[11] Places to Live July 16, 2014

What do you think about living in a city, a suburb, or the countryside? Why or why not?  Aki, who comes from Iwate, Japan, shares her thoughts on this topic.  (Her ESL teacher has checked her spelling, grammar, and punctuation and has offered corrections with light editing):

I grew up in the countryside.  When I was a child, I didn’t like my setting [environment].  If I didn’t have a car, I couldn’t go  anywhere.  No entertainment, no shopping, no restaurants…

[It] seemed to be boring when I lived there.

Now I am reconsidering.  In the spring, all of Japan is [filled] with cherry blossoms.  In the summer, Iwate, my [home] town is nice, cooler.  We can enjoy [barbecue], fishing, insect collecting, etc.

In the fall, my grandfather’s rice plants become [mature].  Fruit, seeds, lots of crops, fish…all become tasty.  In the winter, [Iwate] is covered with snow.  There aren’t many buildings, so you can see [snow all around].  I love the view of snow.

 I can enjoy all the seasons.

 [But] such a nice place was [struck] by the earthquake and tsunami.  Many towns were swallowed up by [this] tsunami.  I couldn’t understand [grasp] that it was my town.  [Within] several hours, 30,000 people died and a lot of people have not yet returned.

But their [spirits] were so strong.  Their neighborhoods helped [one] another.  Three years passed; [many] live in the same place again.  I think that I have the same [spirit] as such strong-minded people.

[Iwate] is my pride, and my home town is eternally only there.

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