Tower in Tokyo. She has come through the Trajal Internship Program to work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Seattle for a few months.
Some students have been acting a bit moody lately. In Japan you would probably call it “go-gatsu byo”, but in America we don’t have an expression like “May sickness”. I guess we would call it “adjustment issues” – a combination of homesickness, relationship problems with old friends and new friends, and just being a teenager. (Actually, we have something called “Spring Fever”, but that means feeling lazy and losing concentration when the spring weather gets warm and sunny.) We have a 3-day holiday weekend coming up for Memorial Day. The holiday is to remember soldiers who died in wars, but most Americans celebrate the holiday with picnics and barbecues. Many of our students will attempt their first independent travel, going to Vancouver, Canada or Portland, Oregon. I hope they don’t have any trouble or lose anything. And I hope that the change of pace helps them overcome their moodiness. For students who stay around Seattle, there is a huge international culture festival at Seattle Center – the Northwest Folklife Festival. We can see music and dance performances from all over the world, and try many kinds of food. I am looking forward to it.
Neal Colodner
HTC Seattle
May 26, 2010
