I'm now two weeks into my regular seminar courses! Since I'm in a lower level of Japanese, I am taking these in English. I doubt I could understand a lick of a teacher talking about if America as a Foreign Country, Political and Social Issues of Japan, or Japanese Religions were taught in Japanese. I am taking a hanga (woodblock printing) course in Japanese, but that requires little interaction between me and my sensei.
I am so extremely excited for my courses! America as a Foreign Country and Political and Social Issues of Japan are with the same professor, a native Japanese man who speaks perfect English teaches it, and the course is half exchange students and half Japanese students who speak English fluently (because they are British and American Studies majors). I've already made a few friends from these classes and they showed me around downtown and did yoga with me :)
The hanga course is so much fun, I've wanted to do hanga since I saw a Yoshitoshi art exibit in California (http://www.google.co.jp/images?q=yoshitoshi&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=ja&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=649). All we've done yet is a woodblock print of our names, but it was still so much fun! We carved out a piece of balsa wood, put a bit of glue and ink on it, and after we rubbed it in we stamped it on a piece of paper. I missed having art class...
Then last, my Japanese Religions class is incredibly interesting. My teacher is an Indian man educated in Britain who is working in Japan, so his perspective is fantastic. The lecture is 2 1/2 hours long once a week, but I am always interested through to the end of class. It's nice learning about these things, especially when I go to temples. You gain a new appreciation for cultural things when you know their history.
Not much else going on for me besides studying! Hopefully I'll be able to update you all more soon :)
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