お茶 の おんな

Okay so...

I have been complaining about this Japanese Speech, but i'm actually really excited to be taking part in it. Also, I am completely flattered that Tanaka-sensei thought I could be up for the challenge. My first idea for a topic was something I am really interested in, the religious make-up of Okinawa / Ryu-Kyu- Islands in Hokkaido. That and the fact that Okinawa has the HIGHEST concentration of centenarians in the WOLRD! (people who live to be over the age of 100, aka the fountain of youth). However i soon realized, that at my level of japanese, I would never be able to talk about those things... So, on to tea it was. I love tea, anyone who knows me knows that. It goes beyond a fondness for the scent or flavour though, I am very passionate about herbalism, and how tea can be used to affect a person's life emotionally and physically. Having reeped its benefits many times first-hand, I always try t pass on the valuable information. So why not in Japanese too? I already have a pretty wide vocabulary regarding tea in Japanese anyways. This is what I wrote the first night...

こにちは　みなさん、　私　の　なまえ　は　花梨菜です、　でも　ともだち　は
よく　私　を　お茶　の　おんな　と　よびます　なぜなら　なによりも　お茶　
が　すき　だからです。　紅茶　から　ハーブチイー　まで　いろいろな　しろい　
の　お茶　が　あります。

Just a short introduction. Tanaka-sensei started calling me "Ocha no onna" in first semester so I thought it would make a fitting title :P I've gone on to continue about where I want the speech to head content-wise in English and will slowly come back and translate here and there once my full idea is formed. here's the rest of a paragraph that I drafted today...

"Tea may seem like an uninteresting or strange thing to love, but it has always been a part of my life. It can have a positive affect on any negative situation you may be in. When I have a bad day or face a problem, I always turn to a pot of tea for help. There are so many different kinds that I know I will always find one to fit my needs. When I am sick, [しょうがゆ] Ginger tea always helps my throat feel better and gives me [げんき??]strength. [ミンチ　チイ] Mint tea is perfect for cooling me off in the summer's heat. If I ever feel [寂しい] lonely or betrayed [シノモン　チイ] Cinnamon tea will warm my heart. Also, when exams are near and I am stressed, [レモン　の　紅茶]Lemon Black tea keeps me refreshed and focused. Tea is very precious to me because it has such a strong influence over my emotions, and can always make me feel better. When I am overwhelmed and feel like giving up, tea is there to comfort me."

I've got more but it's all in messy, point-form. So I'm going to continue to work on it and bring it in for editing on Monday to the head of the Japanese department. Tomoko-sensei and I are becoming great friends haha, after discussing my speech today we went on to exchange recipes for unique chocolate blends! I gave her the idea of mixing chocolate and saffron, or chili pepper flakes. She told me about using Sea Salt to get a great sweet-&-salty taste out of the chocolate. I can't wait to try it!

Anyways back to work... I'll go make some cinnamon tea to cheer me up and keep trucking away on these translations. Then I should probably study for my French chapter test and Japanese chapter test on Monday.

Happy Sipping!

(On water beverage of choice)

カリンカ♥～