I came back and had a small peanut butter sandwich to put me off until lunch time. I then got dressed in normal day clothes and went to class. When I got there, one of the other boys in my class and also a friend here at JCMU, Lance (I refer to him as Lance Armstrong), was sitting in my seat, so I had to deal and sit in the middle of the group of chairs.
For anyone who has not had a class with me, I would like to mention that I am ALWAYS in the front row or as near to the front as possible. If I have a choice, front row and slightly to the left. Because of the way that these chairs are set up, (every chair is next to each other in a half-circle) I sat in the chair closest to the front on the side. For me, it's easier to concentrate when I'm up front, as well as the feeling that it gives me more communication with the professor.
It was our first full day in the classroom. Where we had three classes separated by ten minute intervals, followed by an hour and ten minute lunch period, and then another fifty minute class.
First class period was with Yoshida-sensee. Yoshida-sensee is the second year program operator, so we begin the first class of every day with her. We reviewed te-form and more structures to go with the grammar lesson. In addition, we practiced other grammar structures such as listing adjectives of people and places. (I will include a Japanese language note in a little bit).
After the first class, our second teacher came in. His name is Aizawa-sensee and he is absolutely amazing. While Yoshida-sensee was patient and focused on our comprehension of the grammar and vocabulary usage, Aizawa-sensee was like a drill sergeant, shooting us questions, one after another in rapid succession. At first, it was a little difficult to understand, as he spoke in normal-paced Japanese and didn't give us a hint as to what the next question was going to be, but eventually I was able to keep up. With Aizawa-sensee, I started thinking in Japanese and responding in the language without translating from an English counterpart.
For Aizawa-sensee's class, we also had to memorize the dialogue. This, I would say, was the easiest part of the class. He would say one thing, then we would say the next line. Sometimes he would go off an a tangent and pick one student to say one line then go to another student. One really didn't know when or what he or she would have to respond. It was very on-your-toes type of simulation. I wish all of my classes were like this.
After Aizawa-sensee left, the minute he walked out the door, everyone just sighed in exhaustion. The entire fifty minutes was a burnout, but it was easily unanimous within the class that Aizawa-sensee was a great teacher and everyone's favorite. I'm not trying to put down any other language teachers that I have had (and I've had a lot) but this guy really made us think and talk in Japanese.
For our third class, Yoshida-sensee came back. We reviewed everything from the first class by answering questions from Yoshida-sensee within the first ten minutes. Then we reviewed Chapter 8, which was short form, which can be used with specific grammar structures and casual speech.
Japanese Note: There are two main forms of Japanese language. polite form and short form. (Given different names in Japanese, of course.) Polite form is used in more formal situations. In example. to go: "行きます” (ikimasu). Short form is more casual. To go in short form is also it's dictionary form/infinitive form: "行く” (iku). The general idea in Japanese is that longer it is, the more formal it is.
And in case some of you forgot, te-form is used for various grammar structures, such as asking, giving permission, listing, etc. You can use te-form with verbs for listing, "今朝、朝ご飯を食べて、日本語を勉強しました"。（This morning, I ate breakfast, and studied). You can also use te-form to describe people and places. In example, "私の町は小さくて、しずかです。” (My town is small and quiet.)
After our third class, I met up with Niki, (she is in level 1) and we returned to mine and Jackie's apartment where we made ramen noodles. (By the way, yes, I know ramen sounds really silly to eat in Japan, but I found really really good noodles, and they are really delicious. I'm going to try my hardest to bring back a package or two.) In addition, I checked my mailbox, and I received a letter regarding my homestay. I now know my family members and where they live. It says that my commute is 10 minutes by bike from the house to Nagahama Station, a 20 minute train ride from Nagahama to Hikone, and then another 20 minutes form Hikone Station to JCMU. All in all I should be commuting about 45 minutes to an hour every day each way, however, I am very excited as it really is kind of fascinating to know that I will be responsible for traveling every day to get to class in a foreign country. It's a little different than driving up to Washington D.C. every day.
Anyway, we had our ramen, which was very tasty, like normal, and then we returned to class. In class, I tried to sit on the other side of the classroom, but it was a little harder as I didn't know the people on that side and they weren't as willing to join in on conversation (partners and groups for mini exercises) so I decided to try to grab my original seat the next day.
For our fourth class, we were required to have read the reading that was given out and understand the concept of the story and be prepared for any questions that would be given to us orally during class. For our fourth hour, our teacher was Nakamitsu-sensee. She was very kind and helped us understand the Japanese custom. Our reading was about a man and his wife who wanted to celebrate "お正月" (oshougatsu) or New Year's Day with ”おもち” (omochi) which are little rice cakes. However, they didn't have much money, so the man went into town to sell the ”かさ” (kasa) or cone hats, (the generally Asian hat made of straw that sits on the head similar to an umbrella) that he and his wife had made so that they could buy some ”おもち”. However, no one bought any hats, so he returned home without any ”おもち”, when he came to six ”おじぞうさん” (ojizousan)which are Buddhist guardians of children who have died. It was snowing and so the old man placed the "かさ" on the heads of the "おじぞうさん". However, there were only five hats and six guardians. So, the old man gave his own hat to the remaining guardian. That night, the man and his wife awoke to tapping on their door. When he opened the door, it was the six ”おじぞうさん”. They also had ”おもち” so the old man and his wife ended up having a very happy ”お正月”.
We had to answer a lot of oral questions pertaining to the reading, and then make up our own story in Japanese from a popular folktale from when we were kids. My group chose the rabbit and the hare. We shared the story as much as we could in Japanese, and then Nakamitsu-sensee asked us questions about the story. Her final question was "What was the message of the story?" The guy next to me stumbled for nearly two minutes trying to come up with a sentence to explain how the slowest but steadiest wins the race. I, however, took the easy route (and apparently the funny one) and simply said：
”レスのときにねてはいけません。” (It is not good to sleep during a race).
And so, following class, I returned to my dorm and started my homework like a good student. About an hour later, Niki and I returned to the super market to get paper towels and things such as that. After we returned, we made tofu and rice. Niki is excellent at making rice in the rice maker and my tofu wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be on the first try. (I did learn that I need to get rid of more water, as well as use a little bit of flour). It was a delicious and very healthy dinner.
I went to bed rather early last night, which is my excuse for not having a blog up. I'm starting to get into the swing of things, but I expect to be posting my blog up every evening around eight or so, which is 7 am Eastern time. I'll return later this evening and write about today.
Thank you for keeping up with me! More to come soon!
でわあしたまた！
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