I'm normally wide awake on Mondays. However after Nagai sensei's class even the lure of warm coffee couldn't keep me awake and I ended up slumping on my bed and had a quick power nap before I woke up in a daze, believing I had slept in and then rushed off to uni to go learn about Japan's Minorities with the semi-legend that is MC Sick Riddles. Perhaps it was the fact they ran out of those delicious bacon and egg sarnies you can buy in Tesco on west street and which I seem to buy everyday as brunch alongside my morning coffee. It knocked me off my balance and the chicken sandwich was clearly not ample replacement.

Anyways, our flat at Rockingham House was subject to a mandatory inspection today to make sure we are keeping the place clean. So after hours of scrubbing and scrubbing on Sunday night (well 30 minutes.) We passed the inspection with flying colours. Well actually, I was really dishearted by the fact that we were only awarded 'OK' for the state of our kitchen desktop but 'Good' for our furniture and coffee table etc... The fact our only 'clean' flatmate is still in Reading explains the semi-derelict state of living room and kitchen in the past few weeks.

Because of my nap, I launched myself towards the Arts Tower a bit early, before buying some colour pens (more on this later) and then decided to spent 20 minutes taking photos with my mobile phone. Oh the joys too. I didn't know the quality was that good (not bad for 1.6 mega pixels!) Here is the highlight of that journey with yours truly looking really interested about his lecture on Burakumin.



Later in the day I also discovered that I need another injection before I go to Japan, bringing the grand total up to 6. (!!!!) My exam is just under 7 weeks or so away and I feel really unprepared and really shitty about my Japanese ability - especially my speaking, which has gotten worse despite the benefits of having Japanese people around me 24/7...

Oh well, onwards and upwards. My essays are done and things are going okay in my life right now. Except this vulture of japanese doom circling my head everyday I look up.

Right I'm off to memorise these kanji compounds. I've got a feeling some funny bastard is going to choose 性欲 (lust, passion etc) just to annoy me.

またね☆

The exam timetables are out; and they are as follows;

Friday 23rd January: Japanese Language - 9am (3 hours)
Tuesday 27th January: Lexicology - 1.30pm (2 hours)
Wednesday 28th January: Japan's Minorities - 1.30pm (3 hours)

Eep. This means my exams are tightly packed but obviously its quite nice as I can now possibly plan a nice trip for myself - or maybe just go home and get drunk (probably the latter.) I think I have 10 days off altogether. Currently my revision and exam preparation during the holidays is going to physically kill me.

Damn! Where does the time fly, when you are having fun eh? Let me summarise things so far...

Monday: First day excitement and something of damp squib in more ways than one. Classes started at 9am and although its an early start, I would happily get up at 4am for my grammar teacher. The grammar, was kinda pointless and very soft - thankfully she must know how much we are all feeling about our Japanese after 4 months off.

The day ended with a bit of a rush. A 5 hour interlude and then an introductory spell about Japan's Minorities. I then rushed home in the rain and then onto Las Iguanas in the rain and said a sad farewell to my friend Michiko whose birthday it was and also who is going back to Japan next month. How I'll miss her. Our relationships is so unusual, and I kinda think of her as an older sister. I tell her all kinds of crap about my relationships and social life and she in turn listens and makes me feel good about myself. If all goes to plan, I'll end up seeing her sooner than some of her other friends in Sheffield, which really brings home how long and how far some people can be apart from each other at times.

Tuesday: Tuesday is a pain in the arse, because I have three classes and have a ton of fecking work to do. It starts by having some more grammar and writing in Japanese at 10am and ends with Nic giving us a sheet to read in Japanese which half of us can't read. The size of the class also takes the proverbial with people sitting on the windowsills and ceiling. Yes, the class is that big! Before that, I get the luxury of Japan's Minorities in the same room, which also has capacity problems. Sort it out Sheffield!

Wednesday: We recieved the dreaded talk by Angela-sensei, the head of our second year, who instilled confidence in us by telling us how hard this level is. If you miss several classes, you get refered and sent a letter, then if you fail the exam, you get told to switch degrees... and its not optional. In short, YOU WILL FAIL, YOU WILL NOT GO TO JAPAN, YOU WILL BE A LONER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!! Tbh, although a lot of what she said was tough, I agreed with her. If you struggled with last year's Japanese you will find this very hard. Likewise, people who are struggling along will probably never improve whilst on the course, given the intensive workload placed on us poor bastards. I hope for the class size's sake at least, some people will do the honest thing and drop out (what a terrible thing to say behind the keys of a laptop overlooking a tiling shop in central Sheffield.)

Later on it was the dreaded Japan Society Intro thing. This was kinda surreal for several reasons; Firstly, I totally underestimated how many people would turn up. In the end it was a lot. And secondly I seem to undersell myself sometimes. I just randomly start chatting to Japanese and English alike after just one pint of Czech beer. I am also pondering something else, which I'll talk about later and which I think is hilarious and sad at the same time.

There was a few nice girls there (well what can I say) and I ended up walking four of them back home (I am a kind person amongst this fragile shell of a hubris.) And lastly, we found another full-time Japanese student!!! And he's from KANSAI! Brain overload. Seriously. I just can't wait until next week, when we have the big intro thing and another bout of tandem learning.

Thursday: Today? Oh today was boring. In fact, today never happened. That's how interesting it was. I had another spell of lexicology today with my lecturer reminding me of a Eddie Izzard type character with a severe bout of lexiphilia (love of words.) No actually, he just doesn't love words, he REALLY loves words. Words cannot describe his love for words. Haha. Me and my flatmate also completed Resistance Fall of Man on the PS3. And then we are waiting to for number 2, to justify the crappy ending of the first one.

Friday: Tomorrow I have just the one lesson, with the delightful Arai-sensei, whom I was so close to adding on facebook. Technically we have one mutual friend. The friend in question whose birthday it was on Monday and who is leaving Sheffield as we speak. I think I'll do the Japanese thing and keep my distance and respect the honoured gakusei-sensei hierarchy.

Plus, I don't want her to see photos of me drunk in some nightclub, before my kanji test on Monday morning. I've learnt one thing about the Japanese people in my four odd years of socialising with them - THEY TALK!

So busy right now, so...

jaa ne!

Last night, I met a few of the new Hosei students from Japan. They are here for just 5 months rather than the full year and are mostly doing cultural and language modules. I can remember Rui, Takahiro, Masato, Harumi, Miki, Natsumi (who was very friendly - stop it Rich!) and a load more whose names I have completely forgotten. "I can remember the face but..." I think there was a Satoko as well. Oh well, I'll get their numbers and demand some facebook when I see them next time at our big intro party thing.

Afterwards, I ended up meeting a few international students who I knew through my Japanese friend last year. It also looks like Masato 'scored' with an English student of Japanese who is resitting this year. Ah, well done kind sir, showing us how its done. *jealous*

In the words of my flatmate, that was just the start of things. The real buisness begins when we meet the proper exchange students. Mostly, I got on well with them last year. I think I really need to know every Japanese person here, as last year I was a bit anti-social at times. It would be nice to know every single Japanese student in Sheffield, although that is a big ask.

New classes are just less than a day away and I am now very nervous. Because my kanji has gone to pot and my grammar, speaking, listening.... ARRRGHHH HELP ME!!!! The thing is, I just feel really rusty. Its not as if I have done no Japanese in the holidays, I just can't remember stuff as easily as I could. Its going to be nice to have some schedule in my life. I'm so sad, that I'm actually looking foward to printing out my study schedule.

However I am really looking foward to doing this Japan's Minorities module as it looks really interesting. This module could be a blessing in disguise for me.

Despite my reservations, I still feel really excited about this year. Japan seems closer and the Japanese language is now seeming less challenging to me. Is this self confidence? Me? I think I may need to just sit down.

Argh! Big news! Yesterday I found out, there is indeed a clash and there is nothing I can do about it. So now I have only three modules available to me in SEAS (Society and Lit in Contemporary Japan, Japan's Minorities and Modern Japanese History)

The latter I cannot take without History credits and the first one has a very demanding reading list per week. So, by Hobson's choice (no, not Hugo Dobson - the legendary Japanese Studies lecturer) I choose studying about Ainu and Zainichi.

This could prove a blessing in disguise. The guy who teaches the module is just pure awesome and really loves his subject matter. Although, I was slightly concerned when he said he may have to cap the numbers this year, so I might just end up filling in this Add/Drop form really quickly just to be on the safe side of things.

It will also be a nice complement, as I have never done any social science modules and tackled anything about Japan from a social point of view before. I thought I would hate learning about stuff like this - but I could be proved wrong.

Say hello to my timetable for 12 lovely weeks.



Its looking a lot more user friendy now isn't it?

10 hours contact time! 2 hours less than last time I think.