＜Transcript＞
最近、日が長くなりました。
晴れた日も多くなった気がします。
庭には小さな花が咲いています。
私にとって春といえばいちごです。
私は毎年この季節が来るのが待ち遠しいです。
私のパートナーはいちごを使ってマチェドニアというイタリアのデザートを作ってくれます。材料はいちごとバナナとレモン汁と砂糖だけですが、とてもおいしいです。
日本にはいちご大福というお菓子もあります。これも私の大好物です。
みなさんは春の訪れを感じていますか？
春はお花見の季節です。
今年はパンデミックが終わって、コロナのことを気にせずにお花見ができたらいいですね。
<Vocabulary>
季節：きせつ　season
待ち遠しい：まちどおしい　I can’t wait for~
大福：だいふく 　Mochi filled with sweet bean and strawberries
レモン汁：レモンじる lemon juice
砂糖：さとう sugar
お菓子：おかし sweets
大好物：だいこうぶつ  favorite food
訪れ：おとずれ  coming, arrival 
お花見：おはなみ　Cherry blossom viewing party
気にせずに：きにせずに　without caring about

Nihongo Short Story by Noriko

春はもうすぐ？

Do you know this expression in Spain? Listen to the podcast to find it out.

De todo un poco

Ser un/a plasta 😒

Let's talk about the Monday dread and how British people's attitudes to work have changed

Lisa's Podcast

Monday Monday

時間は未来からやってくるよ♪

Natural Nihongo Chat

未来にワクワクしよう

Having both money and time is the dream of many. We only have one life after all.
Today, I listened to  a podcast about dreams and achieving your dreams and so I will be discussing some important points in this podcast.
"The bigger the dream, the bigger the challenges."

FLO TALKS 

WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF?

Gauge your listening comprehension. Lets learn about popular foods in East Africa.

Swahili With Shaz 

Foods From East Africa | Vyakula Vya Africa Mashariki

Kevät saapuu ja sen mukana myös pääsiäinen. Miten pääsiäistä vietetään Suomessa ja mitä perinteitä liittyy pääsiäiseen? Pääsiäiseen kuuluu hyvä ruoka, suomalaisessa pääsiäispöydässä voi esimerkiksi olla mämmiä, pääsiäislammasta ja suklaamunia. Hyvää pääsiäistä!

Jaksossa käyttämiäni sanoja:
tipu
suklaamuna
pasha
ortodoksinen pääsiäispöytä
rairuoho
suomalainen luonto ei viherrä (vihertää = olla vihreä)
pajunkissa, narsissi, liljat
Perinteinen virpomisloitsu menee näin:

Virvon varvon,
tuoreeks, terveeks,
tulevaks vuueks,
vitsa sulle, palkka mulle!

Easy suomi Anna-Marian kanssa

Easy suomi: 15. jakso Pääsiäinen Suomessa

There's no reason for you to hold yourself back when you're not sure whether you're fluent already or not! Give it a try and talk with some other people next time you hear foreigner converse in English. Also, don't forget to listen to these 5 benefits of speaking in English in this podcast episode! See you in my online classroom. ^^

All About English and How You Learn It!

5 Benefits of Trying to Speak Your Foreign Language

If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant, you might assume they're waiting for someone, or perhaps they're grabbing a quick lunch on their break.

But more and more people around the world are purposely dining alone.

Japan has a special word for this: ohitorisama, which refers to people confidently doing things alone without worrying about what others think.

A recent survey found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. And in the US, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to restaurant reservation site OpenTable.

OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with people looking for a break from their home offices.

The increasing popularity in solo dining comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of US adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to increase to 40% by 2040, according to government data.

Growing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone.

But Soo thinks there could be more to it than that.

"I think there's a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company," Soo said.

As a result, many restaurants are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners.

But some aren't always happy to seat one diner. A Michelin-starred London restaurant caused a stir last year when it started charging solo diners the same price as two customers. The restaurant, which has 34 seats, offers an eight-course menu costing about $280 per person.

Other restaurants say it's worth seating one person because solo diners will often come back and eat there again.