VerveEarth


Tuesday, December 25, 2007

FreeRice

Hello, everyone~!

Christmas Eve has gone so fast... In Japan, this day is more important than the Christmas Day. I just don't know why! It's definitely one of the things I found interesting about how we, the Japanese, have spent time in this time of year. If I would say one more thing, that would be the Japanese thinking that the Christmas Eve is the day when couples spend time together. I have no idea how the idea of Christmas has been imported to Japan, but I can't help but wonder how many of us really understand the meaning of Christmas! Maybe, it's been commercialized so much that we aren't really able to comprehend anymore... :(

Anyway, I enjoyed Christmas Eve with my family and lots of yummy foods. ^^ I was thinking that I would go shopping, but my guess that a place like a shopping mall or something would literally be crowded kept me from going there. So, I enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve! ^^

After eating dinner, I was surfing on the Internet and I visited the blog created by Nina. It's called "English Power" and Nina has introduced the websites or tools that will definitely enhance your skills of English. I'd heard of the website from Nina when I enjoyed talking to her and the others through the online chat.

As I scrolled down to the bottom, I found the link to the website called "FreeRice". I wondered why the website has been named that way, and at the same time I was interested in how it would enhance my English skill. The website said that the English words I would learn enabled the campaign organizer to give rice to those most in need. The idea itself interested me very much, and what's more, I enjoyed the word game as well. ^^ The more I enjoyed, the more I could contribute! It sounds really great, right?

Because of the department I belong to, I've paid much attention to the campaigns which try to solve the problems throughout the world. And I've seen many people really act on those. However, to be honest, these efforts looked meaningless to me even though I understood that acting was better than doing nothing, because what the ordinary people can to solve the problems that hurt many people around the world is just a little. So, I rarely get the feeling that I'm a part of the solution or something when I acted somehow. It's easy for me to think that "This has to be solved." But I didn't know what to do and had no time to do something that would take some time.

After I've been looking around the campaigns' websites, I think this website, FreeRice, gave me a solution for that. One of the reasons why I thought so was that it produced a win-win situation. I can help the organization while I'm learning the words. And it's even fun! ^^ So, I would like as many people as possible to give it a try!

Alright, I wish you a very merry Christmas!
See you soon~

3 comments:

Nina Liakos said...

I'm glad you enjoy FreeRice, and I do too (I have never seen some of those words before!)! Thanks for visiting and linking to English Power!

Anonymous said...

Hello Hiromi,
I am Nidhin from Bangalore,India.Your blog is really marvelous.So nice to read about christmas celebrations in Japan.Thanks for publishing all these wonderful information.Keeep Going........

Ai said...

Hi, Hiromisan^^

A Happy New Year---!! I hope that this year will be a full year for you:D Oh, thank you for link Nina's blog site on your blog because I forgot to copy and paste before!!