pinakamaganda

I thought spending 3000 yen a month for a 3-times a week Japanese class is the best find I ever had in my whole life. Japanese lessons are quite expensive here in Tokyo (and anywhere in the world probably). True, it’s definitely cheap… But here’s what happened in my first 1.5 months of classes…

Monday is supposed to be the conversation class. Here is where you relax and practice and shine your star in Nihongo with your equally competitive classmates shining their stars as well. But like what happened in my first class, I really couldn’t follow that much. It was difficult because my classmates are way too above my level already. My classmates change most of the time since there’s really no fixed class size. Most of them are Chinese so they are so good at Kanji (they just write the Kanji whenever they didn’t know how to say something and the sensei will say the meaning). Nevertheless, they’re too good (and fast) for a conversation. While I sat there in awe and just nibbling the food available. So, I gave that class up.

Tuesday is a grammar class. Every day, there are different volunteer groups teaching probably the same set of students. The Tuesday group provides a good structure for the lessons. They give exercises, etc.. But again, I’m not sure if I entered the correct level. I enrolled in the class where I stopped my lessons in Okinawa (chapter 38). I thought I could follow but I was so wrong. And everytime I was being asked questions, I couldn’t answer properly and just follows what the others were saying. Poser. So I’m close to giving up that class as well. Either I give up that class, or just switch to a lower level class. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I might choose the former.

And the Thursday class. This is the best class I had among the three. This is where I leveled down, like start from the Level 3 beginning to refresh the lessons I had before… and at least I could follow, and well, shine! Until last week, we were assigned to a different sensei and it was difficult, I barely learned something… And last night. My sensei was absent so somebody took over. Plus, since it was only the two of us from the original class, we had to mix with the others. And it was a disaster (for me again). The lessons I know. However the sensei was fast again. And the classmates, are.. good…

After tea time (my favorite break), we had this exercise where we apply the grammar and talk about whatever. I couldn’t understand what was being instructed for us to do for the exercise. But I decided, ok I’ll just follow what my classmates are saying (just like the old days!). Since I was numbered four anyway. I could get what classmate 1 to classmate 3 would say. As luck would have it, my sensei did some kinda raffle and picked me first!! We were 10 in the class and everybody was looking at me crawling my way to damnation! I was saying, muzukashi, kondo.. blah blah blah because I really didn’t know what to say! And then these boys facing me probably thought I was good so they were cheering me on, “gambare gambare..”. Ok think think think.. so I said the safest sentence again (I feel it was):

Mainichi Nihongo wo benkyoushitara, jouzu ni narimasu.

I made efforts to comprehend what the sensei was saying coz he surely made something out of my crappy sentence, it was like:

(Our grammar is about the “if”, “when” stuffs in Japanese)

Sensei: What can you say about our economy today?
Joane: (panting) If we study Japanese everyday, we’ll be good.

(try to figure out what’s the connection)

But sensei somehow nailed it. He articulated (probably) with my stupid answer and connected it with the real exercise. He said something like, oh you mean… If we become good in Japanese, we’ll contribute something good for the Japanese Economy. Something like that (hayz believe me my brains weren’t really good last night)

After a roughly 1.5 months of classes, I decided to give up the Monday and Tuesday classes. I am close to giving up the whole because most of the time, instead of learning really something new, my brains were shrinking because of the stress of understanding what’s being thought.

it is being taught by a volunteer group, it’s cheap, and a lot will take advantage of it. The lessons were structured. I thought before it’s not. But though the teachers were good in English, the teaching medium, the language was not in English.. only in Japanese. Of course you had to use Japanese… my previous senseis teach in Japanese but everytime I have a confirmation, clarification, I could ask in English. And they understood and whenever I was really having a hard time, that’s the time they explain in English. In this type of class, nobody’s special. Everyone has to understand Japanese. Nobody could ask.. Eigo de onegaishimasu… (English please..) coz not all of the classmates can speak english. Majority actually… I am not bragging that I’m good at English. My classmates weren’t as fluent as me in English but they’re sure good at Japanese comprehensions already. And if you’re in Japan, it’s all that matters So most of the time I was really having a hard time understanding. In fairness to the senseis they’re so good at meeting us halfway. They’re good at drawings! That was what really amazes me.. Like on the spot drawing on the board and made it unbelievably imaginable for me.

Tea times are supposed to be the time where we practice Japanese by mingling with other people for 15 minutes. However I just spend my time chatting with a schoolmate from Ghana (sweet) in English! So the purpose… gone.

I know it’s probably me making stupid excuses… but now I understood not all cheap lessons are good. You have to make efforts. Self-study to cope up. There is no spoon feeding here. In the previous class, there is still self-efforts of course but there’s English for clarifications. And there’s focus I guess since the class size isn’t that big.

So Ok, I know it’s too early to give up. But I’m giving up my two classes (Thursday class stays)

Besides… there’s a big exam coming up. And I need all the time to focus on it.

Hayz. Until now I could feel the stress that I felt last night with that exercise.