['otsu' is short for 'otsukaresama' as in 'good work, we all worked hard']
As for the final exam, I feel like I did pretty well on all of it except for the speaking part. My teacher thought I wasn't able to understand her, but I understood her perfectly. The problem was that I probably couldn't explain myself very well and she was the one who couldn't understand me. Of course, she probably didn't put this into consideration...But, anyways, she said that my writing was very good and easy to understand, so it was strange that I couldn't convey what I had written into speaking. I don't think that it's strange at all, though. Speaking a foreign language involves thinking on your feet--which I'm terrible at. I'm bad enough at it in English... For example, there are several times when I look back on a conversation no matter what the language and think, 'I should've said this; It would've been better if I had said that...' I do feel like I've improved in several areas, but not in speaking. The thing is, it's harder to interact with Japanese people than I thought it would be. The fact that I'm shy doesn't help. And so, I haven't been able to have many opportunities to use my Japanese on a regular basis. I told my teacher that I've been trying, but still speaking is still the hardest part for me and I really don't know what to do to improve. I do have the club in Nakameguro, but that's only once a week, which is not enough. I couldn't get a conversation partner this semester because our schedules didn't match. Hiroko-san recommended that I get a part time job, for example as a waitress because that involves using polite Japanese on a regular basis. If I do get a job, I really don't want it to involve English...then, there's no point. My teacher recommended 'shadowing' dramas, but shadowing is crazy hard...-sigh- Well, during the spring break, I'll try to work harder.
After final exams were over, my class all went to a pasta restaurant for lunch. It's terrible how 'gaijin'/'foreigners' are treated like rare animals. Well, they all fit into the stereotype and were kind of loud, but...the difference in the way foreigners are treated is too clearly noticeable. You really have to take the stance of not caring at all and acting as if nothing around you is different. I don't stand out as much as my blond classmates for example, but it's still a stigmatism that's really difficult to get accustomed to.
Anyways, in the picture (left to right): Me, Laura, Kathleen, In, Lisa, Kamelia, Alberto, Chris, Mihal, Hinata. Kathleen will be leaving in the middle of next month, but I hope that I can have classes with these people again! They're all very nice.
Now time to organize things to do during the spring break!!
Entiendo como te sientes, pero no hay nada que hacer mas que seguir haciendo. Tu has avanzado mas de lo que te imaginas. Respecto a esa frustracion de "debi haber dicho esto o aquello...", que quieres que te diga? Nos pasa a todos, Los humanos somos asi, ya se que es una putada porque lo que uno siente uno se cree que es lo peor, pero con el tiempo entendemos que no hay nada mejor ni peor y que nuestra experiencia tiene un valor unico y fantastico. Sigue aprendiendo y frustrandote y aprendiendo a vivir. Yo aprendo mucho con tus comentarios. Te quiero. Alberto-san
ReplyDeleteHey-a Kenia!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, great job getting through finals, I know how awesome thats gotta feel :P
Now, also, learning languages can be so crazy. I agree that speaking is by far the hardest part of learning/using language. I think maybe even for those with total fluency in some language, they still have a more sophisticated way of writing than speaking. Like for example, I took a maybe 5 mins to write this out but I could read it back in like 30 seconds, so my mind definitely had time to think out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, which you just can't do in everyday conversation.
I think the waitress job is a totally awesome idea(it might really help)! Practice speaking Japanese often and just don't give up :D
Wishing you the best,
-Jonathan