I feel smug now
Apr. 19th, 2003 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
melredcapStill no word on what marks I got in my Japanese classes, but I have my marks for last semester's non-Japanese classes. Drumroll please...!
Psychology and the Ways of Thinking of the Japanese: A.
Experiences in Japanese Culture: A.
Budo I: A.
Language and Culture of Japan: A.
Okay, I'm happy with that. ^_^ I don't really expect my Japanese marks are going to be that good -- after all, the classes here are pretty tough. I didn't really expect it in Psychology or Language and Culture, either! Not that I didn't work at them, or anything... but I'd rather expect a B and be happily surprised, than be sure I'm going to get an A, maybe slack off on the homework a bit, and be unpleasantly surprised by something lower! I'd kind of like to know my actual percentages; I mean, an A means that I got 80% or more, the same as a High Distinction in my home university, but how far over 80%? Did I just squeak in, or am I sailing through in a blaze of glory?
Hmmm. Maybe I can ask.
This week's classes went pretty well! I had my first Kanji class on Wednesday, which I was NOT looking forward to -- we had a 'level check test' to make sure we really should be in that class, and I was positive I was going to find out that all my kanji knowledge had dribbled out of my ears over the holiday. I did do some reviewing, but wasn't feeling confident at all. And then... it all clicked! I remembered stuff! I think I did pretty well, actually.
D-level Japanese is definitely going to be more work than C2-level was, I think. For one thing, the 'extra' class that goes along with the grammar and kanji classes is Composition, and we're stuck doing an essay a week, on top of the half-dozen essays and two speeches we'll be doing for grammar class. Bleah. At least it looks like the subjects are going to be interesting! For the first essay in grammar class (for which I'm also doing a speech -- I volunteered to be first, which at least has the benefit of getting one over and done with!) we're supposed to make up a fake news article, sort of like the April Fools' Day articles a lot of newspapers put out. According to mine, Steve Irwin has discovered that the legendary Australian dropbear is real, by being attacked by one. Heh. I figure he gets bitten by enough things in real life, what's one more?
Budo II is also going to be tougher than Budo I was. Bittmann-sensei warned us, and I went and proved it! We were practicing a new move yesterday, in pairs because it's one of the ones where the Mighty Jo defeats the Puny Sword (haha, as always), and I moved in to attack, slid my foot forwards, and kicked Yen's foot. Ouch. He was fine, but I folded the nail on my big toe back half-way... owowowowowowowowow. Don't you just HATE that?! It's taped up, and doesn't hurt too badly now, but it's a damn good thing I was able to laugh at it!
On Tuesday, I also joined the evening calligraphy classes they hold next door to the dorm. I did Japanese calligraphy (briefly) back when I started studying Japanese, and really enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again. (Especially since I've PROMISED Christy I'll do some scroll-thingies with her neices' names on them as presents!) I didn't really have enough time last semester to do calligraphy, but my schedule's a little lighter this semester (and more flexible), so I figured I'd go for it. Yes, it's STILL fun!
Hmmm... what else... I still don't know who's going to be supervising me in Independent Research (also known as 'Translating Manga for Fun and Credit'). I'll have to ask Okazawa-sensei if he's had any luck finding me a nice helpful teacher. The cherry blossoms look WAY COOL, as do some trees with large magnolia-type blossoms on them. The pond/fountain in front of the main stairs up to the University buildings is full of bazillions of tadpoles, and we've actually had several sunny days in a row (yay for spring!) which were also uncomfortably humid (boo!). Spring has also brought out the student clubs, along with a few thousand tons of leaflets and flyers they're trying to press on everyone (the sneaky ones, like the Philharmonic Club, staple little packets of bubble gum to their flyers so people will take them instead of running in the other direction); I want to try kyuudo (archery), but I'm a trifle scared that my usual lack of physical coordination will result in mayhem as I shoot random onlookers... oh what the heck, I'm sure they don't give beginners the sharp arrows...
Well, it's getting late-ish, and I want to translate at least a couple of pages of DebiDebi before going to bed so I'll have some progress to show my Independant Research supervisor when I finally meet them. More later, as always!
Psychology and the Ways of Thinking of the Japanese: A.
Experiences in Japanese Culture: A.
Budo I: A.
Language and Culture of Japan: A.
Okay, I'm happy with that. ^_^ I don't really expect my Japanese marks are going to be that good -- after all, the classes here are pretty tough. I didn't really expect it in Psychology or Language and Culture, either! Not that I didn't work at them, or anything... but I'd rather expect a B and be happily surprised, than be sure I'm going to get an A, maybe slack off on the homework a bit, and be unpleasantly surprised by something lower! I'd kind of like to know my actual percentages; I mean, an A means that I got 80% or more, the same as a High Distinction in my home university, but how far over 80%? Did I just squeak in, or am I sailing through in a blaze of glory?
Hmmm. Maybe I can ask.
This week's classes went pretty well! I had my first Kanji class on Wednesday, which I was NOT looking forward to -- we had a 'level check test' to make sure we really should be in that class, and I was positive I was going to find out that all my kanji knowledge had dribbled out of my ears over the holiday. I did do some reviewing, but wasn't feeling confident at all. And then... it all clicked! I remembered stuff! I think I did pretty well, actually.
D-level Japanese is definitely going to be more work than C2-level was, I think. For one thing, the 'extra' class that goes along with the grammar and kanji classes is Composition, and we're stuck doing an essay a week, on top of the half-dozen essays and two speeches we'll be doing for grammar class. Bleah. At least it looks like the subjects are going to be interesting! For the first essay in grammar class (for which I'm also doing a speech -- I volunteered to be first, which at least has the benefit of getting one over and done with!) we're supposed to make up a fake news article, sort of like the April Fools' Day articles a lot of newspapers put out. According to mine, Steve Irwin has discovered that the legendary Australian dropbear is real, by being attacked by one. Heh. I figure he gets bitten by enough things in real life, what's one more?
Budo II is also going to be tougher than Budo I was. Bittmann-sensei warned us, and I went and proved it! We were practicing a new move yesterday, in pairs because it's one of the ones where the Mighty Jo defeats the Puny Sword (haha, as always), and I moved in to attack, slid my foot forwards, and kicked Yen's foot. Ouch. He was fine, but I folded the nail on my big toe back half-way... owowowowowowowowow. Don't you just HATE that?! It's taped up, and doesn't hurt too badly now, but it's a damn good thing I was able to laugh at it!
On Tuesday, I also joined the evening calligraphy classes they hold next door to the dorm. I did Japanese calligraphy (briefly) back when I started studying Japanese, and really enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again. (Especially since I've PROMISED Christy I'll do some scroll-thingies with her neices' names on them as presents!) I didn't really have enough time last semester to do calligraphy, but my schedule's a little lighter this semester (and more flexible), so I figured I'd go for it. Yes, it's STILL fun!
Hmmm... what else... I still don't know who's going to be supervising me in Independent Research (also known as 'Translating Manga for Fun and Credit'). I'll have to ask Okazawa-sensei if he's had any luck finding me a nice helpful teacher. The cherry blossoms look WAY COOL, as do some trees with large magnolia-type blossoms on them. The pond/fountain in front of the main stairs up to the University buildings is full of bazillions of tadpoles, and we've actually had several sunny days in a row (yay for spring!) which were also uncomfortably humid (boo!). Spring has also brought out the student clubs, along with a few thousand tons of leaflets and flyers they're trying to press on everyone (the sneaky ones, like the Philharmonic Club, staple little packets of bubble gum to their flyers so people will take them instead of running in the other direction); I want to try kyuudo (archery), but I'm a trifle scared that my usual lack of physical coordination will result in mayhem as I shoot random onlookers... oh what the heck, I'm sure they don't give beginners the sharp arrows...
Well, it's getting late-ish, and I want to translate at least a couple of pages of DebiDebi before going to bed so I'll have some progress to show my Independant Research supervisor when I finally meet them. More later, as always!
