"Stay at home" 4 Renovation "Fusuma door" at north room A north room was used by the younger brothers before. I have two younger brothers, the youngest one had lived between 15 to 10 years ago. He scraped the floor by a chair. After he moved out, Another younger brother moved and he had lived between 5 years and 7 months ago. He is kind of the hoarder and he scattered around the room and broken built-in clothes rack door. After he left, the wall was also damaged due to no clean up for a long time. It was the hardest place on my renovation project. I tried changing step by step and the beginning from replacement Fusuma" paper. A Japanese typical apartment has fusuma which is slide door made by paper and wooden frame. The paper surface was also damaged and got dirt. I researched how to replace the paper and I found the structure of fusuma. It is made by the layer of three papers which are base paper, protection paper, and design paper. If fusuma frequent replacement, it's no problem changing only design paper. However, in my case, this is probably damaged a lot. So I decided to change all papers. I bought the design paper on an online-shop and bought other papers, the glue of fusuma, glue tray, and glue brush at a DIY store. I thought it's easy at first because it's just pasted the papers. My friends also helped. However, the expectation was wrong that I realized when I tried to remove the wood frame. Japanese traditional interior parts are used traditional "Kumiki" techniques. Kumiki is only notches connected to each wooden part without any nails and screws. So disassemble the frames are so hard to do because the wood frame connection is so hard too. I sometimes remove it with all my might and the frame was damaged. Moreover, the base and protection papers are very thin and getting break easily after wet by the paste. So we need to carefully put it on the board and take a long time for this process. We had begun this work from lunchtime but it was getting dark when finished put the papers. Some of my friends have little kids and they had to go back home until night so I decided to extend the assemble frame process later. Another friend helped me to assemble the frame on other days. We tried hard it but some frame couldn't fit in and we couldn't put back it on the slider. I thought the reason why I broke the frame when I disassembled it. I decided to change new frames to depend on the professional artisan. There was no way though it is the bitter experience of failed DIY.

"Stay at home" 3 I got starting the DIY renovation of my place from the restroom. Japanese bathroom is usually a separate restroom and bath room. The restroom is the tiniest space in my place and feels easier than other places. I think it's better for a beginner of DIY. My restroom is very dirty because my mother had a small intestine disease and diarrhea a lot of times in a day. I also recall heartbreaking how my mom had a hard time with her symptoms when I look at the restroom. So I need to care for my sadness by renovating the restroom. I planned paint wall color to pale blue that my mom liked. I did it last October when the huge typhoon was coming a day ago. Because no one goes outside in either case and I was scared I couldn't sleep. I removed the tank of the toilet after close hydrant. It's the first experience for me but I read the instruction and I can do it without any problem. Nest, I masked the wall edges and the floor. It's the hardest part actually in whole process of the paint. After that, I painted by a brush at the edges and narrow space and painted by a roller. The painting process was fan that like a drawing and it's easier than I expected. The wall need to dry for two hours and I pained second times after that. I also bought a cutting sheet on the floor that has a real wooden design. It's a little difficult cutting because the toilet shape has a curve. I put the sheet on storage located above the toilet to make a uniformity. I put the tank again and decorate my mom's wreath, mom's lace collections, and my pictures on the wall. Finally, the restroom was changed the completely new look! The restroom is frecency used in a day and the feeling is very different positively. I love it now.

"Stay at home" 2 Reason why starting reform in my place I decided on my reforming plan. I've started it since last October. The surgery interpreted for a month in February and I restarted it. My apartment has three rooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. It is too big reforming alone but I've done step by step. I try to write about why I've started reforming my place. My mother passed away last August with an intractable disease. She has the illness for about ten years but she is stable on inactive. However, the symptom was getting worse in September, two years ago. I took care of her but her disease was advancing quickly, and no one doesn't know how the treatment of her disease even the cause. She was a single mother and I lived with her. I have to live alone at my place there is a former home. I'm overwhelmed by grief because I always recall her whatever I see surround in my place. I can't stay calm there, I have to do something. So, I decided to start renovation in my place. COVID-19 situation is recalled by my mom and grief. COVID-19 is also unknown how the treatment like my mon's disease, and losing a loved one is the hardest experience for everyone. Moreover, it takes human life quickly. The family needs plenty of time to recover the shock of grief. I still cry almost every day and I also sympathy with someone in the world who stays a hard time of the lost someone by COVID-19. I hope COVID-19 is going to stamped out immediately.

"Stay at home" to DIY 1 Currently, every country people is changed life by COVID-19. However I've done it from the beginning of February because I don't have enough physical strength after surgery. No one thought severe about COVID-19 influence in this time and no one was restricted to go outside. I'm a pioneer "stay at home" in Japan actually. Anyway, my "stay at home" was already for two months and a half. February passed away fastly with bearing the agony of surgery scar. I started self-reform at my place from March after recovered and it is also to restoring my physical strength.

Difficult to switch Japanese to English I've lived in the Philippines for two years and two months. I was speaking English and local Filipino dialect when the time. However It's past 9 months after getting back to Japan and I feel difficulty to speak English. I can't speak instantly as following my mind at same time even talking with my American friend. How do you keep your second language skill after you don't use it in daily life?

Who knows good environment and business theme of master program in Germany or Australia? Does someone know about environment and business theme of master program (It's like natural resource and development) in Germany or Australia? I'm finding master course that can take the all subject doing in English. However I don't know enough about it. If someone know reputation or really went to related environment major, could you tell me any information, please!

The culture gaps between the Philippines and Japan / last I posted six notes but these are part of differences. However the Philippines is the same Asian country with Japan so many points similar with Japan also. Some part is just complain but It’s honestly my impression. Another volunteer said “Which country is better life what can’t say easily”. Now, I can say only one that I’m happy to living in the Philippines. Of course I feel sometimes hard and annoying to communicate when I can’t do according to my intention. I’m learning that the human happiness depends individual and the world has the rich sense of values throughout this volunteer work. I’m realized a fixed idea and learning diversified perspective by this experience.

The culture gaps between the Philippines and Japan / 6 Jp: Mostly people serious, hard-working, strict, patient, pessimist, shy, methodical and hide their real intention. The same with the Philippines things, care around people and follow suit with other people. People too much conscious other’s mind so people can’t speak what people want. Furthermore there have so strong peer pressure. Mostly people follow a one role model like If this is woman who must married and quit job around thirty years old, make a child middle of thirty, buy a house with loan for thirty years, buy a car by husband’s salary… It’s gradually changing but still having just like a model in high growth of the economy forty years ago. The gender equality is close to work of world ranking. People is bound by social pressure and people believe same happiness. In other words, people don’t allowed diversity and human happiness is depended individual. Currently, people lose love. In Tokyo, If someone fall on the ground mostly people just passed and ignore because people too much busy with myself. Look at crying baby coldly in a train and a mother feel small. On internet, people do lynching someone who made mistake and implement something special or weird. People can’t arrowed unusual at this rate they bear to express their real intention. People always blames their stress on others because they don’t think about myself and just obey others’ opinions. People always compare with others and to be happy or unhappy. For example about a politics, people doesn’t interest and always think someone will make better life without own effort. Japanese vote percentage still stay around twenty percent for a long time. I think Japanese also should think harder using only oneself mind. Japan couldn’t realize the precedence in human life that extremely takes propriety of economic growth. Japan drops human spirit on the middle growth economy way. I really fear the current situation that people to be narrow-minded and lost heart. If I’m a foreigner I will difficult to make friends in Japan.

The culture gaps between the Philippines and Japan / 5 - The character and the communication Ph: Mostly people jolly, directly speaking, simple mind, friendly and emotional! but sensitive about someone’s hurt, shy, care around people (Especially family and friends) and follow suit with other people. That’s really contain with Latin and Asian culture. The communication way is like family. I feel It’s sometimes too much interference in private. They normally ask “How old are you?” “Are you married?” “Why don’t you married?” “Do you have boy/girl friend?” “How many children do you have?” “Why don’t you have child?” “Why do you have only one child?” “How much your income?” “Where are you living?” “What kind of job do you have?” though whom one met for the first time! They directly expose their curiosity and they don’t reserve anything. They often stare me in a public transportation, town and store. They always stare to rare something. However It’s quite a different there is urban city or rural area. If you go to Manila people won’t stare you. However I sometimes comfortable their curiosity because they want to understand me and help me. Especially neighbors always care about me and they sometimes teach me local language and take the washing in before it begins to rain. My co-worker worry about me if I sick or injury who advise to me like “Change wet cloth to protect a cold” “You should go to hospital” “What medicine do you use?”. It’s like everyone is my mother! They often heal my loneliness that living in foreign country alone. They have simple mind but they sometimes hide intention when they pain the neck. They don’t understand context and don’t create original things. Speaking foreign language and performance are well but It’s often nothing essence. They easily copy other ideas and deceive good performance. I like their innocence but they should think harder by only my selves to improve. However people know well how to enjoy own life and to be happy by the simple mind.