Question 1

The oldest person I know is my father. He turned seventy-one in January of this year. My mother is a close second. She is also seventy-one this year but her birthday is in May.

Question 2

My father has done a lot in his life. He has been a nurse in the army, a police officer and most recently a security guard. He was employed with the Adelaide Hilton for most of his working life.

Question 3

I'm from Australia. According to Wikipedia, Australians rank fourth highest in the world when it comes to life expectancy. I was surprised to learn that Australian men rank third highest in the world! Men live to be about eighty years old while women live to be about eighty-four.

Question 4

I really hope not! I have a lot left I want to do with my life before I am ready to pass on. That said, I don't want to live to a point that I am unable to do anything for myself anymore. I worry about becoming bedridden in my old age and living for another ten or fifteen years beyond that.

Question 5

Climbing Mt Fuji was high on my bucket list. I crossed that off in 2005. I didn't make it all the way to the top – my wife developed altitude sickness so we had to stop – but I did get to experience the climb. It was pretty disappointing actually. Mt Fuji is really beautiful from a distance but it's not much to look at when you are climbing it.

Question 6

To be honest, I don't think about death all that often. I worry more about the death of others than I do about my own death. My biggest fear is spiders. I can't stand those things!

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
a close second	僅差二位
to pass on	死ぬ
bedridden	寝たきり
altitude sickness	高山病
not much to look at	見ることはあまりない
I can't stand it	我慢できない

Question 1

Sachiko is the oldest person that I know and she is 91 years old.

Question 2

Sachiko is my wife's grandmother (on her mother's side). I am not sure about what she did in the past because my wife says that it is a "touchy subject".

Question 3

Male life expectancy in New Zealand is 79 years old while female life expectancy is 83.

Question 4

I think I'll live until my mid-seventies because all males on my father's side seem to die around this age.

Question 5

One thing on my bucket list is that I want to own a pug farm that has a bed and breakfast or Japanese inn on it. Guests can stay, meet and look after their own pug during their stay.

Question 6

I do not fear death, but I fear the pain of a violent death. I hope to die peacefully in my sleep, although I know that is rare.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
touchy	機徴 (きちょう)
violent	激しい (はげしい)

Question 1

The oldest person I know is my wife's Grandmother. She is 94 years old.

Question 2

Honestly, I'm not sure what her profession was before she retired. Now, she is into gardening. She gives us fresh seasonal vegetables about four times a year. She gives me good tips for my greenhouse.

Question 3

The life expectancy of men in America is 78.69. The life expectancy for women in America is 81.6. The ladies win.

Question 4

I don't think that I will live very long. Many of my family members have died of cancer. My brother had brain cancer. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 47. My mother died of colon cancer in 1985 at the age of 55. However, my grandfather lived to be 99. Hopefully, I will take after my grandfather.

Question 5

There are many things in Japan that I would like to do before I die. I want to go on a tour of Yamazaki distillery in Oyamazaki. I would like to go skiing, and enjoy onsen in Hokkaido. I would like to read a book on the beaches of Okinawa.

Question 6

I don't fear death. I believe that death can exist during life, if you don't live your life when you're alive in some ways you are already dead. I believe that my son and daughter can live on for me, if I die.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
greenhouse	おんしつ(温室)