インタビューと発表の宿題

日曜日の夕べに村松先生にお話を伺いました。インタビューはよかったけど、発表は全然よくなった。。。

発表のためにパワーポイントを作った。たくさん練習をしたけど、始めた時、頭がパニックにおちいた。=( みなさんが発表してしまったの後、また発表してみた。 それから、大丈夫だった。

the interview & presentation assignment
i interviewed muramatsu-sensei on sunday night, which went well...but the presentation didn't go well at all. i created a powerpoint for it and practiced a lot, but (for whatever reason) i went into panic mode when i began. i tried to restart again after everyone else had gone :( that time, it was fine.

[ i was prepared for the most part---and felt confident. so why? i don't know. the scary thing about all this is that it was definitely the beginnings of a panic attack. unfortunately, i know this all too well from my freshman year experience... ]

今度週末は大変かもしれない

今日のショーテストは易しかった。　でも、今度週末インタビューをしなくちゃいけない。　それから、作文を書いて、月曜日に出して、火曜日に発表しなくちゃいけない。　友達にインタビューするなら、やさしいけど、先生にはとても難しい。　敬語を使わなくちゃいけないから。

中級一が大好きで チャレンジだ。　ちょっと大変けど、この方のほうがいいだろう。

この五日はとってもいそがしかったよ！　でも、ジムに行ったり、泳いだり、サッカーやバレーボールをしたりできた。

this weekend is probably going to be tough
today's short test was easy, but i have to do an interview this weekend. afterwards, i have to write an essay, turn it in on monday, and give a presentation on it on tuesday. interviewing friends is easy, but since i'll be interviewing a teacher, it's probably going to be difficult. (it's because i'll have to use honorifics, extra-modest expressions, and humble expressions--which require irregular conjugations.)

third-year is a challenge and i love it ^_^ it's a little tough, but it's probably the better way to go.

the past few days have been extremely busy! however, i did get to go to the gym, swim, and play soccer and volleyball.

難しくなかったけど。。。

今日の授業は難しくなかったけど、全部わからなかったので、ちょっといらだたしかった。　全てを理解に慣れたから。　それに、今週はだけ復習だ。。。

it wasn't difficult, but...
today's classes (in third-level) weren't difficult, but because i didn't entirely understand (what was said), it was a little frustrating. （i'm accustomed to comprehending everything.) furthermore, this week is only review...

やさしすぎたよ！

今日の授業はやさしすぎた！　楽しかったけど、ちょっとつまらなかった。。。　明日、中級一の授業にいってみるつもり。　話すことや聞くことはもっと練習しなくちゃいけない。　文法と漢字は大丈夫かもしれない。

昼御飯の後で友達と一緒にプールにいった。　まだ泳げないけど、ゆっくり習い始めている。　日本語でめかくしおにをした。　とても楽しかったよ！

too easy!
today's class was too easy! it was fun, but it was a little boring... tomorrow, i'm planning on going to the third-level classes. i must practice speaking and listening more. i'm probably okay with grammar and kanji though.

after lunch, my friends and i went to the pool together. i still can't swim, but i'm slowly beginning to learn.　we played "marco polo" in japanese. it was so much fun!

so much paperwork.

there's much to be taken care of before june 30th and july 7. i've been nominated to receive a freeman-asia award, which may grant me up to $7000 for the upcoming academic year. i'll need to submit various forms by the end of the month, but many of them require correspondence from my advisers---so i'm relying heavily on their timeliness. as for my study abroad program july 7 deadline, i'm most worried about the card to my host family and a short essay for a grant (that will fund cultural activities during my time abroad). the other forms shouldn't be too difficult to fill out. i'll just have to force myself to sit down and do it.

i feel slightly overwhelmed, as i have only two more hours before i sign the language pledge. classes begin tomorrow morning at 7:50am and will last for four hours. i'm extremely excited and nervous (and somewhat dreading the summer) at the same time. i know i'll be just fine though ^_^

i should also write back to my pen-pal in kyoto... her name is norie, and she goes to doshisha university, where akp (associated kyoto program) is hosted. i'll get the chance to meet her in person come september! she seems like a very sweet girl. i can't wait :)

and the countdown begins.

i'm down to my last few hours before the signing at 10:45am. orientation was surprisingly entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. my teachers are so incredibly nice and welcoming. there are 80 of us in the japanese school--20 are middkids :) 300 applied. student to teacher ratio is 4:1. 2000 paper cranes will be made this summer. i can't wait! i'm signing up for martial arts, soccer, and volleyball. the list of activities is extensive, and i plan to take full advantage of what language school has to offer.

after hatasa-sensei's closing remarks, i found myself more inspired than i ever thought i would be to follow closely the language pledge. this means i won't be calling home often, checking facebook, talking to my friends in chinese school, or listening to american music (contrary to my intentions before arriving on campus). i'll stay on top of my email, but i can't promise the usually long responses.

おやすみなさい [oyasuminasai], or good night!

my last day of english

the placement exam wasn't terribly difficult, but it took over three hours to complete. there were six parts: grammar & usage, vocabulary & kanji, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, essay, and the interview. looking back, i think i could've done much better. i didn't guess on many questions. the exam is scored like the sat, and we were advised not to guess if we didn't know the answer. i'm afraid, however, that i took it too literally. i left questions unanswered even when i was able to eliminate wrong choices. i gradually became more comfortable with the format after the first portion, which thoroughly disheartened me at first sight. i wasn't able to answer any of the opening questions. the exam is the same for students of all levels, so i mistakenly assumed that the questions would be presented in order of ascending difficulty. much to my delight, i found that they eventually got easier. the exam didn't capture my abilities very well, so i'm sure i tested into second. results will be posted as soon as grading is completed.

*update*
i was placed into second ~ yay!^^ this will probably mean four As toward my major.  it won't be easy, but i will certainly not be struggling to keep my head above water. i'm slightly disappointed, but i believe it's for the best. i trust the teachers to have placed us accordingly. the grammar will be already familiar for the most part, so this summer will be more about consolidation of concepts...i just hope it won't be like intermediate chinese. this year wasn't necessarily a breeze, but i don't feel like i was challenged enough. i guess time will tell.

i'll sign the language pledge tomorrow morning at 10:45am. afterwards, i'll only be permitted to speak, read, hear, and write japanese. of course, i'm in the middle of vermont, so it's a bit unrealistic. i'll do my best to adhere, but i'd like to keep blogging throughout the summer. perhaps i'll start writing in japanese.

excite.co.jp/world/english has a translator, but like most online tools, it fails to produce a perfect translation. (if lucky, one can get the gist.)

anxiety. lots of it. and classes have yet to begin...

the three weeks in woodsville flew by, and now i'm back on campus. i arrived late last night and stayed with a friend who is working in middlebury over the summer. i wasn't able to move into my room until almost noon today. thankfully, everything went smoothly. i'm all settled in and don't know what to do with myself. my (japanese school) friends are either at the optional screening, taking a shower, or studying. our placement exam is at 8am tomorrow. i've been preparing for the test ever since finals ended, and i'm confident that i'll perform well. however, i'm not confident enough in my speaking and listening skills to be comfortable at the third-year level. (i've only studied japanese for one year.) because i've already covered much of second-year grammar with my professors (outside class), i'm worried that second-year will not be challenging enough. i'll be in kyoto less than three months from now, and i want to make the most of language school. do i glide through second-year? or do i struggle my way through third? the feeling of being in limbo has been the root of my high anxiety levels recently. i don't want to disappoint hayasaka-sensei and takahashi-sensei, who have been correcting all my extra worksheets and helping me prepare to skip a grade. i know that ultimately, it's what i'm comfortable with that matters most. still, i can't seem to let go of all the nervous energy that i've been harboring. i think i should go study now.