Sigh. As I am sitting here in sunny California, so much is flowing through my mind that I don't even know where to begin. For the last two months, I studied a year worth of Japanese in Tokyo at SANC Nihongo Academy. However, my studying was definitely not limited to the Japanese language; rather, I learned so much about the Japanese society, culture, history, and most importantly, people. I learned that Japan is an amazingly efficient, respectful, and hard-working society. I also learned that Japanese-flavored salad sauce is so much better than American ones. This summer was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, and I would never trade it for anything else.
So my last week in Japan consisted of studying for finals and preparing the final presentation. I don't think I did too hot on the final, which was sort of disappointing. However, I did think that my final presentation went really well. Even until the afternoon before my final presentation, I didn't know what my topic was going to be on. However, I wanted to write about the Japanese spirit. Since the theme of our final presentation was "Nihon no Kokoro," which meant the heart of Japan, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the hard-working spirit of the Japanese people. I didn't know how much I've improved this summer until I finished writing my presentation.
Before I went to Japan, I could barely write a coherent sentence in Japanese. I knew fews words and few grammatical patterns. However, by the end of the summer, I was able to write a relatively good presentation that's about 5-6 mins in pure Japanese. I was actually kind of proud of myself after I finished. It was hard, but I still did it.
So after the presentation, we had a goodbye/farewell dinner with our teachers. It was really sad saying bye to my teachers because they were so nice and understanding. I probably wasn't the best student because I talked a lot, asked a lot of stupid questions, and resorted to English when I didn't know how to say things in Japanese even though I signed the language contract. The teachers, nonetheless, were always extremely patient with us. They never yelled at us for acting stupid or not understanding a particular grammatical structure. They were just so yasashikatta. By the end of the dinner, my teachers told me that they were extremely proud of me and what I have accomplished from the bottom of their hearts. That really meant so much to me. I mean, to be honest, I am pretty slow when it comes to learning Japanese. People in my class sometimes were frustrated with me because I couldn't remember words or grammar that we've already learned in the past. And at those times, I would be very frustrated at myself as well. I would be frustrated because I couldn't learn at the same speed as everyone else. However, when the senseis told me that I improved beyond their expectations, I was definitely overwhelmed with joy. It really gave me the confidence and motivation to continue my studying of Japanese.
After our farewell party, we all went partying and stayed up all night. It was a very, very interesting night. Met some funny/interesting people. Li san was freaking so zyouzu at talking to Japanese girls--a skill that I wish I had.
Next day, Li san, Kevin and I went to someplace to buy my Japanese dictionary. It was sweet because we played ping pong, pool, and videos games. After dinner (a pretty bad, expensive dinner), we went to a bar and watched the USA vs China men's basketball. It was interesting because I, as a Chinese-American, had a conflict of interest. Nonetheless, I ended up rooting for China, though they lost terribly anyway. It was a great relaxing day.
This concludes my 2 months in Japan. It has been absolutely amazing, and I definitely hope to return to Japan in the future to work or just to visit. Finally, I would just like to say that I've made some awesome friends this summer. Everyone in SANC was great. I had such a good time with you guys. This summer was definitely one of the highlights in my life, and I hope it was in yours too.
Now for some pictures to recapture the good times in Tokyo:
With that, I'll conclude my summer blog.
Yours truly,
Hans Liang
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