Back to the Books

I've set myself a goal: to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, level 3, this December. I've started lessons again at a different language school, the
SIL Sapporo Nihongo Gakko.

I'm taking semi-private lessons right now with another American, a Baptist missionary named Steven (Stephen?) who is living in Kita-Hiroshima with his wife and their two children. Lessons are 3 days a week, roughly 9:30 to 11:50 am with 2 ten minute breaks during which the teacher usually gives us something to prepare for the next segment, or Steven and I talk a little, usually in English. I like the current class structure -- class every other day gives me time to do the homework as well as prepare for the next session.

We're working through Minna no Nihongo book 2. It's going better than I could have expected, and we get a lot of good conversation practice. If I was in the class just for fun, I would enjoy it a lot I think. But I feel some stress resulting from my desire to pass the certification exam; it means I need to spend a lot more time learning the vocabulary, including the vocab from the first book that I still don't know. I also have to review a lot of the grammatical structures that I did learn but haven't made it into my active, usable memory yet.

When July comes I think I will be in the their intensive course, which is a two week session with classes 4 hours 5 days a week. Aack! So this is really just a ramp up adjustment time for me to get used to Japanese again. I hope I can pack in not only all the things I'm learning right now but everything from book 1 that I need to refresh before July comes along!