2014/05/242016/03/10

March

1 Classes

Econ307 Honors Intermediate Macroeconomics Prof. Giovanni Gallipoli
 In March, we studied growth models, the pension system and business cycles in mathematical manners. All theories are explained by mathematics, so it is clear but not intuitive.
The second mid-term was harder than the first one because there were more volumes and mathematics. I could not understand this math, so my exam mark was horrible. I finally got 80.

Econ326 Methods of Empirical Research in Economics Prof. Kasahara
We finished learning about hypothesis-testing and dummy variables. The materials include stata (name of software) training. Many students were absent in class probably because it is difficult to catch up with what was going on in class.

Econ407 Topics in MacroeconomicsProf. Newman
 We discussed the sticky price model developed by Mankiw. And we analyzed how exactly this model can describe the real economy. This class is controversial, but I like this class because we can polish our insight through discussion.
I got 88 for midterm. I was very happy because an essay test was not advantageous for me, so I was surprised.

Econ456 International Macroeconomics and Finance Prof. Hnatokovska
 We studied short-term and long-term exchange rate theory. The professor explained why Japanese Yen appreciated against dollar within 20 years from 1970-1990. From this and other examples, I learned how Japan shares an important position in the world economy.
This class is interesting and useful. I proudly recommend this class!

Midterm Exam
 All midterm exams are done! I think I did better than last time. This may be partly because I better understood the English type exam and learned more vocabulary. However, I still misinterpreted a question and lost a lot of points. Having correct interpretation is very difficult for foreigners especially during a test.

For students who attempt to take Economics and how many should courses we take?
Economics seems much easier than political science, natural science and engineer. They usually have more tutorials, essays, assignments and midterms. However, fully understanding concepts and solving questions may be tough if you haven’t taken an Econ class so far.

I think you can manage up to 5 courses for Econ and other majors. 6 courses seem possible for Econ but hard for other majors. So I think you should register 5 or 6 courses at first, and then cancel one or two if it is boring or too hard. I am afraid I should have taken 5 instead of 4.

For domestic students, it costs $500 to add one course. We should take advantage of exchange students. There is no cost to add a course for exchange students!

Bring 4 color pens!!

The quality of 4-color pens sold in UBC is low. If you like using 4-color pens, you should buy a lot in Japan and bring to Canada.

2 English

My focus
 I am focusing on practicing listening and speaking these days. I know for sure that my reading skill is not perfect, but my listening and speaking levels are much worse compared with native speakers.

BBC-Learning English
 BBC is really good for listening practice!!!! It is free, has a lot of topics and has different practice sets aimed at improving skills such as pronunciation, vocabulary, business English, conversations and so on.

This website was revised and it became much better than before. So if you want to advance your English skills after finishing the TOEFL books or to improve your English, I willingly recommend BBC-Learning English. Let me introduce several useful series.

6 Minute English- This is good to polish your listening skills and increase your vocabulary.

Talk about English- Topics in this are like the TOEFL listening materials.

Word in the news- This is mainly to deepen your understanding of the news.

I recommend this for studying social problems such as Politics and Economics.

The Teacher- This series aims at expanding your idiom and usage by showing funny Videos.

You can enjoy this like watching You Tube.

Pronunciation Tips- This series is the best to correct your pronunciation especially when you study abroad. You can see the difference between each sound and ask your friends about it. My friends helped me correct my pronunciation friendly.

There are other series which are made well. You should try it!!

3 Life

1. Weather

The weather is stable and comfortable. But sometimes it is too cold or too warm.

Spring time

From March 14th, spring time starts and time is shifted back for an hour.

Refrigerator& Air conditioner

A refrigerator is in a floor lounge. You can also borrow a fridge at school in the beginning of fall semester. If you want to use a shared fridge, I recommend you to cover stuff with a plastic bag. If you save it without a cover, someone probably steal it.An air conditioner is set in a room. You can warm room but cannot cool it.

Biking in UBC

Some people buy a bike to use on and off campus. But I think you don’t have to buy a bicycle because many people are walking and the transportation is well-organized.

Hospital

I was sick for a while and was diagnosed at the UBC hospital. It was for free because I belong to MSP (mandatory insurance). MSP is $57 per month.

Fruits

Fruits in Canada are cheaper and tastier than those in Japan!! You should enjoy it! Ice cream, however, is more expensive.

Sermon in Canada is much tastier than that in Japan

You can buy or eat sermon in restaurant. Sermon in Canada is much tastier than that in Japan. It is chewy and fresh!!

Japanese restaurant

Japanese restaurants in Canada face trade-off between taste and price. Some places are cheap but not tasty. Some places serve very good Japanese cuisine but they are pricy.

St. Patrick Day

Wear a Green Shirt or something and just celebrate with your friends. I went to the pub with friends and a professor after class.

4 Event

Casino Night 11th
There was a casino party in residence. The winner got a Wii.

Academic Help! 15~19th
This week held an academic seminar for Place Vanier residents. For example, there were research paper workshop and graduate school workshop!

 Place Vanier formal dinner!
There was a formal dinner party in the residence for free, and there was a dance party after that for $7. I attached a picture below.

Storm The Wall
From March 28th to April 1st, there was an athletic competition called Storm The Wall.

Election
There were elections for a dorm President and an Economics Students Association president.
I learned how serious candidates are and how supportive voters are for certain candidates.

 Share your knowledge and meet UBC students going on exchange in your country!
There was an outgoing exchange student’s orientation at International House. I saw exchange students who will study in Kansai area from the next semester and gave them some advice. I also saw exchange students who will come to Kwansei Gakuin. They were nice students!

5 Finance

Ordinary Expenditures $　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Meals  120
Foods   30
Groceries(Ink, T-shirts, Shampoo)     96
Tickets for TGAS (The art send off)    30
Laundry                           10
MSP                             114
Miscellaneous                      31
Total 431
Total9+10+11+12+1+2+3=$10.774 Total Budget $11,129　Balance$11.129-1.285=$355
Umm, I wish I could save more. My real budget including exchange rate surplus is around $800. I have $5800 in my account. I will at least save $5000 and transfer it to my Japanese bank account.

6 Others

Is there any racial discrimination?
 I have never experienced or seen any racial discrimination so far. I often see that some Asians themselves form a group and are reluctant to communicate with other people.

Soccer with Mexicans!!
 I often played soccer with my Mexican friends. Their skills are much better than I expected. I understood how popular soccer is in Mexico and South America.

7 Pictures

Class
My 407 class has 20 people. The picture below well describes how we are!

Place Vanier President Election 

Campus during day