So I figured I owed you all an explanation on what classes I've been taking here (I know my mom has been pleading me for a while now ^_<). First, during the summer we had the "intensive" program, where it was Japanese 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. During that time we had a kanji quiz nearly every day. My kanji comprehension greatly improved, as well as my vocabulary and listening skills, but that's about it. (Remember, kanji is the name for Chinese characters that the Japanese use in writing) We didn't really go over a lot of grammar or writing, which is unfortunate. Anyways, during that time I felt like my Japanese was only slowly progressing, and I was kind of bummed about it. However, slowly but surely it started to pick up, and I began to learn how to memorize Japanese words easier (by thinking of the kanji that make them up). I also, for the first time in my life, began making flashcards, which are actually extremely helpful. Admittedly, I have yet to actually
use the flashcards, but making them was very beneficial.
The teacher for that class was Shima-sensei, my favorite teacher here at Tsuru Bunka. She's not only very funny and animated, but a great teacher to boot. She will often go off on tangents, which I feel is truly of the utmost importance when you're trying to learn everything you can about a culture. The more random facts in the lessons, the better. Half the time it was taught by a different teacher, Minomia-sensei, who we just called "Moley-sensei" thanks to the big mole on her face. I didn't like her. Her teaching style was very dry. It was as if she was teaching based off of a strict guideline that if she strayed away from she'd be punished.
Anyways, I got an A+ for the entire summer course. By the time it was over my vocabulary, which was piss-poor when I started, had greatly improved. However, since nearly all the students were out on summer break (only one or two other classes were in session when ours was), my speaking ability didn't really increase at all. Sure, we had our tutors, but it's different when you're immersed in a school that's fully underway.
So after the summer ended our "regular classes" started. We have 8 classes total - 6 "core" and 2 electives. Before I talk about them a little in depth, I should first explain the Japanese college system (at least, Tsuru Bunka's - whether or not this is roughly the same model all colleges use, I haven't the slightest). College here is basically structured like American high schools. There are periods, or
gen, with 5 a weekday, starting at 9:10 am and going to 6:00 pm. Each class is an hour and a half long, with a lunch break between 2nd and 3rd period (from 12:20 pm - 1:10 pm). There is a 10 minute break between each class. There is a bell that rings at the end of each period. Also, there is one central
shokudou*, or cafeteria, that most people eat at - whenever I go inside I always feel like I'm back at my elementary school's cafetorium. Also, since the student body is only about 3,000, you often see the same people each week. All this creates as ort of "high school" feeling, which is actually very appreciated, since for me it's like I'm back in high school, only this time
I'm the cool kid ^_< So, you have a possible 25 time slots for classes.
Now that you know the basic framework, it's time to explain the average Japanese college class. Let me first say this:
grades don't matter. Pretty much everyone will get an A if you attend and do whatever minimal homework is assigned. I don't even know if classes have quizzes. There is often a final report or exam, but even if you do poorly on that, the teachers grade a lot based off of participation and effort. Thus, even if your essay sucks, if you
tried, you can get a good grade. But then again, that's assuming that you actually
care about grades, which Japanese students don't. They don't even matter in high school, since the only criteria to get into a college is your score on the entrance exam.
Thus, the only real reason to go to class is to get the minimal participation grade to pass (so you get the credit) and to learn. Thus, a lot of college students will constantly skip class. However, I've met more students that are serious about going to class than are lazy about it - perhaps because they actually want to learn, or have fun in class?
The average student here will take about 15-20 classes. Each class meets only once a week, and usually has very minimal, if any, homework. It might seem like a lot, but due to the overall laid-back atmosphere, it doesn't stress out the students as much as American universities stress out American college students. Tsuru Bunka is known for it's comparative culture and elementary school teacher majors, and as such, most people's major will fall into either one of the two (there are a few other majors offered, but I hear it so rarely, I don't even know what they are).
Okay, so now you hopefully have a better picture of what the Japanese college student's academic life is like. Basically, college is a time for the Japanese students, who studied their ass off in Junior High and High School (though it's all just pure memorization and regurgitation - a topic for a later post) to kick off their shoes and goof off. Nows the time that they can join circles / clubs, get part-time jobs (once they turn 20 they become an adult and can drive), have relationships, etc. So, what's in the average Tsuru Bunka's ryuugakusei life (or more specifically, mine)?
Monday:
6:30 am - 9:00 am - soccer practice
10:50 am - 12:20 pm (2nd pd)- Japanese Studies I
Japanese Studies I - In this class we watch a Japanese show called "Cool Japan" that features a bunch of foreigners from different countries in a roundtable discussion about Japanese culture. Each gaijin takes part in some kind of Japanese culture (with a video crew recording everything, of course), then after their clip is played, everyone discusses it with each other and with the Japanese hosts. Basically, the take away from this is more about Japanese culture. The shows are on VHS so the quality is slightly low but fine. We don't really learn a lot of new Japanese in this class, but we do learn just enough about Japanese culture that I enjoy it. Also, you can't go wrong with a class where you just watch TV =)
12:20pm - 1:10pm - lunch (If i want to surprise the Japanese, I make my own lunch and bring it to the shokudou. They never cease to be amazed at a PB&J, an apple (OMG he's eating it unsliced!
"Wild!"), and a raw carrot (again, "OMG he's eating a raw carrot!?"))
1:10 pm - 2:40pm (3rd pd)- Intermediate Japanese IV
Intermediate Japanese IV - Same teacher, Shimodaira-sensei, as the previous period. This is probably the most useful class we have. In it we're given scans from a grammar book and work on the "small" things in Japanese grammar, such as particles and when to use what phrase.
Extremely beneficial to our Japanese, this is what I wish all our classes were like. At the end-of-the-semester report next week I'll be sure to voice my strong favor for this class. Also, I asked the teacher to get me a reference on where I can buy the book, since it's one of the most helpful Japanese books I've ever seen.
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Every now and then I'll play basketball with my summer basketball circle. Don't go as often these days due to lack of interest.
Tuesday:
9:10 am - 10:40 am (1st pd) - Japanese Studies II
Japanese Studies II - Basically what was supposed to be our history class is a bukyou (Buddhism) class. And, while I'm all for learning about Buddhism, this class is a joke. The teacher is terrible. She talks at an extremely fast pace (imagine a foreigner trying to understand
me talk) and uses a lot of complex words. I'll hear a word I don't know, look it up in my denshijisho (electronic dictionary), note it's a very complicated word, then wonder why she is using that word (and so many other words we probably won't know). Not only that, but when we read in class (which is basically all we do), she will correct within a milisecond if we mess up. And, here's the thing - the font of the text she gives us sometimes makes the "chi" character and the "ra" character look alike, so every now and then we'll get them mixed up. She's actually gone through the trouble to
reteach us the difference between the two. Basically, image an English professor talking about reincarnation and all the random difficult words and concepts associated with it, then stops to explain the difference between "m" and "rn", because when you put r and n next to each other they kind of look like m. She does this all the time, too, which is very frustrating.
Finally, to top it all off, all the class is is reading old parables she's given us. Unfortunately, since most are a few hundred years old, they use a lot of old, out-of-date Japanese expressions and grammar. I had my Japanese friend look at one of the readings and note that nearly all of the words and expressions and grammar points that were new to me are rarely used in today's world. The teacher makes no effort to differentiate between those two, which results in us studying Japanese which would never be used in today's world. So, I've just stopped doing the readings, which are assigned as homework (then just reread again in class), since all it'd do is confuse my current Japanese with old Japanese, and since the old parables aren't really teaching me a lot about Buddhism - just sayings that are associated with it. Basically, this is like trying to teach English to a Japanese student with Shakespeare. Just...why?
?
10:50 am - 12:20 pm (2nd pd) - Shodou (calligraphy)
Shodou - This is my first elective. At first I thought I'd take it as an easy elective and just be bored throughout the entire time, but it is actually probably my favorite class (second to the grammar class where we actually
learn Japanese). I've always loathed art, as my parents can tell you, and stayed away from it as far as I could. However, shodou is different. After each attempt I'll look at my work, note where I messed up and where I did good, then try to improve. And improve. And improve. I'll do anywhere between 20-50 a class. Each time you improve a little bit, and when you look at your first attempt and compare it with your final, there is a noticeable difference. You first do a few rough drafts, then bring your two best up to the teacher, who will use orange ink to paint over and correct it. Then you return to your seat and keep trying. Once you have one you like, you write your name on it and the teacher will pin it up (before taking it down next class). It's very relaxing, despite requiring a lot of concentration, and very fun. I wonder if UCLA has a calligraphy class....
12:20 pm - 1:10 pm - lunch
2:50 pm - 4:20 pm (4th pd) - Japanese Studies III
Japanese Studies III - This is our Poli Sci / Econ class, though to call it such would be an overstatement. The teacher, while nice, is very timid. He will speak in Japanese then translate it to English, despite us understanding the Japanese version (and in most cases, understanding it more clearly than his English). We basically sit there and seem interested as he gets through a few paragraphs of speech. He stutters a lot, which doesn't help. In fact, he will often pull a Porky Pig, by trying to say something in English, stutter about 10 times, then say it in Japanese. Comical, yes, but also very endearing. He's one of those professors that you can't be mad at for not teaching you anything since he's such a nice guy. So yeah, I haven't learned anything from this class - the only time I ever learned anything about Japanese politics was when I read the Wikipedia article on it. :-/
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm - Weightlifting with host dad in the city's gym, which is connected to the school gym. Haven't gone in a few weeks, been busy getting last-minute studying done and such.
Wednesday:
6:30 am - 9:00 am - soccer renshuu (practice)
11:10 am - 12:30 pm - Go to the elementary school (this week and next weeks are different elementary schools)
1:10 pm - 2:40 pm (3rd pd)- Intermediate Japanese III
Intermediate Japanese III -
Shima-sensei's fall semester class. 'Nuff said. Basically it's a culture class. She gives us print outs and we talk about various cultural aspects, such as eating habits, New Year's, etc. Very fun - it's Shima-sensei, after all. Oh, and on a side note, each week in this class and on Monday's 3rd period we have a kanji quiz. There are a few Chinese students and one Korean student with us during these classes - obviously, they don't need to take the kanji quizzes >:(
2:50 pm - 4:20 pm (4th pd) - English class - I've only gone last week and this week. It's basically the most advanced English class here taught by the school's only American teacher. Unfortunately, the level is extremely low, but it's fun to help out.
Thursday:
1:10 pm - 2:40 pm (3rd pd) - Intermediate Japanese V
Intermediate Japanese V - Another very fun, culture-centered class. The teacher, like Shima-sensei, will often go off on tangents and tell interesting / funny stories of his youth. We'll read a few scans and then talk about them. A good class to kick back, have fun, and learn a little bit about Japanese culture.
Friday:9:10 am - 10:40 am (1st pd) - Children's Literature
Children's Literature - My second elective. We read short stories in class, then talk about the morals and ethics found in children's literature, and how it can apply to today's world. The class is pretty popular, with probably about a hundred students or so (it's held in the biggest room). Being a regular Japanese class it's extremely difficult to follow along - I maybe understand 5% of what's being said, only going off of key words. The teacher is really nice, though. Our (the gaijin taking the class) final report is to read a few children's books then write a page or two comparing them. Not too hard. I just really wish I knew exactly what she was saying, since the material seems really interesting.
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm - soccer renshuu (usually dinner afterwards, too)
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So yeah, that's what the classes are like here. While I do learn about the culture from the three culture classes we have, my Japanese itself isn't as high as I'd like it to be, probably due to the summer and the one grammar class we have now being the only source of actual Japanese language schooling we've received. The Buddhism is garbage and the political class could do with a makeover. Shodou's a lot of fun. Most of the Japanese I've learned has been outside of the classroom. This is, of course, just how it should be, but it would have been nice if we were actually being
taught Japanese as opposed to just picking it up through joining clubs and such. If we're able to get the meaning across people will rarely correct our grammar - we unfortunately do this to exchange students studying in America as well. The point of coming to Japan was to get our Japanese out of that "awkward" sounding stage and into more of a fluent state. While yes, I can definitely talk and comprehend a lot better, I still probably make a lot of subtle grammatical mistakes that, while they don't take away from the meaning, push me farther from sounding fluent.
Thankfully, though, I've made some lifelong friends here that I'll be able to Skype with a lot back in America. They'll be able to help nitpick my Japanese and fix it for me, so even when I return back home, I should be able to steadily improve.
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And now, for a few pictures!
A view from one of our normal classrooms into the main quad. I'll be updating about the town and school campus more in depth later on.
A view looking a few inches to the right from the previous picture.
Me and Shima-sensei! ^^
I love Shima-sensei. This is from one of my kanji quizzes. I forgot the kanji for "en", so instead I just wrote "neko", which means cat, and put a little smiley cat face with "nyaaa" underneath (the cat sound in Japan isn't meow, but nyaan).
Shima-sensei, in response, drew an annoyed cat (which has "Shima" written down it's stomach) holding a piece of paper with the correct kanji on it. That's the kind of teacher she is - very playful, very funny, and her drawings are always hilarious.
