天気： 曇り
I had my first Japanese speaking class today at 12. Kinda vegged out a bit in the morning, waving goodbye from under the covers, to Diego as he set off to his 9 o'clock class. It is a very small class; only about 10 people. Christina, Joanna, and the girl from Melbourne are in my class, and I've made friends with another guy, Dustin, whom I sat next to today. Miyauchi sensei is very funny, and seems easy-going. He has a strange tendency to end almost all his sentences with ね (ne), sometimes after a pause. Lol, at times we left him hanging when he asked a question (we all seemed pretty nervous), and this made him nervous. We all have to address each other, and be addressed by our last names in the classroom. So I'm Anderson-san, lol. Sensei explained that, using ones first name (at least in a formal situation) is childish. Only kindergarten and primary school teachers go by their first name. He went on to explain that, in the family situation, only his wife and family members older than him can use his first name. This was all in Japanese mind you. I feel pretty confident after understanding most of it. We are expected to speak as much as possible in Japanese in the classroom, and encouraged to do the same outside. Hopefully, this will really push me to become a more confident speaker. As sensei said, mistakes are allowed in the classroom.
After class, I hung out with Jacinthe while doing my Japanese homework (first day and already homework, which is due tomorrow). At 2:30 I had my Introduction to Japanese History class, which is completely maxed out, with over 30 students (and almost 20 on the waiting list). The professor is old, but he's pretty cool. I sat next to Kelly, from Australia, who I remembered from my Culture and Everyday Life in Japan class. I'm really glad I'm writing all these people's names down, it's really helping me remember. This course looks like it's going to be really good. We've already been told about a festival in the area that we can have a look at, and there are two field trips. I'm really looking forward to it.
Walking back this afternoon was nice as it was overcast for a change. Thanks to my history class, I now know the name of the shrine that I walk past along the short cut (杉ヶ本 - Sugigamoto jinja - lit. origin of cedar shrine). They are doing construction there at the moment, which is kind of a bummer, but hopefully they'll be finished soon. I really want to explore to city more, after learning about all the historical sites in the area. Anyway gotta do some more on my Japanese homework...9:11pm セミナーハウス
Anyway, I've just finished my Japanese homework which is good. Went to a small supermarket called Sanko just up the road, which I had never been to before; it's got a lot of stuff. The electricity pylons
are absolutely massive here (lol, just as a side note). I just ended up buying a 2L bottle of water and some yogurt. Others there were buying a lot of produce. Getting back to the dorm, there were a number of people who were cooking. We have a big kitchen with lots of cooking appliances to use, including rice cookers, and crazy microwaves that can do everything and more. They can even toast bread, even though we have toasters xD. I gotta start thinking about my topic for my USC component of this trip. I have to choose any topic about Japan and research it, and keep a project journal. I've decided that, since I want to join the koto club, I'll research koto or Japanese traditional music. Something along those lines. I've got so much to think about, it's crazy!!! I've just gotta get everything prioritised and take thing one step at a time. It's only early in the piece; can't start freaking out already. Anyway, better get some sleep, got class at 10 tomorrow...
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