February CROSSROADS Language Studio’s Newsletter 2005

TheHistoryofValentine'sDay
Every February, across the country, candy,
flowers, and gifts are exchanged between
lovers, all in the name of St. Valentine. But
who is this mysterious saint and why do wecelebrate this holiday? The history of
Valentine's Day, and its patron saint isshrouded in mystery, but we do know thatFebruary has long been a month of romance.
St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today,
contains vestiges of both Christian andancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint
Valentine and how didhe become associated with this ancient rite?
Today, the Catholic Church recognizes atleast three different saints named Valentine
or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was apriest who served during the third century inRome. When Emperor Claudius II decided
that single men made better soldiers thanthose with wives and families, he outlawed
marriage for young men.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of thedecree, defied Claudius and continued toperformmarriages for young lovers in secret. WhenValentine's actions were discovered, Claudius
ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may
have been killed for attempting to help
Christians escape harsh Roman prisonswhere they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine
actually sent the first “valentine”
greeting himself. While in prison, it isbelieved that
Valentine fell in love with a younggirl, who may have been his jailor'sdaughter, who visited him during
his confinement. Before his death,
it is alleged that he wrote her aletter, which he signed “From yourValentine”, an expression that is stillin use today. Although the truth
behind the Valentine legend is murky,
the stories certainly emphasize hisappeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and,most importantly, romantic figure. It'sno surprise that by the Middle Ages,
Valentine was one of the most popular
saints in England andFrance.
Story from Adam
(These words are in color in the story)

Joshua Says: I would like to express my appreciation to the students and teachers
who agreed to be filmed for EBC T.V. EBC is going to show some scenes from our yoga,
guitar and cooking classes in their program “Evening Guts” on Friday the 25th. There
will also be one class outside Crossroads at Naturel Café featured in the program.
Check out the N/L notice board on P3 for details. Many thanks to all those involved.
Junko Says: I just read a Newspaper article about Japanese companies that use English as thecommon language in their office! One company has even asked its employees to adopt English
nick-names like Tom, Janice, Peter, etc. Other companies are pushing their staff to improve on
their TOEIC scores. Yet others use English exclusively throughout, from board meetings to thecanteen. It just makes you think how far English has progressed in Japan these days.

Adam Says: Have you been bitten by the flu bug yet? February is known to manypeople as the month to catch a cold. A good way to prevent catching a cold is to avoid
crowded places where the risk of infection is greater. Also, drink lots of fluids such asorange juice and other nutritious juices. Good luck to all in this dreary infectious month.
Greg Says: Well, January certainly zipped by quickly. It felt as if it finished
before I had time to adjust to the New Year. And now February is here with its overpriced chocolates and delicious homemade cookies (if you are lucky enough to havesomeone bake them for you, for Valentine’s Day). My daughter baked me somecookies (with some help) which were so delicious…I kind of wish she’d baked more.
Natacha Says: Where to go to get some peace? I was surprised last weekend when I went toNamikata to find a peaceful place on the beach to rest my head but I only found a parade ofcandidates running for mayor.They all lined up with their big speakers and went up and down
every single street.60 candidates!I think this election in Imabari will put the people's patience
to test.Good luck to all candidates and if you plan to go to Imabari, know what to expect!
Steven Says: Chocolates, chocolates, chocolates! It seems that every woman ishanding out delicious gifts of chocolates, some of which have been painstakingly handmade! The Valentine’s Day tradition appeared a little one sided, until one of mystudents informed me of the upcoming reciprocal day in which men return the favour;“White Day”. The catch, she said, is that the guys are expected to give a really expensive
gift on that day. What happened to the anonymous card and a bunch of flowers?

Magnolia Says: Happy Valentine’s Day! With this being the month tocelebrate love, I offer the following quote from the author of “The Prophet”– Kahlil Gibran. May these wise words tough all of your hearts: “Love is adivine knowledge that enables men to see as much as the Gods”.
Natasha Says: How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?In Russia, couples exchangeflowers, cards and presents. Women hear beautiful words from men on this day. In mycase...my husband was in the USA on Feb.14 and he called me but said nothing about
Valentine’s Day...I did not give up and asked him, "What day is it today? Valentine’s Day!"he answered "Out of sight, out of mind"...what wonderfulwords!! Of course he was joking... I
received some Kenzo perfumewith a San Francisco Airport Duty Free Shop tag.
Yuka Says: Whenever February comes, I can’t help remembering a terrible
incident that happened five years ago. Someone broke into our house and stolesome money. Luckily, no one was hurt. But it was such a horrible experience that
we never forget to throw roasted soybeans on Feb. 3rd to drive away evil spirits,
yelling “Out with bad luck! In with good luck!”

Tomoko Says: I visited Montmorency Falls, located 10Klms east of Quebec
City in Canada. I got to the upper side of the Falls first. I took a walk alongsome trails and the bridge over the Falls. Then I climbed down the 487 steps
you can see behind me to the right in the photo. On the way down, I lost twothings, a hat and a role of film. They fell into the basin of the waterfall!
Miki Says: This is the Bruin Bear Statue, a symbol of my university. The Statue issix feet high, 10 feet long and weighs two tons. It is huge!! It is a popular student
meeting place on campus. When I graduated from there, my best friend, Jasmin, and I
decided to climb onto the statue. (I guess) Sitting on the statue is one of the mostcommon students’ ambitions at my university. I am so happy that I did it!!

We’re going to
be on TV!! E.B.C. arefeaturing some of our newcourses for their show “EveningGuts”.” You can catch it at 4:30pm
on Friday, 25th this month. Don’t
miss it!

NET LESSONS:
Are you too busy to come to
CROSSROADS to study? Try our lessons
on the internet!
It’s CROSSROADS in your home or office!
You get CROSSROADS’ great teachers,
teaching programs, even classmates, allon-line! Call for details.
NET SITE OF THE MONTH: Who wasValentine? A romantic saint? Why did hebecome the patron of lovers? Find out at:www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm#hist
oryDon’t forget to take a look at the N E TNOTEBOOK in our Open-house lounge.
You’ll find games, news and English studysites.

Talent search!
What are your secrettalents? Let’s findout at an end -ofterm performancenight party next
month! Watch thisLOVE IDIOMS!
Here are a few idioms that old
Valentine would approve of…
fall head over heals in love - to fall deeply inlove with someone. Often suddenly!
Benjamin fell head over heals for Robin assoon as he saw her walk into the room.
go steady - to go on dates with the same person
all the time; date just One person.
Tom and Martha have been going steady forabout 5 years.
fall for - To begin to like someone very much; tobegin to fall in love with someone.
Jack knew by looking in her eyes that Jill had
fallen for his bestfriend, Tom.

Phone: 0120-21-7594
Tel: (089) 921-7595
Fax: (089) 921-7319
E-m ail:info@crossroadsco.com
WebSite:www.crossroadsco.com