Back To Work

I have returned from the US, and gotten back into the swing of things here in Japan. My ten days in Springfield were chockablock of fun, and JC even came up to dine with me and my parents. I had to go to work right away the next day, which was fine, as I had never really adjusted, time wise, to being back home. I was constantly falling asleep, especially at inappropriate times, or times where I wanted to talk to people, but was just too tired.

And, I jumped right back into Japanese language classes too, my first one for the new semester being this past Tuesday. I must confess, I was a little trepiditous coming to class, as I was walking in, without knowing what the results of the final exam, which I took just before I left, were. I was hoping to get a "Gentlemans' C", because if it is good enough for the POTUS, it is good enough for me. Actually, I was cramming a whole semester's worth of work into about five weeks of classes, due to the fact that I only had enough money for that, doing as much traveling to the States as I have. I studied like a madman, reviewed as much as I possibly could, and memorized to the best of my skill. I was also handicapped insofar as I was too poor to enjoy many of my usual venues for language exchanges, which is where I practice speaking. I can not easily memorize words, I do much better when I use them a few times, and language is all about using what you got.

Still, I could have failed completely, and they gave me my test..... and I got a "B"! I have never been so happy to get a "B" in my life! It meant I could progress with my language study, and I would not have to repeat the class. But, it also shows that if I can do this, I should be able to really do well by the end of this year, and pass level two of the Japanese Proficiency Test in Decembre. Poor or not.