Class: The First Day

So today was my first day of class while being in Japan. First I must point out that all of my classes so far are being taught in Japanese. This includes Japanese grammar classes, Kanji, reading...zenbu! (everything). It is extremely nice to have the system be this way, because then my Japanese will improve much more rapidly, but at the same time, if I have questions about something, I can only ask certain teachers, because only few teachers speak English.

My first class is called "Intermediate Total Japanese A". This means that three times a week, 1 1/2 hours a day, I will be engaging in Japanese grammar, Kanji, reading, and conversation. We have quizzes every day as well as daily homework assignemnts. The teacher also now knows me as "the kouhai of Jamie" because I thought that it would be important to include Jamie/then I wouldn't have to talk to the teacher after class...(Jamie had asked me to ask the teacher if she remembered him...) I think the teacher also knows me as the girl who likes rain and kimchi...awesome.

The second class today was my "Lower-intermediate Kanji class". In this class, the teacher handed us 4 pieces of paper and said (in Japanese) "OK! Write as many kanji as you can!! HAHAHAHAHA" then he walked out of the room so he could finish his lunch. Then half way through the test he asks us if the test was hard. Of course we all said yes. His reply?

"HAHAHA GOOD!" Then proceeded to roll across the classroom on his special rolly chiar, while practicing the motions of Kendo. When I had finished all I could, I walked up to him to so he could check my kanji. In Japanese he said,

"Hmmm...wrong, wrong, you forget this, maru, maru..mmmmmhhmm, Ah, your kanji is very pretty though. This kanji is tough...good job. Ahhh, mmm..." Then he started to draw triangles by certain words. I have no idea what the triangles mean. Maru (circle) is a good shape though.

The day proceeded to get even weirder when I went to the school cafeteria. When I looked in, I saw a whole bunch of people, with cameras, recorders, etc...like some famous person was eating there. I tried to sneak in to figure out who it was, but to no avail. I couldn't figure it out. So I tried asking some Japanese people what was going on. They had no idea either. So I tried to return to my lunch but I heard someone come up behind me and say..."KK?"

I turn around and there is a Japanese person. She starts speaking English to me and turns out I met her one time in Missoula, because she is friends with one of my really good friends!

I didn't recognize her at all, BUT I now remember who she is, and I am very excited to have met another sweet person in Japan. She said she recognized me from pictures she had seen of me recently...it was random and awesome. I like it when things like that happen.

After the trying day at school, I went downtown and to the HYAKU YEN SHOPU! Or the Dollar store. Basically though, it is the best dollar store ever. They have everything and it is not entirely crappy either! In fact it has pretty good quality stuff (for it being a dollar store!) Where else can you buy 24 crayons for a dollar? Uh nowhere but...JAPAN! What I love about the place though, is that they do have certain items that are over a hyaku yen, and when you check out the lady goes, "This item is $5 dollars, is that ok?" What do you say to that? "NO! THAT IS NOT OK!!!"

Also did more purikura today. You really have to google that if you dont know what it is. It is soooo wonderful. And soooo much fun to do with friends and perserving memories. And it just does not get old.

A typhoon is coming, I do not think it is going to hit anywhere around here, but we have had plenty of explanation about what to do in case of a typhoon. It includes going to a "safe place". Where ever that is...