Ah, wonderful. Its like a daze. Like a quixotic blend of the insane and the beautiful dancing on the shores of Rimini in a perfect setting. I awoke this morning at Darlington train station to be greeted with glorious sunshine that would dip in and out amongst the clouds in schizophrenic fashion. It would have been nice to admire, had I not been;

a) hungover from Stevie’s birthday
b) shattered beyond belief
c) recovering from a stomach bug, in which I had made a Jackson Pollock over the ceramic bowl of life not being able to sleep at all during the journey – despite my tiredness

Crazy feelings.

Things are still dull right now and I opine for Sheffield. I would take Arai-sensei’s kanji class at 9am, some midsemester tests and a listening dictation all back to back rather than be stuck here with nothing to do and no-one to see. 8 weeks to go and I’m chomping at the bit to have some form of sanity again. Although Sheffield is far from sane.

I have managed to type up the 50 or so Japanese onomatopoeia – my favourite so far, being ピンピン – something I’ve not felt recently due to a lack of any physical movement or time management. Along with some adverbs, I hope to have all my new words done and dusted by the end of the week, so I can relax and just skim learn the stuff I need to know. Right now it’s a case of having my study aides in place, so I can focus more on my true weakness. My listening skills.

Because I will be doing 20 credits next year in Japanese, but presumably the same intensive workload – I’ll have to forge ahead and start reading ahead for Lexicology. The wonderful thing about this is, is that I am reading for the sake of reading and using the time to get a good overview of what I’ll be doing. Anything to combat this boredom.

This module is very strange. There are two to three lectures a week, no workshop exercises and I am assessed on a 2hr exam and 3,000 word essay in which I’ll have to write about the development of the English lexicon. So basically we look at slang, neologisms, foreign loanwords and slang/dialect.

Given my last essay result, I feel a bit hesitant about my essay writing skills. I normally can write about the most absurd things and make them seem plausible – however I have a habit of trailing off and missing the point. This year I am going to bother the head of the module incessantly with help!

Perhaps I should just write about increasing my Japanese lexicon!

Actually this is something I genuinely do find interesting and is probably one of the few linguistics modules I’ll look forward to taking at Sheffield. Last year despite my illness and utter contempt for the Varieties of English module, I enjoyed Professor Beal’s discussion on the background of dialect words and phrases. Cockney rhyming slang developing as criminal code in London’s backstreets for example.

Let’s hope Amazon can deliver them soon. Incidentally my mammoth green book of Sociolinguistics is gathering dust now. Although, I’ll probably use it in the fourth year when my module choices become more taxing and I’ll need to remember the stuff I forgot in the first year.

A sad fact of the matter, is that for duals like myself Linguistics is very much a side order to the main dish of Japanese. Sadly I’m competing alongside people who do this subject as a major and therefore are used to the teaching methods, assessment and above all practical knowledge of the subject. I really disliked most of the linguistics last year and I spent zero effort on it. This year, now that those modules count towards my degree classification I am going to have work my ass off.

Before I left this morning, I logged into Mole, which is the most annoying slowest thing we have at the university (aside from me of course.) I still have all my first year module choices listed, which is kind of annoying considering I just want to banish them to dustbin. I want to see the second year stuff, to show that I’ve truly made it and survived the horrors of fresherdom.

Also recently I seem to have taken a bizarre fancy towards Konno Asami of former J-pop Morning Musume fame.

Curious. Not that I should be creeped out by that of course. She is extremely cute and intelligent and reminds me of a girl I used to date, or maybe it was a girl I want to date but got scared away due to my insufferable bowl movements and kanji fetish. Also internet girlfriends are a waste of space. Looking at you Yukari! Right, off to the gym to think about me being ムラムラ towards Miss Konno and 101 reasons why she will never go out with a loser like me.

じゃね☆

Recently once people find out that I study Japanese at Sheffield, they are keen to know what's it like and do you have any tips?

Apparently at Sheff we have the highest dropout rate of any course at the university and around 25% of the people who started in September are expected to graduate four years later. I think 14 graduated from about 50 something last year and a few years ago, only 8 people passed. Its really fun to look into some people’s eyes and even your own and think to yourself, “I wonder who’ll be next.” I honestly expect about 28, next year with a few people dropping out after a few weeks into the second term. You can sort of guess who is going to drop out. Harsh but true. Even in the fourth year people dropout or have to resit the year.

It’s a shame, because its very hard to convey the intensive nature of the course on the prospectus. I think many people drop out due to the sheer workload and the fact that you can’t really glide by without doing any revision.

I think Manchester have the best advice of any potential Japanese studies candidates on their website. Incidentally, Manchester was my first choice when applying, as I really like the city. Strange as gun crime may be of course.

Sometimes people develop a habit of lacking confidence and just give up at the first hurdle. Languages are a struggle and you will find that it takes years and years maybe even a lifetime to ever truly reach any sense of native competency. Failing in French and Russian has taught me harsh things about language learning, that to your average Japanophile may not be too obvious. There are days when I wake up and think “I don’t know this, the world is going to collapse” and then may end it in a barrage of “hey, I know this, let’s learn them kanji.” As long as there is some fire in the belly I’ll be here until I either die or sensei kills me with a pointed stare.

If someone were to ask me what were the reasons why people drop out I would probably suggest the following. Bare in mind, this is my own perspective on the matter;

1. Learning Japanese is not learning about Japan. People may think that Japanese is zany, wacky and off the wall. Its anything but. Its highly organised and the language reflects that. Unless you have a systematic brain that can handle grammatical concepts and memorising characters your intimate knowledge of InuYasha and Deathnote won’t come in handy. That said some expressions from manga and anime are quite useful to know. I say *some*
2. Class sizes – this one gripe I had, especially on really cold and grey November mornings that I had issues with. Although I love all the sensei at Sheffield, sometimes the sizes of the classes can be off putting at first. Some thrive on these environments, I for one. Don’t. I like smaller groups where is there more interaction both with sensei and your classmates. During one class, right before our final mid semester, only 8 people turned up after everyone else decided to skip in order to throw up in the toilets or something. However, despite this, I felt I learnt more being able to have more speaking time and more crucially more time that sensei could assess us and add comments etc. At first, the 20+ sizes of the classes are very off-putting and only gets better when people drop out or get sick I guess
3. Confidence. As above. You have to have some confidence in yourself to be able to study a foreign language.
   
4. Just generally not academic or cut out for it. Language degrees on the whole are not for everyone. Being able to speak Japanese takes considerably more hardwork than other languages (such as Italian or French) therefore you really have to know how to manage your time effectively and know how to study a foreign language (some of the international students we have, are therefore very good on our course.) This is something I’m shit at. Sometimes people will see from afar me saying something in Japanese to a Japanese person and think that its cool and they want to do that. Sadly, even to reach that very basic standard takes months and even years of hard-work. People are guilty of seeing the end product without the hard work that went into it. Anyone who thinks language degrees are easy because they have a B and an A at the beginning should try it for a second.
   
5. Duals. Some people also underestimate the complexity of some dual-degrees. Politics is fiendish for example. Luckily because I do an Arts based subject (linguistics) there is probably no difference between myself and maybe the people who do full Japanese Studies. This year I will be doing 40 credits in Linguistics, 40 in SEAS and 40 in Japanese. Even then the 40 in Seas are about the Japanese language. According to some of my friends at SOAS, the dual degrees are amazingly hard.
   
6. Uni/City/Job/Money – all the other major reason why people drop out be it for Japanese or Bioengineering.

I know a few dropouts but I’ve never really asked them t explain why they dropped out. I guess it could be a touchy subject coming from a person who has managed to brave ¼ of it so far.

That’s not to say that studying Japanese at Sheffield entails getting tied down and having zero fun whilst kanji radicals burst your eyeballs.

There are some positives though;

1. City. Sheffield is a vibrant student friendly city. Plus its cheap and the locals are a right laugh.
   
2. University. I love my uni. Just an amazing student union.
   
3. Teaching – all the sensei have their unusual quirks and sense of humour which you will come to love instantly. Because SEAS is a very small department, everyone is very relaxed and approachable. Its not like some departments where two or three heads have hundreds of students to deal with. Sensei will also make time for you if you need it.
   
4. Environment – It’s a mix of the Japanophile, the otaku and the “how the hell did I end up here?” crowd. Nearly all the people who study Japanese at Sheffield are very friendly and given the small numbers who study it, you’ll soon know everyone and come to get eyebrows raised at house parties when you tell people what you study. There is a good mix amongst senpai and kouhai and people are always willing to help each other out.

Overall I would say the social side of things often works in harmonising some of the negative things about the course (such as the ridiculous work load every week.) I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to study here – and unlike some people on some other courses I want to make the most of that. Being a relative old fart of 23, I cherish these chances because I’ve experienced being rejected and told that I’m not good enough on many occasions.

So would I have any advice for any potential people who are thinking of coming to Sheffield to study Japanese in the future? Possibly…

1. respect your sensei – it really did piss me off how many people did not appreciate the time and effort they put in running this course. Being polite, apologising for missing lessons (something I was guilty of at times) and being late, as well as listening to what they teach you will come in handy. Once they are gone, I know I will miss them a lot. Make the most of the three years or so you have with them. N-sensei has the final say on whether or not you pass the course. Even if you get bad grades but make a good impression that shows you are working hard, it will stand you in good stead.
   
2. Speak as much Japanese as possible – and if so with Japanese people. These guys are the judges of how good your Japanese is. You are studying Japanese because you obviously want to speak Japanese. The main people who speak this are, strangely enough, the Japanese.
   
3. A-levels mean nothing. You’ll soon find that the people who sat back through all the easy stuff, start to feel the burn once the real stuff kicks in, basically the things that are not on the A-level syllabus. Speaking to my old sensei, she was dismayed at how poor some components of the Japanese A-levels have become. They seem to be less functional and practical now. Don’t come with the attitude that you know it all, you probably don’t.
   
4. Don’t underestimate yourself or others. Some people who appeared amazing in the first few weeks have either dropped out or changed courses and the people who seemed poor in week one, now seem really confident and at ease with Japanese.
   
5. Speak with the senpai. Because we know all the tricks of the trade. Also, make sure you speak to the 4^thyears, because they’ll know the best of what to do during the YA.
   
6. Enjoy your time and be productive. Don’t go to the pub every night but then again don’t sit at home looking at kanji flashcards over and over again. You’ll get bored and you won’t make any cool friends to get drunk in Japan with.

Above all, have fun, work hard and enjoy your time here! I should be looking really hungover on the intro thing for new Japanese students at freshers with sensei (because its after my birthday - did someone say Rhino's and shots?)

Hopefully I will look so bad that people will already think how intensive the course is! :-D

Given the number of utter crap I get sent in my mail box, I could probably document an entire series of these. They are thin on the ground so far thanks to uni being shut for the summer.

Here's the first in what I hope could be a long series;

CAN YOU HELP OUR RESEARCH?

WE ARE LOOKING FOR HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 - 39

We are conducting a healthy volunteer study to investigate the effects of
calcium fortified ice-cream on bone health. The study will require you to
eat one ice-cream each day for 28 days. The ice-cream you will eat will be
one of four ice-creams with different calcium contents.
There is an inconvenience payment for participation in this research.

The study will involve 5 visits to the clinical trials unit each lasting ½
to 1 hour for blood and urine sample collection.

This study does not involve any medications.

If you think you would like to help with this research, or if you would like
more information please contact the research nurse:

Linda Kersh or Jenny Cliffe
On
0114 xxxxxx /xxxx

Please Quote: ICE-CREAM study

I did giggle when I saw that. In an age where looks are now everything and women are content with looking their best. What better than to pay them money to stuff their faces with ice-cream all in aid of medical research. One ice cream for 28 days, you can't go wrong really.

For many people who don't know me. I normally shave once in every solar eclipse. To prove my 男らしい over the course of last year, I shaved the grand total of 3 times throughout the year. Shaving becomes an almost cathartic experience in which I remember the occasions like having sex, seeing as they are so few and far between. Sadly since July 3rd, 12:47 am I have been without my prized possession for sometime and am counting down the days that it can return. With a beard I look like a homeless person but without it I look like a creepy child molester. I'd rather look homeless than look like a damn pervert tbh.

For a few of my classmates, they are off to Japan this summer whereas yours truly is stuck middling amongst doing odd jobs and sods in the UK and France chatting to Japanese people over MSN until 6am every night. I really am counting down the days that I can return to Sheffield, although when I get there I will probably be sat in the IC, wondering when I can return home. Grrr.

If I was to look back on my first year in Sheffield I would say its been a mostly positive experience.

• I didn't drop out (more on that later) and managed to even obtain some decentish grades
• I met some wonderful friends from all around the UK and the world
• And I feel more confident about myself.

However, I had some quite negative experiences and certain cases of "should try harder." I really need to stay fit, because I've put on a lot of weight since last summer and even more so since the amount of kilos I lost sweating out my shirts in Malaysia in 2006. So, I need to keep more active physically and socially. Hopefully this where the gym, Badminton, Ju Jitsu and Japan Soc will help. :-)

I also need to study a bit harder. Granted my effort has deteriorated since I moved houses right before my exams and more so since I developed a nasty virus the week after Easter.

The only thing keeping me sane right now, is learning Japanese (so I don't forget everything!), chatting with Yukari on MSN (the Anglophonic, wants-a-boyfriend-fancies me-but doesn't-want-to-openly-say it Nagoya girl) and my diet and exercise regime (which although has improved since last week is still not perfect.)

Yes, it truly is a summer of boredom until the football season kicks off and I have something else to worry about. I have about 8 weeks or so until I return to Shef, so I need to start revising. Keeping in touch with my japanese friends is allowing me to maintain my level of grammar and now its just a case of attempting some more listening and kanji practice as well increasing my vocab. I can only seem to remember アイスクリームのように溶かす。And sadly given the current weather in the UK, won't come in handy anytime soon. However time is very much on my side, and being able to memorise this vocab, kanji and grammar should be beneficial given the very fast paced of my Japanese course.

This summer I was intending to go to Japan but pulled out at the last minute. I had a job offer to work the summer in Okinawa, but this fell through as they couldn't guarantee me to be back in the UK by the start of the 2nd year. The money I did save up, probably isn't enough and I am looking to spend it on travelling across SE Asia next summer. I'm intending to jump ship in July, visit my relatives in Thailand and work my way across Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and China, going all the way down to Hong Kong and then fly across to some country called Japan.

Let's hope in the meantime my beard returns, and with it some increased knowledge of the Japanese language and the complexity that it is women.