The end of another day... awww, I received my first letter from Nanny and Poppy today. Well done for using the type writer Nanny, xD. As soon as I go somewhere cool, I'll get a postcard and send it back. Have to send one to Nan and Pop in Coffs Harbour too. What did I do today? Well, I woke up at about 7:00am and got ready for uni. I had my speaking Japanese class at 9 and had a quiz, which I think I'm going to get 100% on. My dictionary on my iPod touch has been updated, and it now has a learning function that uses flash cards for memory. All I have to do is make a list of my vocabulary in class, then I can be quizzed on it. It's so awesome, and really helpful. So yeah, then I had a break, ate lunch, then went to reading and writing at 12. Had another test!!! I feel okay about it; there were some kanji I didn't know!
In my culture and everyday life in Japan class, our professor told us that the sumo had started yesterday. It goes for 14 days, and is broadcast over the TV from 1:00-5:00pm. I didn't catch it tonight, but hopefully I can watch it tomorrow, along with another show in which a panel of foreigners speak (in Japanese) about how weird Japan is!!! Our professor suggested that one too. After class I rushed over to the 和室 (Washitsu - Japanese-style room) to meet with Midori of the koto club. Guess who I saw just as I stepped in; Brittney. How weird is that. She was just leaving as I entered. We had a brief exchange and then she left.
So, shoes off, onto tatami floor. The sensei was there, teaching the girls how to wear the kimono. Midori took me over to a koto, and we sat in 正座 (seiza - kneeling position; like in karate). She then proceeded to show me how to play. On your right hand, you wear three picks made from ivory, on your thumb, second, and third fingers. Your other two fingers are used for support on the strings. These koto have 13 strings, and the music is read from right to left, top to bottom, following the numbers (in kanji) that correspond to the strings. The kanji for the 11th, 12th, and 13th strings are not typical number kanji, so I'll have to learn them. You basically play by using your thumb (unless otherwise indicated), to pluck the strings. You use your left hand to push down on the strings on the other side of the bridge, to produce different notes. I found you have to push down quite hard to achieve this; I was being too delicate.
Midori got me to play "Sakura, sakura". She was suprised that I knew the melody. I was glad I did, because it made it easier to play for my first time. Soon after another guy, named Charlie, came in. I kinda wanted to be the only guy to join lol, but it's all good. Midori spoke almost entirely in Japanese, so this will be another great opportunity for me to work on my Japanese. Sensei will of course speak in Japanese, and quite fast I was told. I'm really looking forward to doing this. Practice begins on the 28th of this month and go from 4:30 to 7:30. I don't know which nights yet, but I'm pretty sure it's twice a week, which is fine.
So yeah, finished all my homework, feeling a bit sick in the stomach (I think I ate too much), but overall very happy. Everything is falling into place, and I'm really enjoying myself. I'm just gonna do a quick revision of my vocab list then call it a night. Meeting with Dan tomorrow, so hopefully get up to something fun with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment