so, i forgot my password and login name, and spent way too much time trying every possible combination. oddly enough by trying every combination of names and passwords that I have used since i was in 7th grade, I came across 2 previous blogs i was part of-one that i only posted one entry the day before i graduated high school, and one that was a 6-way blog between my best friends from high school and i. That lasted 2 years. oh, good memories....
sorry about that tangent. now onto what this is supposed to be about-Japanese

So I really enjoy coming to class and seeing everyone each day. I've had classes in the past that I just dread going to, whether it's because the prof is boring, or I feel like I can't grasp the concepts. But Japanese is fun. And the people in my class crack me up. In a good way for sure. In language classes I feel like you can't help but get to know the people pretty well, because not only do you see each other every day, but you actually are supposed to interact during drills and whatnot.
This new chapter is much more technical than the other ones. I've been going off straight up intuition for a lot of class so far, but I feel like that is about to stop right....now.
So, I made a really good friend this summer who did the JET program, and really enjoyed it. It is a very tempting concept. But then there is the whole-get a career after college thing that also seems like a good idea. If I could find a job that involved traveling around east asia, and had a creative aspect to it, that would be pretty awesome.

any good movies?

My Portuguese teacher sends us a few songs to check out each week. He says by listening to music, and singing along, it helps to "get the accent" as well as other things. I live in the Shea house, so there is a plethora of chinese around me whenever I want it. It's great, because it's as immersed as I can get without going abroad, (which I would like to do, possibly next fall?).
So, if anyone has any favorite japanese music, I would really appreciate some recommendations. And that goes for movies as well. I am a HUGE fan of Totoro, Spirited Away, etc. But I am looking to explore some more serious movies as well.

so, random story. My brother went to japan on rotary exchange right after he graduated from high school. One day at some coffee shop he ended up talking to some guy, just practicing his japanese. Well, they ended up being friends. The guy he met is the lead singer for the Japanese group, Ellegarden, I don't know if anyone has heard of them or not. I think his name is takashi....? Anyhow, on one of their albulms, he wrote a song about my brother-it's called A Song For James.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzYG7rQx_Ds

I think that's pretty sweet. Kinda jealous. Who wouldn't want a song written about them?

One of my favorite pictures taken in Beijing. from left to right goes my brother, myself, and our two good friends, Seng and Jeen. I took a year off after I graduated from high school and did some pretty crazy things. Ask if you want to know. One of them would def include moving to live with my brother in beijing for 3 months when my whole chinese vocabulary consisted of "ni hao" and counting to 10-not even with the correct tones. However, it was one of the best times of my life, and this is one of my favorite pictures. my brother is now working in Tokyo....maybe i will go visit him in the near future....and with what I already have learned in class, I will hopefully be able to strike up a conversation with a cute boy and ask him for his number.....

if you really want to know...

class website: http://uvajapanese102.blogspot.com/

Well, I've been doing the xanga thing for quite a while, so I don't see how this will be too different. Except that my classmates are being made to read my inner thoughts and comment on them, so perhaps I should keep them school appropriate. Now here's the question everyone asks. Why are you taking Japanese? Well that my friend, is a long and complicated question.

When I was super young, my family moved to Tokyo. I picked up Japanese before I really knew English, aka, my family would speak to me in english, and I would respond in japanese. We moved back to the states after 2 years, where I promptly lost all Japanese skills I had, and learned how to speak English. Of course to complicate matters, we moved back to Tokyo, but this time I went to Seisen International School, which is taught in English. Although we lived in Japan, I don't think my japanese skills went beyond being able to watch cartoons without being confused. After 2nd grade, we left Tokyo, and I haven't been back since, although I would love to revisit it with the perspectives I have now.

So I have an innate love for Japan and the culture and all that good stuff. And my brother just started working in Tokyo for Citigroup, and I hope to visit him.

So, languages. yes, they are fun. I'm only taking language classes this semester actually. My schedule consists of Chinese 401, Chinese 583 (Into to Classical), Japanese 101, and Portuguese 111. I feel like I am drowning in my chinese 401 class. I feel like Japanese is a lot of fun, and I get it. I feel like Portuguese is rough somedays, and good other days, but I like all my classes nonetheless. So, that's it for now. see you all in class on monday, have a great weekend.