Pass to First Grade

St. Louis, MO -- So on Tuesday I had my first Japanese lesson. It was pretty cool to go over there... take my shoes off at the door and sit on the living room floor and study. It was basic at first-- she wanted to see how many of the hiragana letters I knew (The syllable-based alphabet that has some 40 characters, I believe) and I remembered most of them.

Then we went on to do basic sentences-- This is X, That is X, that over there is X... This is not X, it is ....You get the point.

Anyhow. I was pretty excited afterward, because it seemed like we had a good connection and I felt like I learned and got to talk and pronounce... and re-pronounce... and try again. Before, while studying by myself, I wasn't able to do that with anyone. But now I can!

Anyhow, she said I'm able to read better than she thought I was going to be able to read... though I still feel like a kindergartner.

Next week, I'll be going back. I'll still be continuing the Rosetta Stone program... but now I have the advantage of having someone to practice regular conversation skills with.

So, I'm on my way there.I'm still praying for raising the needed support, which is considerably more... and for part time jobs... Anyone know someone who needs a Spanish tutor?

When I'm not working on these things, I'm reading Japanese history, living in Japan, a book on why Japanese and Americans think the other is weird (which I think was written more for Japanese, but it's very entertaining and enlightening at the same time)... but I have so many books that I half-seriously joke that I'm currently not accepting any more books. I've never had so many on my shelf before. And usually, they're not on the shelf-- they're laid on my nightstand or my dresser or wherever else I happened to put them.

Anyhow, I need to get going. Good night!