Another Day

Today was interesting. We almost got in trouble at work, but I felt like we got more done than usual. On office days, we often sit around without much to do. We're just kind of pretending to work on things until we can leave for the day. Today, we actually accomplished some things, like getting signed up for free Japanese courses at the Kochi International Association. Nelson, Kathy and I probably should've gone straight back to the office afterward, but we followed the others for a little bit while they looked for cell phones for the new ALTs. Our supervisor wasn't thrilled about that, but we aren't exactly in trouble. I think the lesson we learned is that maybe we should use our best judgment instead of always following our sempais (the older ALTs). They sometimes play fast and loose with the rules.

I'm excited for Japanese class to start up later this month, but I'm also nervous. I looked at Kemper's textbooks and I think I should start at the intermediate level, but they're going to make me do an interview with the teacher to determine what level I should be in. I'm worried that I won't be able to show them what I know and will be stuck re-learning the most basic things. If class is boring, it'll be harder to focus and really study. In one of the intermediate textbooks, there were a few grammar points we covered in Japanese 102, as well as some I hadn't seen before, so I think that would be the right place for me to start. Kemper actually thought I should be in the same class as him based on the Japanese he's heard me use, but I think that might be overestimating my capabilities. I'll be happy if they'll let me take the intermediate class.

Tonight there was another Yosakoi practice. This time, they handed out our costumes, which are pretty neat. They'll be hot, though, as they have long pants and long sleeves. Not my first choice of clothing for dancing outdoors in August, but oh well. I feel like the dance steps are starting to click, and I can remember more of them on my own now. I still have to watch the person in front of me the whole time but in some sections I can predict what comes next. The intimidating thing tonight was when they handed out the schedules. The directions are all in kanji, which I can't read. Sayaka, a very nice girl who speaks English well, transcribed the place names for me, but I'm still not very confident about finding them on my own. I would be really disappointed if I managed to learn the dance but couldn't participate because I couldn't find my group. I don't think that will happen, though.

Tonight after practice, I got a ride home with a lady and her daughter who I don't think I had met before. I'm getting more and more used to hopping into cars with people I can barely communicate with and whose names I don't know. It's an odd thing to do, but here it seems to be a valid method of transportation. It was really fun this time, though, because they all (the lady, her husband and her daughter) were really enthusiastic about talking with me. We used a mix of Japanese and English, and we managed to sort of understand each other a good portion of the time. There was a lot of laughter, and they were very friendly people. I felt very comfortable talking with them even when I couldn't entirely understand the conversation. It's really encouraging when people don't give up on talking to me, even after I fail to understand them several times. They kept simplifying things, translating parts into English (if they could), or trying new questions until I could answer. It was fun.