Welcome to my blog! Here I will post two articles every week about life in the United States. I will also post other articles during each month about English language culture. I hope you enjoy this!
The largest Groundhog Day celebration is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The mascot of this celebration is a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. Every year on February 2nd people watch Phil come out of his burrow. If it is sunny he will see his shadow and go back into his burrow. This means that there will be six more weeks of winter. But if it is cloudy and he stays outside, there will be an early spring.
Country music comes from Atlantic Canada and the Southern United States in the early 20th century. Country music came from folk music. It is very popular in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States.
Some famous country music artists and bands include:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a series of islands off of the northwest coast of Europe near France. The capital city is London. The largest city is also London. The national leader is Prime Minister David Cameron. There are about 62, 262, 000 people in the United Kingdom. The official language is English. But the Irish, Ulster Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Welsh, and Cornish languages are also recognized. The national currency is the pound sterling (£). The United Kingdom became a country in 1707.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The largest country in population and area is England. The smallest country in population and area is Northern Ireland.
The most popular religion is Christianity. The most popular sport is soccer. The United Kingdom is famous for Harry Potter, the London Bridge, the Beatles, and Shakespeare among other things.
I have never been to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But I really want to go someday! I have many friends who are from the United Kingdom.
Everybody should try to visit the United Kingdom someday!
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and a leader of the Civil Rights movement in America. Slavery was banned in America from 1865, but African-Americans were still treated as second-class people until 1968. African Americans were not allowed to go to the same schools as Anglo-Americans, they were not allowed in some restaurants, and they couldn't even drink from the same water fountains. In the 1950s and 60s there was a large Civil Rights movement to end this segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized non-violent marches and made many speeches during this time. His most famous speech is titled “I Have a Dream” which he gave in Washington, D. C. In 1964 he was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is held on the third Monday of every January, around the time of his birthday, and is a national holiday.
マーテン・ルーサ・キング・ジュニャー牧師先生はバプテストの牧師で、アメリカ合衆国のアフリカ系アメリカ人公民権運動の指導者でした。アメリカでは、１８６５年から奴隷制度が禁止していましたが、１９６８年までアフリカ系アメリカ人は二流市民扱いされていました。アフリカ系アメリカ人はヨロッパ系アメリカ人のレストランに入れなかったり、水飲み場を使えなかったり、学校も入れませんでした。アフリカ系アメリカ人公民権運動のためにキング先生が暴力によらない抗議を計画して、演説をしていました。一番有名なスピーチは「I Have a Dream」というスピーチです。１９６４年に、キング先生は一番若いノーベル平和賞を受賞した人でした。１９６８年に、テネシー州のメンファス市で暗殺されました。
Today I want to talk about a popular TV show in the United States.
寒いので、かぜをひかないようにしてください！
今日、私はアメリカでの人気があるドラマについて話します。
Modern Family
モーダン・ファミリ
This comedy TV show is a mockumentary about a modern American family. The TV show follows the family through everyday life. It is very funny! It first aired on September 29, 2009. There have been 3 seasons. Each episode is 30 minutes long.
Jay Pritchett is the patriarch of the family. He is the father of Claire and Mitchell. He is the stepfather of Manny. At the beginning of the first season he has been married to Gloria for 6 months. He owns a successful business and is very rich. Jay tends to have old-fashioned ways of thinking.
Gloria Pritchett is Jay's much younger wife. She is the mother of Manny. She is from Colombia. She is a housewife, but she doesn't drive a car very well. She has a very thick Colombian accent.
Manny Delgado is the 11-year-old son of Gloria. He is very mature for his age and he is very outgoing. He is good at fencing and playing chess. He goes to school with his step-nephew Luke.
Claire Dunphy is the daughter of Jay. She has been married to Phil for 16 years by the beginning of the first season. She is the mother of Haley, Alex, and Luke. She is a housewife. She is overprotective, and a perfectionist. She likes to read and go jogging.
Phil Dunphy is Claire's husband. He is the father of Haley, Alex, and Luke. He is a real estate agent. He is childish, but he really loves his family. He is also very competitive.
Haley Dunphy is a daughter of Claire and Phil. She is a stereotypical teenager. She is 15-years-old at the beginning of the series. She is a high school student. She isn't the smartest person. She is more concerned about social status than grades.
Alex Dunphy is a daughter of Claire and Phil. She is a very smart person. She is 14-years-old at the beginning of the first season. She is a high school student. Alex is an overachiever and participates in lacrosse as well as playing the cello in orchestra.
Luke Dunphy is the son of Claire and Phil. He is 11 years old. He goes to school with his step-uncle, Manny. He does strange things a lot. But he was told be a psychologist that he is showing the behavior of a very smart person.
Mitchell Pritchett is the son of Jay. His life partner is Cameron. He adopted Lily from Vietnam with Cameron. Mitchell is mild-mannered, but high-strung. He is a lawyer. He is a very cautious father. He is scared of birds.
ミチェル・プリッチェットはジェイの息子さんです。人生の伴侶はキャメロンです。キャメロンとベトナムからの赤ちゃん（リリ）を養子にしました。ミチェルは控えめですが、過敏な人です。彼は弁護士です。用心深く堅固なお父さんで、鳥を恐怖に思っています。 Cameron Tucker is Mitchell's life partner. They have been together for 5 years at the beginning of the first season. He adopted Lily from Vietnam with Mitchell. Cameron is flamboyant. He is from Missouri. He is a stay-at-home dad, though he used to be a music teacher.
There are a few different types of hockey. The two most popular types are ice hockey and street hockey. Ice hockey is popular in the United States, Canada, Finland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
In hockey, 2 teams of 6 players. Hockey is similar to soccer. The point of the game is to put the puck into the other team's goal as often as possible. There are 3 periods of play. Each period is 20 minutes long, but the clock only runs while the puck is moving. Hockey games can last a long time.
Instead of a soccer ball, you play hockey with a puck. A puck is a hard, rubber disk. Players use long sticks to push the puck around. The playing area is made up of hard, smooth ice, so ice skates are necessary. Five players move the puck around and the last player defends the team's goal. This sport is a full-contact sport, so every player wears padding and helmets. Injuries are common.
In professional hockey, fights between teams are very common.
In the United States, the professional men's teams compete for the Stanley Cup. The professional hockey team in Texas is the Dallas Stars.
On New Year's Eve, my mother and I were in Seguin, Texas. I got to see many of my relatives. We also butchered two wild hogs and made tamales from the meat.
Tamales
In the afternoon, we played games. We had three piñatas. A piñata is a papier-mâché container that is filled with candy. They are very popular in Mexico. To open the piñata, one person is blind-folded, turned around, and they have to hit the piñata with a bat or stick. This is very similar to the Japanese summer tradition of hitting a watermelon. We also played bingo, and musical chairs.
After all of the games, we ate the tamales we made from the wild hogs. They were so delicious! And after dinner, when it got dark, we all sat around the fires and set of fireworks. They were very loud.
In America, many people make New Year's resolutions. This year I have resolved to be healthier. What resolutions did you make?
