Greetings, All!

This thread is for all things Golden…related to the * Golden * Series of classes.

Whether it be requests for the repeat of a class-series, an idea for a totally new class, the days & times you’d like to see a class held, to activity ideas & class notes…we’ll post it all here.

Below is part of the original post that I wrote soon after we began having classes together. I’m keeping it here as a keepsake. :) It also includes questions that probably will be relevant as long as the * Golden * series is running.

The Original Post, revised July 7th, 2009
Some already know that I began hosting classes exactly 1 week ago. I’ve started calling them the ‘Golden Series’ as they all begin with the word ‘Golden’. We’ve had a GREAT time together and the classes have gotten GREAT feedback, wall comments, and a beautiful testimonial from my eduSister. (Much Appreciation) So…

In an effort to ‘keep the good times rolling’…

1. What days & times work best? (include time zones or post in GMT format)

2. What Classes do we want to see a) re-appear and/or b) be created? All Ideas Are Welcome

3. And 3rd, what types of classes would we be More Than Willing to pay for? Why am I asking? Though the plan is to continue having free classes in the Golden Series, I also have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in my stomach…and it’s love of food.

Really, there’s more to the dream than that. Truly, there is. There’s a worldwide philanthropic part to this dream. So, know that our time and financial resources are planned to be used to help the world at large. And the plan is that * Golden * class participants’ voices be included in the decision-making process.

Much Appreciation in advance…

Sunday mornings are great. I’m in the Arizona time zone. And I love these classes Jamila I was an international studies major and considered intercultural communication for graduate school so I’m happy you are doing this.

Congrats on the great class idea.

Coral

Thanks, Coral. And it was great to share that time together in the intercultural discussions class. Even that short bit of time was enjoyable….one of my family members said that I was glowing. Who knew?!

So, glad to see your voice in the mix so that we can do some mindful planning. and I definitely look forward to seeing you next time!

Side Note: I got a minor in International Studies….

Sunday mornings might be the best time for me as well. These classes are so great and I look forward to each and every one of them. I’ll try to work around when the classes are scheduled to the best of my ability. Saturdays are just about impossible for me, though.

Sunday mornngs are good for me I’m eastern , good thing I’m not on camera at 6:00; I’d be a mess lol. If it’s possible, a repeat of golden hiragana and katakana would be great.

sunday afternoons or sat. work for me! :)

I must ask… what is the “Golden” series exactly, and what is the main goal?

hey, everyone!

it’s funny….i had stopped monitoring this post after a while and today just randomly saw that 1 person had replied. then i come to check out what they wrote and there are 2 other posts! moral of the story: never lose hope.

@Jon Glad to hear that you want that class again. does that mean you enjoyed and / or learned something from it?

I definitely want to do a repeat of the golden hiragana and katakana class(es) as a demo since it’s been a while since the last one. i was originally going to start a for pay version of the class and still plan to do so. but as we all know, life happens….and sometimes ‘life’ changes the original plans we had.

Tip for when in the class….be on the lookout for female students in the class that u think u may want to take classes from. i’ll tell u why in the class (it’s really early and i want to go (back) to bed haha).

@Kathryn Great! i’ll keep that in mind and i definitely appreciate your input. :-}

@Laura “Golden” is essentially my brand. Koichi uses “Tofugu”, Brett uses “Rainbowhill”, Michael’s is “Gakuranman”…. also, in my most humble voice, the name came from words / phrases that people have used to describe me over the years.

In addition to that, there is a song with the same name by Jill Scott. the chorus of that song repeats the phrase “Living my life like it’s golden” which is a concept i aspire to achieve…for the benefit of all, not just for myself.

As for the main goal of the *Golden series…
The main goal is to learn & grow in ways that can make our lives and this world….golden. feel free to visit any of the “Golden” classes, or read the feedback for any of them, if you Really want to know what the Golden series is all about.

[Note: I will forewarn you that there is one disparaging comment in the feedback section for “Golden* Sisterhood”. I address that comment on the class wall and have reached out to the sister who wrote it….though i cannot say that i’ve heard back from her yet. maybe if i write to her again….]

Lastly i must say that i am grateful that u asked that question and i hope to see u around. Cheers….

GOLDEN HIRAGANA SAMURAI: June 29th – July 10th

GOLDEN HIRAGANA SAMURAI: WEEK 1

• GOLDEN MESSAGES FORTHE WEEK *
  ~WE CAN DO IT.
  ~TO LEARN, READ. TO KNOW, WRITE. TO MASTER, TEACH.
  (From a Yogi tea bag….interesting place to find a useful message.)

DAY 1 KANA: THE あ行 W/ PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION
(all sounds are prounounced ‘short’ i.e. they are short & quick in comparison to English pronunciations.)

あ= ah as in father
い = ee as in bee
う = oo as in boo
え = ay as in hay
お = o as in both

WORDS OF THE DAY
いえ＝ house
あい = love
おう　= king
あう = verb to meet
うえ 上　= above
いう　言う　= to say
えいご　英語　 eigo = english(language)

GRAMMAR POINT
________desu. = it is (a/an) _________.
(the ‘u’ in ‘desu’ is often not pronounced, or ‘aspirated’.)
~Sample sentences
おうです。
あいです。
いえです。

DAY 2 & 3, Tuesday & Wednesday, June 30 & July 1st, 2009

~OPENING ACTIVITY: 「*歌詞、聞こえる？Kashi kikoeru? hopefully that means, “Can you catch (hear) the lyrics?”」

~SONG: Bleach 7th Ending – HANABI
Romanji lyrics courtesy of…
http://atashi.wordpress.com/2006/11/13/bleach-7th-ending-theme-hanabi/

HANABI
Vocals: Ikimono-gakari

Kirameite Yurameite Aoki yume Mai hanatsu
Hana Moe yuku

Seijaku ni Ochiru sora Futahira no Yume-hanabi
Kanata ni Tabidatsu Anata mo Mieta no? Onaji Hikari ga
Hanarete mo Itsu no hi ka Deaeru to Shinjiteru
Mune saku Omoi o Anata ni Utau wa Koe ga ________?

Setsuna ni Hiraku Sore wa HANABI

_________Yurameite Aoki yume Mai hanatsu
Sakihokore Haruka Takaku
Mamori yuku Sono omoi Hitasura Narihibike
Hateru made Semete Tsuyoku
Kono hana Moe _______.
**************************************************************
KANA FOR DAYS 2 & 3: The か行 ka-gyou ka-line
か　き　く　け　こ

GRAMMAR POINTS
１．_____ desu. = it is (a/an)______.
２．_____ ga arimasu. = there is/are (a/an) _______. (inanimate objects)
３．_______　が　います。　　_____ ga imasu.

~STUDENTS’ SAMPLE SENTENCES
Chloe Ritchie: ko ga imasu.
rox r: ke ga arimasu.

WORDS FORDAYS 2 & 3
~Words from the opening activity
1. kikoeru: be able to hear/catch (something said)
2. kirameite: sparking
3. yuku: to go (another form of the verb いく・行く・iku)

~Kana-based words
Notes: 1) definitions courtesy of www.jisho.org; 2) Vocab numbers 6 & 7 added later
1. きく: to hear, listen
2. かく: to write
3. け・毛: hair, fur
4. こ・子: child
5. き
木= tree
気 = 1: spirit; mind; heart; 2: nature; disposition; 3: motivation; intention; 4: mood; feelings; 5: atmosphere; essence
6. ここ: here
7. あそこ: over there (away from speaker & listener)
8. けこ・花籠/華筥 = flower basket (or plate) used for flower-scattering rituals
9. かけい
家系 = family lineage
家計 = household economy; family finances
10. かけ
(added just for the humor in comparing the definitions when one tries to create a story about how all of them could be related.)
掛け= 1: credit; 2: partially; half
鶏(Out-dated or obsolete kana)　= 1: (domestic) chicken; 2: chicken (meat)
賭/賭け = betting; gambling; a gamble

DAY 4 & 5, THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JULY 2 & 3, 2009

-KANA FOR DAYS 5 & 6: The さ行 sa-line & た行 ta-line
さ　し　す　せ　そ　＆　た　ち　つ　て　と
sa shi su se so & ta chi tsu te to

WORDS USING THE KANA LEARNED FROM DAYS 1-5
すし = sushi
した 下 = below, under
(した is also the plain past form of the verb ‘suru’ meaning ‘to do’)
くち 口 = mouth, opening, entrance, exit
あたち = I, used by females
と = 1. and 2. door
あと = after
あさくさ = check out the link ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakusa )
して = the -te form of the verb ‘suru’ meaning ‘to do’
て・手 = hand

~STUDENTS’ SAMPLE SENTENCES
kerry gao: te ga arimasu.
maryamy: te desu.

GOLDEN HIRAGANA SAMURAI: WEEK 2

~７月６日、月曜日　JULY 6TH, MONDAY

SONGS OF THE WEEK:
HANABI by IKIMONO GAKKARI
KONNA NI CHIKAKU DE by CRYSTAL KAY
KOKO NI IRU YO by SOULJA feat. TERUMA/THELMA AOYAMA

MONDAY’S LESSON WAS BROUGHT TO US BY….
た ち つ て と & だ で ど
ta chi tsu te to & da de do

WORDS OF THE DAY
ただ = 1. free of charge; 2. only, merely, just, simply
どうして = why
どこ = where

GRAMMAR POINTS OF THE DAY
~NEW!
_______ wa doko desu ka? = where is (the) _______ ?

~REVIEW
1. ________ desu. = it is (a/an) ______.
2. ______ ga arimasu = there is/are (a/an) ______ (innanimate objects).
3. ______ ga imasu. = there is/are (a/an) ______ (animate objects).

____________________________________
~７月７日、火曜日　JULY 7TH, TUESDAY

TUESDAY’S LESSON WAS BROUGHT TO US BY….THE な行　＆　は行
な　に　ぬ　ね　の　＆　は　ひ　ふ　へ　ほ
na ni nu ne no & ha hi hu/fu he ho

WORDS FOR THE DAY
ふね = ship, boat
なに = what
はな = flower
_____________________________________
~７月９日、木曜日　JULY 9TH, THURSDAY

THURSDAY’S LESSON WAS BROUGHT TO US BY….THE ま行
ま　み　む　め　も
ma mi mu me mo

WORDS THAT CAN BE MADE FROM OUR LESSONS SO FAR
まめ = bean(s)
たなか = common last name/surname/family name
のみもの = beverage
たべもの = food
_____________________________________
~７月１０日、金曜日　JULY 10TH, FRIDAY

FRIDAY’S LESSON WAS BROUGHT TO US BY….THE ら行
ら　り　る　れ　ろ
ra ri ru re ro

NOTES FOR *Golden Sisterhood: "@Home in Japanese " ８月８日*

GRAMMAR POINTS
1. _ desu. = It • s/he is (a/an) _.

2. place name + jin desu. = S/he is _.
jin = person. thus, ‘jin’ + a place name denotes a person/thing of a certain country, place, either real or fictional for the purpose of our class. it’s equivalent to the ~ese & ~can of ‘Japanese’ & ‘American’.

3. Noun 1 (group name) + no + Noun 2 (thing) desu.
A sentence structure that denotes that Noun 2 belongs to, or is a part of the group named as Noun 1.

Examples…courtesy of Angela de Guzman
1. kashu desu. Amerikajin desu. Backstreet boys no memba- desu.
Answer: Nick Carter
2. No. 2: neko desu. nihonjin desu. sanrio no omocha desu.
Answer: Hello Kitty

STUDENTS’ WORK
Chloe R
kashu desu. Nihonjin desu. Maximum the Hormone no menba desu.
Answered by Rukia Chan: Ryo Kawakita

Rukia chan
shinigami desu. seireiteijin desu. burichi no menba- desu.
Answered by Chloe: Rukia

GOLDEN JAPANESE COLLABORATION: GROUP SPEAKING PRACTICE ９月５日、土曜日

ACTIVITY 1: “THE JAPANESE MONEY GAME”

Background & Game Explanation
“The Japanese Money Game” is based on a game played on the popular show “Gakkou e Ikkou”. That game is called “Isshuukan Geーmu” (1 Week Game) and we’ve used it in the past to help learn the days of the week in a quick, fun, & easy manner. Check out “Isshuukan Geーmu” using the link below; it begins at about the 4:40 min. mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evBYpU4w-Dg&feature=related.

For “The Japanese Money Game”, we do the same thing using some of the numbers associated with coin & bill denominations. In this way, we get used to speaking in Japanese while reviewing numbers and familiariazing ourselves with Japanese money. That’s how we prepare for travelling to Japan in the Golden classes, …through engaging, interactive exercises that make us think…while have fun!

Numbers used in “The Japanese Money Game”
-Coins-
ichi-1
go-5
juu-10
go-juu-50
hyaku-100

-Bills-
sen-1000
man-10,000

<musical intermission: utada hikaru ~ ’travelling’>

ACTIVITY 2: DIALOG @ THE AIRPORT…TRAIN TICKET MACHINES

ひらがな
Aさん: ここ　から　_______　まで　いくら　です　か？
Bさん: _______ 円(えん)　です。

Romaji
A: koko kara _______ made ikura desu ka?
B: _______ en desu.

English
A: How much is it from here to _______.　lit. From here to _______, how much is it?
B: It is/It’s _______ yen.

VOCABULARY
ここ　here
から　from
まで　to/up to
いくら　how much
ですか？　is it? / desu ka?

Golden in Japan: The Exploration Series (Beginner Level)
~10月15日、木曜日　OCTOBER 15TH, THURSDAY

DIALOGS DONE IN/PLANNED FOR CLASS
[we worked w/ the example dialog and dialog 1]

EXAMPLE DIALOG
RIE: nani wo sagashite’ru/sagashite iru?
REO: ebisu.
RIE: <pointing> ebisu wa koko desu.

DIALOG 1:
REO: a, soshitara, ebisu made, 230 en desu.
RIE: hai, 230 en desu.

DIALOG 2:
REO: toukyou kara ginza made ikura?
RIE: <*sucking in air through teeth> sore ha shiranai desu. dareka ni kiite mimashou.
*cultural note: “sucking in air through teeth” is a noise many people make in japanese before giviving a negative response.