This is pretty weird but it's been a longgg time since I posted. Well, to be honest, I only posted once which is pretty terrible. However, I am glad to say that my Japanese studies did not come to a sudden stop like my blogging did.
I ended up taking my first Japanese classes in university about a month after my first blog post. Safe to say, the hours of studying I did and all the things I learned (with great difficulty) was covered in like the first hour of class and I was pretty much in the same boat as everyone else.
I took the first three beginning classes of Japanese. In UCLA, the Japanese courses are labelled J1, J2, J3 for the beginning Japanese classes. Then it moves on to J4, J5, and J6 which are the intermediate courses. They only offer each course specifically once each school year. So I did J1, 2, and 3 my Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters respectively. However, I decided to take a summer intensive which was a 9 week course where J4, 5, and 6 were all combined.
Doing the summer Japanese intensive (called J10) was brutal and the most fun I've ever had. It was also the most stressful time ever. I studied so much and it sucks that I actually didn't retain as much as I wanted to. BUT! It was during this time where I started to actually be able to speak and form sentences. While I wasn't actually fluent, I was way better than how I was during my intermediate courses.
I put a lot of effort into studying and it showed! I ended up receiving an A! It was one of the most fulfilling times in my life. During this course, I made many good friends that I still have class with today. I had an amazing time not only furthering my language skills but also creating awesome bonds with awesome people. It was honestly the first time I had ever done this in college.
As soon as my summer session ended, I went on vacation to Japan by myself! I was hosted by my lovely friend Yukina and her mother in Tokyo. I had the best one week ever. It was there that I realized my speaking skills were quite shit still. I had gained all this confidence and (slightly) big head about my abilities. It was good to get hit with that reality check. It pushed me to want to further my progress more than ever. I had an amazing time though. I went to shrines and temples. I bought nigiri from 7-11 and enjoyed it very much. I even had my first お祭りexperience and got to wear a yukata. It was the best summer of my life.
So where am I now?
I have officially started my second year at university. I have continued taking Japanese classes! Because I took the summer intensive, I was automatically moved to J100A which is an upper division advanced Japanese class. Safe to say, it was HARD. I don't think I've ever seriously worked so hard to simply pass. I ended up with a C+ and that was with every day study and just 110% pure effort. It was to the point where even my professor wasn't sure I would pass but she did tell me she noticed how hard I worked. (LOL)
Despite my worries, I passed and now I will soon begin J100B which is the second part of the series. My goal is to get a B- or B! I'm motivated, slightly scared, but ready.
So there's my full update. To the void that I shout into, I hope this shines a bit of insight into my Japanese learning journey. Hopefully in 2019, I shall be FLUENT!!!! (at least, conversationally comfortable)
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