CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter October,
October , 201
20 1 3The Autumn Harvest is celebrated in many Avocado is one of the healthiest
countries around the world at this timeof the year. Thanks-giving (October inCanada, November in the US), the Chinese
Autumn Moon Festival and, of course,
Halloween at the end of this month, are just afew. Matsuyama’s Autumn Festival is also
held this month and the participants here arejust as energetic and enthusiastic as any inthe world when it comes to celebrating theautumn season.
Harvest celebrations go back in antiquity
thousands of years but some newer, and often
off-beat, festivals have been introduced overtime in celebration of special crops. One
example is the Avocado Festival held thismonth in Santa Barbara County, California.
The first Santa Barbara Avocado Festival
dates from 1987, and is held to commemorate
an event that happened in 1519. History
buffs say that was the year the Aztec ruler,
Montezuma, presented the Spanish explorer,
Cortez, with gifts of gold, silver and pricelessgems, including avocados! The Spanish
conquistadors loved the fruit, and the rest, as
they say, is history. Last year, the Santa
Barbara Avocado Festival attracted 12,000
people and the organizers used 2,000
avocados to feed them – all for free!

NET LESSONS: Are you too busy to come to
CROSSROADS?....Try our lessons on the Internet!

SITE OF THE MONTH:
Here are details on the Avocado Festival along with photos
and the AVOCADO SONG video: http://avofest.com/

foods you can eat. Zero cholesterol,
full of vitamins and minerals
and, some scientists think, it may
even ward off certain cancers.
Another attraction is that they makegreat house-plants. If you’d like to add somegreenery in your home, just go to your local
HensonRecording Studios,USA
supermarketandLA,purchasea couple ofavocados. Enjoy the fruit, but save the large
seed inside. Now, stab the seed with three orfour toothpicks! Insert these about a third of
the way up. Next, fill a glass with water andbalance your seed, with the toothpicks
protruding out to the sides, on top of theglass. Keep topping up the water so that it
always covers the bottom of the seed andwait about 4 to 6 weeks. Your seed should
first sprout roots down into the water and, alittle later, it should send out a shoot fromthe top which will then branch and form
leaves. You can keep your plant in the glass,but be sure to keep topping up the water, ortransfer it to a pot with soil. As your plant
grows, you’ll need to re-pot it, and be sure towater it every couple of days.
After surviving for thousands of years, alongside humans, is it any wonder that such a hardy,
health-giving and useful plant now has a festival
held in its honour?

Joshua Says: This is the most humid October I can remember!
The summer was hotter than usual too, and I can remember whensnow blanketed the ground here in Matsuyama during winter. I
think it’s obvious that “Global Warming” is a reality. The onlyquestion that can be debated is whether or not we humans areresponsible, or to what extent should we be held responsible?

Junko Says: I’ve noticed that airline ticket prices for flights fromMatsuyama have been reduced to even more destinations thanks tothe new, cheaper airlines that have come on the scene recently.
You can now get a budget flight to Osaka for only around 3,000 yen
one way. This is good news for our students wishing travel
overseas, as it will help reduce the overall cost of your trip.

Kenneth Says: Alas, the summer heat has subsided and now wecan enjoy a little more comfort in the outdoors. We plan to dosome hiking en famille, ideally when the fall colors arehappening at higher elevations. Plus, I’ve always wanted toreturn to Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost point of the island ofShikoku. The coastline here is very rugged with 80-m highcliffs, and there are some splendid hiking trails in the area.

Adrienne Says: I recently read a very good book entitled, "How toImprove Your Marriage Without Talking About It". Theauthor is a family and marriage psychologist whose name is Dr.
Patricia Love. I am not making up her name. She explains all theways that men and women typically destroy their "emotional
connections", and explains how to repair the damage and how toprevent emotional disconnection. I highly recommend it.

Cyril Dit: Durant ma semaine à Tokyo, j'ai découvert quel était levrai sport national japonais: c'est la file d'attente! Où qu'on regarde,il y a des barrières, des poteaux, des lignes au sol et même desfonctionnaires en uniforme armés de petits panneaux afind'organiser, orienter et acheminer le badot! Et quelle discipline, à lalimite de l'apathie... personne n'a essayé de me doubler!

… CONTINUED FROM LAST MONTH…..
… I went to Nanluoguxiang first. This is a typical tourist spot. It had

The main street in Nanluoguxiang

small, pretty shops and a big lake a little far from the man street.
There were many people both shopping and walking around thelake. I rented a bicycle and rode around the lake. It was very
beautiful and I took many pictures.
Secondly, I went to Tiananmen. It is a very famous place, as youknow. I also went to another famous spot, “Xidan”. This place is like“Ginza” in Tokyo. To be honest, these places were not exciting for me,
because Tiananmen is too famous and Xidan is too close to Japan’sThe lake

Tokyo. But, I visited these two places in a very short time because I
was tied from moving around in Nanluoguxiang. So, I think they
are worth a second visit in the future.
This day was a long day for me, but I learnt many easy, butessential, things like how to catch a bus or train. I think I need toShops around the lake

continue this kind of travel experience to get accustomed to China!

Tiananmen

Xitan’s big department storeThis is how to bond withyour pet! Everyone likes a good
hug now and then with
their best pal. Suchmoments are preciousand help us get overthestressof
everyday life. These
two know exactly
what it means to be
best pals.

ChineseDraemon?

Starbucks in Nanluoguxiang –very different styleYousawashirtfor$97.
Youdidn’thavethecash,soyouborrowed
$50fromyourMom,and$50fromyourDad.
$50+$50=$100
Youboughttheshirt,andhad$3change.
YougaveyourDad$1andyourMom$1
andkepttheother$1foryourself.
NowyouoweyourMom$49andyourDad$49.
$49+$49+your$1=$99.
Whereisthemissing$1?
Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.