So it has been a while since I wrote anything! There is always stuff going on and things I could write about but I just couldn’t find the motivation to actually sit down and type anything out. Right now I have an hour break before ceramics class, so I figured there is no better time!
Obviously classes have started. One thing I will say is that is I have never voluntarily taken a 9am class. Yet here I have 9am classes three days out of my week, and it’s rough. I have a hard time waking up and convincing myself to get out of bed. I did end up getting into Japanese 3 for speaking and reading. At first I thought the speaking class was going to be rough, but I actually like that class better. My teacher for reading and writing is nice and seems fun but the class itself isn’t. I think it’s mostly because I dislike reading out loud.
My other two classes are Ceramics and Monsters and Ghost and the Making of Modern Japan. Jess, Tim, and I all are in the Monsters class. So far it’s interesting, if lacking a little bit of focus. The unfortunate part is that somehow I end up being crazy tired every time we have class because it’s after all the 9-11am classes. It can be a fight to stay awake.
My favorite class is Ceramics. My teacher is honestly amazing. He speaks around eighty to ninety percent Kansai-Ben Japanese. It’s helping my listening out so much. Also some speaking here and there. I have class every day except Thursday for 2 hours. It’s nice to have something to focus on, and I really like being creative and making whatever I feel like.
Classes mostly keep me busy during the week since we always have homework and quizzes for Japanese. But the weekends are when most people get out and do stuff. I’ve been eating at various places around the city. I can easily say that the food will be the thing I’m going to miss the most when I leave. I cannot get enough of it. Granted there a still a few places back home to get Japanese food, but it doesn’t compare to the food here.
There should be stuff to write about after the next two weeks. Monday is a holiday, so we get a long weekend. I had originally wanted to go to Tokyo, but the plan turned into going next weekend since we also get Thursday off next week. We’ll hopefully take a night bus there Wednesday night. This weekend I get to meet my home visit family. I’m pretty excited for it, if not extremely nervous. I got to meet the Kansai Gaidai student whose family I’m meeting. His name is Kazu and he’s 18, which makes me feel way older than I’ve felt since getting here. But he’s nice and his english is pretty good.
Oh, I also never got to mention that my roommate is also Japanese. She is awesome and we always have the most random conversations. She’s helped me out a ton with my speaking since I feel confident speaking around her almost all the time.
This post was mostly to attempt to catch up with everything that’s happened in the last few two weeks. It feels like I’ve been here for longer than a month. But at the same time I can’t believe a month has already gone by! I have a feeling by the time I leave it will probably feel like everything flew by.
Dana in Japan 