I sprained my left wrist last Wednesday. The doctor took an X-ray, and no bones were broken. Luckily, I am right-handed. I can write with my good hand, and eating with chopsticks is no problem. However, there are many things that are difficult to do with only one hand. I can change my clothes, but it takes more time than usual. I can’t tie my shoes or zip up my bag. I can’t drive, so I had to take the subway when I went to work last Friday. A man sitting in front of me saw my hand in a sling and gave me his seat. I was very grateful. My problems have helped me to understand the problems of handicapped people better. Happily for me, my wrist is getting better, and I am looking forward to having two good hands soon!  (142 words) You can send me a comment or your own

Can you guess what these two colors mean? White is the color of the Winter Olympics. Every time I turned on the TV this weekend, I saw snow and ice. Athletes from countries around the world raced and jumped for gold, silver, and bronze medals. The biggest surprise to me was the Brazilian skier who won the country’s first medal in the Winter Olympics. It was a gold medal, too! I had no idea that you could ski in Brazil. Brown is the color of Valentine’s Day. I got some delicious chocolate from my wife and from my daughter. However, when I watched a TV report about a famous Japanese chocolate maker, I was shocked. The chocolate wasn’t brown! Some was blue, some was green, and some was red, and each piece cost over 2,000 yen!   (136 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

When I think of cactuses, I think of hot, dry weather. I think of the southwest U.S. and Mexico. That’s why I was surprised to find a cactus growing along the Shonai River in Nagoya. I talked to someone who grows cactuses as a hobby, and he told me that this kind of cactus is originally from Mexico. It can grow even in cold weather. Finding this cactus on the Shonai River is not so strange because the Shonai River goes through another city, Kasugai. Kasugai is known as “cactus town.” It produces more than 80% of the cactuses in Japan. Maybe some cactus seeds came down the river. By the way, you can eat cactus, too. Some restaurants in Kasugai have cactus dishes, and schools have it on their lunch menus.  (132 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

The Winter Olympics have begun! The opening ceremony was on Friday night, and it was full of color and music! It gave the world a taste of Italian culture. Classical statues started to move and dance. A beautiful actress walked along followed by paparazzi just like in the movie “La Dolce Vita.” Then, three big heads appeared. They were Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini, the three great composers of Italian opera. After that, the real stars of the Olympics came out. Athletes from over 90 different countries took part in parades at four sites around northern Italy. Everybody was excited. On Saturday, Japan got off to a great start with a gold and a silver medal in the men’s snowboard big air and a bronze medal in the women’s normal hill ski jumping.   (132 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com