Hello.  This entry is for the graduating 3rd-year students. 

Congratulations! Soon, you will be graduating from Moka Girl's Senior High School, and you will be starting a new chapter in your life.  I am sure that you have a mixture of emotions right now.  Perhaps, you feel sad because you will miss many of the teachers and fellow classmates that became a big part of your life these past 3 years.  In 3-years time, you have developed very strong relationships with teachers and other students.  I am sure that many of you have had a sense of 'family' here at Moka Girl's High School.  You all have taken an amazing ride together through the thick and thin.  I hope you will always cherish the memories that you have made together at this school.  I hope that your experience at Moka Girl's High School has helped you to develop positively as a person, and I hope this experience will help you to lay the foundation for success and happiness for the rest of your lives.  Please live life to the fullest.  There will be many happy times as well as many sad times.  However hard life may seem as you enter adulthood, always remember that hardships are a natural part of life.  Through hardships, we gain experience.  Through experience, we gain knowledge and wisdom.  I always thought of life as a jet coaster.  Jet coasters have many surprises.  We never can tell what will happen next.  In a jet coaster, there are many up's and down's, and twists and turns.  This provides for an incredible experience.  We can feel scared and nervous, yet, excited and thrilled all at the same time.  When the ride is over, can't you look back on the challenge you just took and say 'Oh my god, that was an unbelievable experience!!! However...I survived.  I did it.  I am glad I decided to take the challenge and do it, because now it is the best feeling of accomplishment in the world!!'  I think life should be the same experience like that of a jet coaster.  Take risks and challenges.  Never be afraid of taking on challenges in life.  If you just believe in yourself, you can conquer anything.  Go for it!

Good luck, and once again, congratulations.  I will miss you.  Please create a bright future for yourselves!

Remember, graduation is the end of a long journey, but it also marks the beginning of another adventure. 

Take care and enjoy the ride!!!!

Ryan

The weather in Hawaii was typical Hawaii winter weather...hot and humid.  The average temperature was about 28 degrees celsius, with clear blue skies!!!  There are many, many Japanese tourists in Hawaii in December because on December 14th, there was the Honolulu Marathon.  Most of the people who run in the Honolulu Marathon are Japanse people. 

 

On Christmas Day, I will fly to Singapore.  From there, I will also visit Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Bali, Indonesia.  The Junior High School AET's from Moka JHS, Moka Nishi JHS, Yamazaki JHS, and Nakamura JHS will also join me on this trip. We are all very excited to be taking a trip together.  It should be enjoyable. 

 

Everyone, please have a Merry Christmas (or as we say in Hawaiian, 'Mele Kalikimaka'), and a Happy New Year!!!

 This is a picture of Indei-san and I running our fastest, trying to reach the goal.  Of course, she beat me!!!!!  I tried to catch up to her, but she was too fast!!!!  Anyway, it was a lot of fun!! Thank you, Indei-san, for challenging me to run my fastest!!!!

 

Well...another school marathon come and gone.  This was my third (and probably my last) marathon to run at Moka Joshiko.  I ran 7 kilometers, and my time was about 38 minutes and 55 seconds.  I was the 108th runner to cross the finish line.  2 years ago, I pratically had the same time of about 38 minutes, but I was around the 80th runner to cross the finish line.  Last year, my time was about 45 minutes, and I was around the 110th runner to cross the finish line.  So, I think the students this year were, by far, much faster than the previous 2 years. 

 

When I was a high school student, I was not only a member of the swimming team, but I was also a member of the Cross Country team.  The term 'Cross-Country' literally means long-distance running.  There were Cross Country competitions about 3-4 times each month.  We had to run 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) at each competition.  So, in addition to the daily swim training with my swim team, I had to do Cross-Country training immediately after.  I was in much better physical condition back in my high school days compared to my physical condition now.  However, many of these students at Moka Joshiko are so athletic that I am sure they would have completely demolished me even in my high school days!! 

 

Some people may think that a marathon is just a race.  However, I believe that there is much more significance to running a marathon.  A marathon race is one of the true tests to the physical endurance and mental power of a person.  As much as your body aches and your legs feel as if they are going to collapse, your strong will, heart, spirit, and mind can give you the strength, power, and determination to reach the goal.  When you do reach that goal, it is one of the greatest feelings of self-accomplishment ever.  Doing your best, trying your hardest, and never giving up are great virtues to possess while trying to reach the goal line in a marathon, but we all have so many other different goals in life, so if we all apply this kind of positive attitude to other aspects of our lives, we will be able to reach our other goals just like we all did in the marathon. 

 

Thank you for reading my diary.  Until next time!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 On Friday, October 17, 2008, the first-year students went on the school trip to Ueno, Tokyo.  I was lucky enough to be able to join the students this year.  The past 2 years, the school trip has been on a Wednesday or Thursday...days that I must go to a visit school, so I never had a chance to enjoy the school trip myself.  So, I was very excited to be going on the school trip for the first time. 

 We had to meet at school very early, at 7:30 in the morning.  We left school by charter bus at 7:50 and headed for Ueno.  We arrived at Ueno around 10:30 in the morning, and from there, each student was free to go where they wanted to go.   

This past summer, I have been to Ueno Zoo with my friend.  So, on this school trip, I decided to visit the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Natural History and Science.  First, I went to the Museum of Natural History and Science.  It was a very interesting museum.  It is difficult for me to read Kanji characters, but some of the displays were written in both Japanese and English, so I was able to get a small idea about what I was looking at.  In the two weeks prior to the school trip, all of the first-year students enjoyed watching a famous American movie called 'Night at the Museum'.  The story focuses a man who becomes the nightguard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.  Many of the displays and  statues in the movie such as the dinosaurs and animals could also be seen at the Tokyo Museum of Natural History and Science.  So, hopefully, the students could relate to things they remembered seen in the movie and things they saw at the Tokyo museum. 

The second museum that I visited was the Tokyo National Museum.  I am very interested in the history of Japan, so at the Tokyo National Museum, I was able to see many, many old things like paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and swords.  There were many things that dated back from the early Jomon period to the late 1800's of Japan.  It was so interesting!!

All the students and teachers met at the buses at 2:20 in the afternoon.  After a brief rest-stop in Moriya city, we finally arrived back at school at 5:00.  Everybody was very tired after a long day in Ueno, but I think everybody really enjoyed this experience.  I really did!  Thank you!!

Two weeks ago, on September 19th, Moka Girls High School had their annual Sports Day competition.  It was so exciting for me to be able to witness this event. This year is my 3rd year as an ALT, however, I have never been able to enjoy the Sports Day at Moka Girls High School.  The reason is because the past 2 years, the Sports Day has always been held on a Thursday.  On Thursdays, I make school visits to either Moka Technical (Kougyou) or Motegi High School.  However, luckily, the Sports Day this year was held on a Friday.  Therefore, I could enjoy watching the students perform a variety of team sports.  It was very exciting to see the athleticism of students.  I enjoyed watching students play volleyball, basketball, badminton, tennis, table tennis, soccer, tug-o-war, and the track and field relay event.  I was even lucky enough to be able to participate in the finals of the relay event with 2 other teachers!  I have not ran for a long, long time, so to run as fast as I can in the relay was a little difficult for me!!!  Inside my mind, I kept telling myself 'You can do it!!!!! You can do it!!!! You will run your fastest!'.  However, my body was telling me the opposite.  I felt as if my body was saying 'Ryan, you are getting too old to compete with these students!!'.  Well, I didn't run as fast as I used to in high school, but I am proud of myself for trying.  

Soon, I will challenge myself again, and participate in the annual Marathon.  I have ran in the marathon the past 2 years, however, I did not train as much as I should have.  Therefore, my time was a little slow, and the next day my body was in a lot of pain.  This year, I will try to focus harder and train harder.  If I do so, hopefully I will run my fastest time!!!!

Hello!  It's very nice to meet you!!!    I would like to introduce myself. 

My name is Ryan Miyashiro!!!

I came from Hawaii.  I have been living in Japan for 2 years, now.  Unfortunately, I have only now discovered this ALT Diary page, so it is a little late to start writing an ALT Diary.

So far, I have been really enjoying my life here at Moka Girls Senior High School.  Moka Girls Senior High School is a very good school, I think.  The students and the teachers are all very friendly and polite. 

Every now and then, I will try to write more in this diary!!

If you are reading this, I would like to say that it was very nice to meet you!! See you later!