Hello, everyone! It`s December 12th, 16:00 right now here in Japan. I thought I`d update everyone on what`s been going on here in Japan and with my exchange. It`s definitely winter, that`s for sure. In the Kansai region, during the summer it`s unbelievably hot and during the winter it`s butt-freezing cold. Yet as cold as it is I must continue to wear my uniform skirt to school. I`ve caught a cold three times already, but I made it to Japan so I won`t complain!
The New Year holiday is fast-approaching, and with it come mail from AFS informing me of my nearing departure. Everyone here is busy writing New Year`s cards, or as they say in Japanese 年賀状 （ねんがじょう）. For those of you learning Japanese, here are some great phrases to remember during the New Year holiday:
・ 明けましておめでとうございます （あけましておめでとうございます） Happy New Year
・ 今年も宜しくお願いします （ことしもよろしくおねがいします） I'll be indebted to you/relying on you this year too
There are also these two expressions, which mean basically the same thing as what I mentioned above:
・ 謹んで新春のご挨拶を申し上げます
(つつしんでしんしゅんのごあいさつをもしあげます）
・ 旧年中はひとかたならぬお世話になり、誠にありがとうございました
（きゅうねんちゅうはひとかたならぬおせわになり、まことにありがとうございました）
That`s it! Pretty easy, huh? Try to write some Japanese ねんがじょう to your friends and family in your country and share they Japanese culture with them! According to the Chinese calender, the year 2014 is the year of the horse, so all ねんがじょう will have a horse drawn on them. Here is an example of a ねんがじょう!
My New Year plans include visiting my host grandmother in Kyoto and and taking a trip to Tokushima to stay at a hotel on the beach! I`m going to save up my money and buy a furisode to wear on New Year`s day when we visit my grandmother. It`s going to be cold, but I`ll be okay, hopefully!
Best regards,
Sarah Swanner 須和奈 星羅 （すわな せいら）
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