PE Midterm Reflection

PE Midterm reflections... Hmmm where do I start?

I am still working tremendously hard in this class to succeed and not fall behind, and have been speaking out loud more and more often. My friend Anna who is also in class with me will frequently converse in Japanese with me, so that we may test how far we can go without resorting to English. 

In my oral exam, Shibata sensei could tell that I prepared a ton prior to our meeting, and that recognition felt good. Sometimes, she said, my grammar is not correct, but it happens at the expense of me not wanting to slow down my rhythm and flow. My revised goals, with a hint of reality, are as follows:

• Go to Office Hours at least once a week to speak freely with Shibata or Sato sensei. 
• Go to Japanese Table once a week (until April 14th, I have a crazy rehearsal schedule that is usually 6-10 most days, but I will try to come when I can!)
• Watch Japanese anime or drama?

I think if I focus on these three simple, clearly outlined goals, it will be easier for me to keep my eyes on the prize, and see results. 

三月27日
こんにちは！
私は春休みはクラカウとワルシャワのポランドに行きましたよ！CJLと行きましたが、ジュダヤの歴史をべんきょしました。見てください：

とてもおもしろくて、きれいなまちです。ゆうめいなポァンド語たべものはペローギです。友達とたくさんペローギを食べました。きのことキャベツのペローギが大好きです。

毎日、ポァンドで友達と散歩をしたり、ミュージアムに行ったりしました。月曜日、POLIN ミュージアムに行きました。とても新しいですが、建築はすごいですね。パーノーラーマのざっしを撮りました。見てください：

ビデオ・ブログ

私の休みのシカゴ！！！

私の休みはとてもおもしろかったです！私のインプロヴーコメヂーグルプとシカゴに行きました。たくさんウアクショップをしまして、パフォンマンスをしました。たくさんピザを食べました。おいしいですが、カロリーが高いですね。日本語を見ました！シカゴが好きですが、とても冷たいです。とてもたのしかったです。

PE 12 REFLECTIONS

As this semester comes to a close, it is time to reflect.

Watching my ビデオ　プリテレ、I am proud at how natural my lines in Japanese sound. Since I do voice acting in America, the PE assignments this fall were a very exciting personal challenge for me. I worked very hard, listening over and over again to recordings in order to match as close as I could the correct pronunciation. しばた先生 made it very clear for us the importance of pronouncing Japanese phrases accurately.

These were my PE goals for the semester:

1) Improve my intonations

2) Many Japanese words sound very similar, and are only different to the slightest degree. I plan to study vocabulary thoroughly and make sure I am using the right word, and know how to say it properly to avoid misunderstanding! 

3) Speak more fluidly. I love speaking the language, and hope I can get to the point where I can easily have conversations, and have it feel natural!

Here are the ways I will help to make my goals achievable:
A) Watch アニメ with my roommate, わるとんたん twice a week for 30 minutes.

B) Go to しばたせんせえ’s Office Hours minimum twice a month.

C) I will go to にほんご　てブルー twice a month, and speak with other Japanese speaking students and faculty.

D) I will try to spend time with friends who are also taking Japanese 101, and practice conversing with them.

いいですね！！I definitely fulfilled a lot of these goals! One of my best friends at school is from Tokyo, and we speak in Japanese all the time. I got to office hours twice a month, and try to attend 日本語　テーブル as much as possible. I plan to continue working this hard in Japanese, because I cannot believed all that I have learned in just one semester.

プリテレ ビデオ

小さな画面で見ることをおすすめします

Genderless in Japan

This New York Times video features a young Japanese man, Toman Sasaki, who is at the forefront of a new trend in Japan. While he certainly sees himself as a man, he does not like to be limited by gender when it comes to fashion. In this video, he explains the Genderless trend, and how he and his friends like to wear makeup, but do not see that as a feminine thing to do. Watch here! http://nyti.ms/2j80mCx

Toman Sasaki