February The Newsletter ofCROSSROADS Language Studio 2003

The Month for L ove
On February 14th , there is a holiday
called Valentine’s Day. It is a day forromance, gifts, and love. But how did itbegin?
In ancient Rome, on February 15th,
there was a festival fora Goddess named Juno.
During this festival, thenames of girls werewritten on paper andput in a basket. Then,each young man would
pick the name of a girl from the basket.
The boy and girl stayed together as acouple for the rest of the year!
There are many old beliefs and customs
about Valentine’s Day. For Example:
 1,000 years ago, people thought birds
picked their mates on February 14th, andif a woman saw a bird flying on that day,she would know who she was going tomarry.
If she saw a robin, she would marry asailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would
marry a poor man but be very happy.
If she saw a goldfinch, she would
marry a millionaire!

 In the Middle Ages, people
believed if you cut an apple in half andcounted the seeds, you would knowhow many children you would have!
 In the country of Wales, wooden
keys and keyholes were made andgiven to loved ones. This meant, “youunlock my heart.”
People began giving flowers on
Valentine’s Day in the 17th century
when a daughter of the King of France
gave a party in honor of SaintValentine. Each lady at the party
got flowers from the man chosen as
valentine.
Today,
people show
affection by
giving flowers,chocolates
and valentine
cards toeach other.
You cancelebrate thisromantic
holiday atCROSSROADS’ Valentine’s Party. It’s
Friday, February 14th from 9-11pm at
CROSSROADS.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

GLOSSARY (These words are in Purple in the story)

Joshua Says: Last month’s peace conference in Matsuyama reminds me that
English is the language of peace. Why do I believe that? Because countries that
do business together don’t go to war against each other. English is now thelanguage of international business, so doing international business in English
spreads peace!
Junko Says: It is interesting to me that in Europe, more people speak English
than in Japan. Why do you think that is true? In the past, Japan was isolated
from the West. But today there is a lot of tourism and business between East andWest. I hope soon, all Japanese people will start to speak English as well asEuropeans!
Joanna Says: Happy New Year! I went back to England for a few weeks andhad a great time seeing my family and friends again. I ate an enormous Turkey
for Christmas and a lot of roast potatoes. I also drank plenty of wine to keep me
warm! If you want to see a picture of the Turkey I ate – let me know!
Drew Says: I am very lucky because many musicians in Matsuyama let me playdrums with them in jazz clubs here, so I bought a drum set last month because
playing music is like speaking English - you have to practice to improve! If you
play an instrument, maybe we can play together sometime.
Tamara Says: Last month I bought special shoes to help me dance to Flamenco
music. Flamenco comes from southern Spain and is a very emotional type of folk
dance. There will be a Flamenco show in Matsuyama in March. If you would liketo see it, let me know and I will give you more information.
Greg Says: Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you all have a special person in yourheart to share the holiday with. I’m happy to have two special people in my life my wife, and my little daughter. Whether you give flowers, chocolates or a
Valentine’s card, show someone how you feel about them on February 14th.
Peter Says: In January, I went to Nagano. I had a great time snowboarding andtravelling around the area. I saw many interesting sites including the big ski
jump that was built for the Olympics. It was also very fun meeting all theforeigners who were there!
Yuka Says: I want to tell you about a very interesting book I read. It’s called“Fantastic Mr. Fox.” It’s written by Roald Dahl. The book was a gift from Joanna!
It’s a book for children, but I enjoyed it very much. The pictures are cute andfunny. And how clever the fox is! I know you will love reading it, too!

Kazuko Ishimaru
and her Shiba-dog“Lucky”

NEW PETSFOR 2
STUDENTS !

Saori Kakiuchi
and her Chihuahua“Mamme”

Sakiko Ochi Says: My school had a marathon festival. I had to run 3 kilometers. It was a lotof hard work to get ready for it but I had a fun time!
Mika Kaida Says: I had a wisdom tooth pulled out on the 22nd of January. The doctor was
skillful, so I had no pain and my mouth did not swell…so I was lucky!!

‘USED TO’ has two important meanings:
1.) Something you did in the past, but not now.
a). I used to smoke, but I stopped last year.
b). Tom used to like Mary, now he likes Ann.
2.) Something that was strange for you in thebeginning, but now is comfortable for you.
a). I didn’t like sushi, but now I’m used to it.
b). Are you used to Japan’s cold winters yet?
Do you have a question? Please ask us!

NET LESSONS: Are you too busy to come toCROSSROADS for English lessons? Try ourlessons on the internet! It’s CROSSROADS inyour home! You get CROSSROADS’ greatteachers, materials, even classmates, on-line!
Call now for information.
NET SITE OF THE MONTH: Chocolate is a
popular Valentine’s gift. Learn everything
about it at: –www.exploratorium.edu/chocolate
NET NOTEBOOK: Check out the internet
activity notebook in our open-house. You’ll findgames, internet news and English learning sites.

Phone: 0120-21-7594
Tel: (089) 921-7595
Fax: (089) 921-7319
Email:info@crossroadsco.com
Web Site: www.crossroadsco.com