CROSSROADS Language StudioÊs Newsletter, January 201
20 1 2This year is the year of the dragon,
according to the Chinese calendar. But
did you know that dragons are common
in Western myths and legends, too?
The most famous, for the English, isthe story of Saint George and theDragon. (Saint George is the patron
saint of England.) George was a Romanand a Christian who lived in the third
century AD. The story tells of a dragon,
which lives by a lake, the only source ofwater for a nearby town. Thetownspeople have to sacrifice two sheep
every time they want to draw waterfrom the lake, and when sheep are notavailable, children - chosen by a lottery are sacrificed. On one occasion, theKing’s daughter is selected. He offers
the townspeople all his gold and silver
to spare his daughter, but they refuse.
As the poor girl is waiting by the lake tobe eaten, along comes George. He kills
the dragon with his sword. The pagan
king and his daughter, along with thepeople of the town, convert to Christianity.

Happy New Year, 2012
to you from everyone atCROSSROADS
On the site where the dragon died, aspring arises which cures all diseases.

Dragons in Western legends areusually malevolent. In Asia they areoften benevolent: in China, for example,
they are associated with intelligenceand longevity; in Japan with water, as
in the story of Saint George. How didthese myths arise? In ancient times, itHensonRecordingStudios,LA,crocodiles
USAis likely
that
Nileranged into
southern Europe, having swum acrossthe Mediterranean. These exotic beasts
would have caused amazement and arepossible sources of inspiration fordragon myths. In China, the remains ofdinosaurs (there is a record from300BC) may have inspired stories there.
The sword with which Saint George
killed the dragon was called Ascalon,
the name Winston Churchill chose forhis personal aircraft during World WarII.
Article by Jonathan
JonathanJoshua Says: Another new year is upon us and it’s time to makeresolutions and plans towards a bright and productive year ahead.
Some of you will make trips overseas, others will get a new job, or evenchange your job. Whatever your plans for the coming year, we wish
everyone all the success you deserve. “Happy New Year”, everyone!

Junko Says: Last month I wrote about our new “face-book” HP. It
can be a bit confusing to log-on if you are a beginner like me.
Slowly but surely, however, we are expanding our face-book circle. I
want to ask you all to take a look at our face-book HP and join in.
Just open Face-book and tap in “Crossroads language Studio” and,if you like it, don’t forget to tell us by clicking the “like button”.

Jonathan Says: My son, who is 5, recently performed in his firstconcert. Being the youngest performer, he was 'top batter' (aJapanese /English phrase I learnt from Yukiko in S(A)3). He
played violin, with me on guitar and then we played a tune withboth of us playing one guitar - a sort of party trick - with him on
my lap. He really enjoyed himself and I felt very proud.

Matthew Says: Making ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ is a popular
tradition in the U.K. Most people aim for a specific goal that will
make their life better, to lose weight or to learn something new, forexample. Most people, however, give up before February! I havemade twenty-five resolutions one of which is to visit two countries
I’ve never been to. What resolutions have you made for 2012?

Arno Dit: Per la prima volta sto trascorrendo l'inverno in Giappone, ed èfantastico, confrontando il mio paese in Italia direi che qui a Matsuyama non
fa poi cosi' freddo, ed è anche la prima volta che passo il capodanno qui, misono divertito tantissimo a fare manualmente il "mochi" usando il martello dilegno, è bello vedere come in giappone la festa per la fine dell'anno è molto
spirituale, cosi' anchio sono andato al tempio il primo di gennaio.

Eriko and Yukari from our A1 group traveled to Europe, separately, last year. Eriko went on her adventure first,followed by Yukari. When they had both returned they got together and had this to say:
E: Welcome back, Yukari! What was your trip like?
Y: Yah! I can’t believe I’m home! I enjoyed it soooooooooooooooo much!!
E: Wow, that’s great! Tell me about the places you liked best.
Y: The best place was,…. Innsbruck! I loved it!!
Eriko’s photos
E: Innsbruck?
from London…
Y: It’s in Australia.
E: ??... But, you went to Europe, didn’t you?
Y: Oh! Ha, ha, sorry. Austria, it’s in Austria. The city is not so big but really“cute” and there are lots of historical buildings from the Middle Ages.
And, I also enjoyed my experience in a Christmas market there.
E: Sounds wonderful! Did you get something from the market?
Y: I got some hot wine. It was so yummy!
…and Paris
E: I heard you drank alcohol every night. Is that true?
Y: Completely! I was able to drink many kinds of beer and wine.
E: I see…, so…, how did you travel around Europe? By yourself?
Y: Actually, I joined a local tour called, “Contiki”. It included sightseeing,accommodation, travel pass, food and other things. We traveled by coach. Peoplecame from all over the world and we became friends on the tour.
E: Sounds interesting! In my case, I traveled alone. I especially like doing that in foreign countries. I’m excited about taking
local undergrounds and busses. This time I also tried the “Tube”, the Metro and double-deckers! On one bus in London I
lost my way, but the driver helped me.
Yukari’s
Y: Such experiences always become wonderful memories.
route
E: I agree. Something else happened to me. I broke my digital camera on my firstandday in Paris! I was so shocked and worried,
someofbut with the help of many kind people, I was able to get a new one
herin an electrical shop.
photos
Y: By the way, I bought some macarons in Paris!
VeniceHere you are!!
Munich
E: What a surprise! I also bought some in the same
shop, “LADUREE”! Let’s have these lovely
Macarons
macarons with tea!
from Paris* We’ll hear more about Yukari’s favorite places to visit next month.…

Innsbruck

ParisYukari in Europe

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