今日ぼくは日本語の学生のブログを読みました。ナネットさんのブログはとてもおもしろいもてつだうぶろぐですよ。

ナネットさんはコロンビア大学一年生です。今週、ラーメンせたがやのレストランのリビュウをかきました。ラーメンせたがやはニュウ・ヨクのレストランで、とてもおいしかったと言っていました。でも、たかくなかったと言っていました。シャッロツビルにおいしいラーメンのレストランがないと思います。ざんねんですね。

それから、テレビゲームを話しました：
http://lrnj.com/
それは日本語をおしえるゲームだと思います！おもしろいね！じゃ、ナネットさんはてつだう人ですね。

http://nanettenihongo.blogspot.com/

も元気じゃない。

じゃ、私は元気じゃない。でもこんしゅう、私はソル・シュロテゥがある。それから、こんしゅうまつ、毎日アルバイトに行く！たのしくないだね。

今日、テクノソニクスのクラスのプロジェクトをする。このプロジェクトはリジムを作る、とてもたのしいよ。それから、私の中国のれきしのくるすは月曜日’ムラン’を見る。私はぜんぜん’ムラン’をみらないけど、たのしいえいが？

金曜日、私の１０１のクラスはいっしょうにひるごはんをたべて、ヌコム・ホルで会うけど、私は食事のプランがない！なにをする？私はしょくどに入ってはいけませんね。金曜日にも、ウドーラさんは’デズデモナ’のプラィに行く。みんなさん、いかない？八時、二０九モーリ・ホルにある。

元気じゃありません

金曜日、私はちょっと元気じゃありませんが出かけましたから、今日はとても元気じゃありません。たくさんしゅうくだいがあって、フルがあります。でも、このしゅうまつはいいだよ、あたらしシンシサイザをかいましたから。とてもいい、たのしい。それから、私のともだちアニさんは私のアルバイトにアルバイトがある。私はフォクスパクのきさてんにつとめて、いま、アニさんもﾌｫｸｽパクにつとめます。いいですね。

このしゅうはいそがしいです、たくさんアルバイトをしますから。それから、日本語のクラスが作文とテストあります。でも、スプリングの休みは三月で、すぐですね。じゃ、

Back in the saddle

So another semester of Japanese is staring us in the face and dang I wish I had studied over break. I am actually surprised at how quickly I am remembering all the old stuff, and learning the new things. I actually really like teiru, it was difficult to understand at first but now that I kind of get it I think it is really useful. ni ikimasu is okay, I don't really like using that kind of pre-made sentence structure if I don't have to, but I can see it being useful in certain situations, or opening the door to a new way of making sentences.

One thing about Japanese that is really exciting for me is that I am going to Japan this summer! My friend Ross (he is studying animation at SVA in New York) and I bought tickets this winter break, a round trip leaving May 15 and returning June 15. We are basically going to go there with some clothes and minimal cooking equipment, buy some bikes in Tokyo, and head south and then loop north, and camp out as much as we can, and visit temples and castles and just kind of hobo around for a month. One thing that sounds really fun is for when we are in cities, one of his Japanese friends told him internet cafes are really cheap, and you can basically rent a booth for 8 hours for about $15, so we might spend the night that way a few times. So I guess this semester I better really get on top of my Japanese!

I am really excited about this semester though, I think it will be really good. I have a bunch of really interesting classes; besides Japanese I have a computer music class, Technosonics, with Matthew Burtner, who is a great professor, if you ever have a chance to take a class with him go for it, I say. I also have Chinese American Identity, Language, and Culture, which is really interesting so far, and the discussions we have in class are fascinating. I also have a class called Dracula, which is about the evolution of the vampire myth from ancient Slavic myths to contemporary American film. Besides all that I have a really fun and well paying job, I have two bands in the works and have been working on lots of really fun solo stuff recently, and generally am just rocking out. So I was nervous the first day of Japanese, but now I am super-confident about learning the heck out of this language. I guess I should probably study a bit before I say that though!

Sorry I didn't do this in Japanese by the way I know that kind of defeats the purpose - I am on my work computer which can't type in Japanese and I had so much to say about this semester's Japanese and other stuff I didn't really know how to write it in Japanese.

End of an era

Well not really, but it seems like such a long time, looking back. I guess because we had class everyday, and there was so much work - but it was so fun! I don't really understand why, usually I hate learning languages. I love Japanese though, even though I am miserable at it. I am at this point pretty confident I will be taking it next semester, assuming I don't screw up to much on the final exam. Currently I am enrolled for 2:00 again, in Cabel B020.

It is so cool to watch a japanese film or something an d understand parts. I wrote a term paper for my music class on Derrick May, and my brother sent me a great youtube video from I guess a japanese TV show that interviewed May, and I could understand a surprising amount. My brother took Chinese a few years ago, and when he was home for thanksgiving, he asked me how Japanese write china, and I wrote it for him (it's the same, apparently,) and he said I had really good stroke order - things like that make me feel good about this class. Yeah I might screw up, a lot even, but I think I have a pretty good foundation - I don't really have any loose ends, and I didn't learn anything wrong at least. I just screw up talking because I get nervous.

So I will see some of you next semester hopefully in 102, and the rest of you, thanks for helping me when I needed it, I am glad I was in the 2:00 section even if we weren't as good as some of the others. I think we had a lot of fun, and I hope to see you guys around sometime.

フランースのやすみ - final draft!

私 はチャロッツビルからきました。私はいまとこどもの時、私はチャロッツビルにいました。でも、十二さいの時、私はフランースに行きました。私のかぞくはフランースに行きました、私の学こうは七月やすみがあ りましたから。ひこうきにのって、パリに行きました。パリで一しゅうかんいて、まい日あそびました。パリは とてもきれいなまちですから、私はパリがすきです。木とおもしろいたてものがたくさんありますから、パリはきれいです。たてものはえいがで、’ｱﾙｷﾃﾁｬ’です。まいばん、おいしいレストラ ンで食べました。私はフランースの食べものがすきです。あとで、私のかぞくはでんしゃにのって、　クロンジェに行きました。クロンジェはちいさいまちです。ク ロンジェはフランースの西にあって、ラ・ロシェルのそばにあります。クロンジェはとてもきれいまちですよ。私のおとうさんのともだちで行きました。おなまえはウルスラです。このいえはでん気がありませんでしたから、私とおねえさん とテレビをみてはいけませんでしたから、たくさん本をよみました。それから、いっしょうにきんごうでハイキングをしました。きんごうはえいがでカンツリサイド’です。クロンジェではたくさん木と川がありましたから、とてもきれいでした。やすみはしずかでしたが、とてもたのしいでした。

peer reading

I thought peer reading was actually kind of fun. It was interesting to read other people's speeches, and it made me less nervous that my speech was totally the wrong kind of thing and I was just going to fail miserably. It was kind of hectic, but that is okay. I actually did a peer review of チュアさん's post on 日本語のクラス instead, and in the end had to peer review hers on her blog! But in the end we all got peer reviewed, and did some reading, and it turned out just peachy. It was funny that maybe one of the least helpful parts was the actual rubrik - the only really practical comments were about tiny grammar mistakes and typos. What was useful was to talk to friends about it, and be reassured that it isn't awful before you hand it in to さと先生。

In other news, speech on monday. I am worried. When we were dialoguing in class, I would be doing just fine - until さと先生　came to watch us talking, then I would forget what I was saying, and it would all just disappear. If anyone wants to practice over the weekend, I am a dude who also does, so let's get do it to it.