As I mentioned in my last note, I am currently in the city of Okazaki, Aichi preparing for my placement exams tomorrow. The first day at Yamasa has been a whirlwind - I've met a lot of people, moved into a dorm room, shown the general area, and relaxed at an izakaya. And then I woke up at 5AM this morning.
Today I spent a few hours studying, which I need to get back to shortly.
Apparently the school's definition of "intermediate" studies is between JLPT level 3 and 2 - basically where I want to be. Because of this, however, there is a chance that depending on the content of the placement test I may be finishing up beginner lessons. There are two sections of the test that worry me - first is keigo (a.k.a. polite and humble speech) and the second deals with the use of the Japanese passive voice, which is a bit in-depth to discuss here. I've reviewed both today and though I feel fairly confident I have no idea what to expect. I passed JLPT 3 with flying colors back in December, and I have no idea how many questions I need to answer correctly to pass this test. I do know that the format is similar to the JLPT which is a good thing as it means I've been studying the correct material.
Other than that, I spent the day exploring and wandering a bit, trying to figure out where things are. As such, I had a lot of time to myself today to think. Admittedly I used to complain about the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, but this place is altogether different and at this point I'm undecided on whether I like it more or less. Everything is spread out - requiring much more walking - and relying on English in a pinch is no longer an option. As far as trial-by-fire language experience is concerned, I'm in the big leagues now.
I suppose I am starting to feel a little homesick. I miss my girlfriend, and my cat. I've been in Japan for almost a full week now, and tomorrow classes begin. I'm meeting a lot of people but I'm still not sure who my "friends" will be, so the next few days are going to be very interesting. There is a certain "camaraderie" among the students here in that we all have a common interest though we may not even be able to converse outside of the Japanese language. I've met people from all over the world already, and I'd say about half of them don't speak a word of English. It makes this school very unique, though I will say you can only experience as much as you allow yourself to.
The other Americans I've met, save one, are a perfect example of the species as far as the rest of the world is concerned. These guys are boisterous and nonchalant. They don't even bother trying communicating with the other students in Japanese outside of class, and aren't really interested in learning anything at all. Considering how much I'm paying to be here and how much I'm trying to experience in a short time, every time one of these guys opens his mouth it makes me cringe. My guess? College kids, and their parents are most likely footing the bill for them to come here to "study".
But I'm not them, so I don't let it get to me. Tomorrow, it begins.
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