Turning Japanese
Do you remember that song...I do. In case you need a reminder here it is on youtube by The Vapors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmJ-VWPDM4 Wait a minute I'm not turning Japanese. I am Japanese. I'm actually mixed - Japanese and White. It took me some time to figure out my identity. I felt for a long time forced to choose one or another and then be told and discredited regarding my ethnicity because I look (please fill in the blank here) and there's no way I could be Japanese. I know pass for white and possibly Persian and even Latina or so I have been told.
I feel very connected to my Japanese roots with the one exception, the language piece. I know words and phrases...but still feel incapable of communicating effectively. At one point I bought Rosetta Stone and worked on it before and during my trip to Japan in 2010. After being there almost a month, my skills greatly increased. But only to a point and then I stopped practicing.
So I signed up for a non-credit Japanese course. I had some concerns. For example would the class be academically rigorous and meet my expectations? Would the other students be focused on learning? What is the instructor's background in teaching? Well most of it has been dispelled for me. The instructor not only teaches the class for the college but also has taught at the Japanese immersion school. I like her structure of the class. She really makes an effort to encompass all learning styles and is effective in the way she reviews the material. She also encourages students to come early to class and she engages in conversation.
So far my advantage is that I know much of the vocabulary and can recognize much of the hiragana. I also have noticed I'm the only person turning in homework. I do think there is genuine interest in the students wanting to learn when in class. The disadvantage is that I can only attempt to greet the dog when I come home. He knows German and English....this whole new language thing just has him wagging his tail. I have also spent some time talking with my mom on the phone and when I see her.
The importance of learning Japanese is that I continue to embrace this important piece of my life that makes up who I am.
So I signed up for a non-credit Japanese course. I had some concerns. For example would the class be academically rigorous and meet my expectations? Would the other students be focused on learning? What is the instructor's background in teaching? Well most of it has been dispelled for me. The instructor not only teaches the class for the college but also has taught at the Japanese immersion school. I like her structure of the class. She really makes an effort to encompass all learning styles and is effective in the way she reviews the material. She also encourages students to come early to class and she engages in conversation.
So far my advantage is that I know much of the vocabulary and can recognize much of the hiragana. I also have noticed I'm the only person turning in homework. I do think there is genuine interest in the students wanting to learn when in class. The disadvantage is that I can only attempt to greet the dog when I come home. He knows German and English....this whole new language thing just has him wagging his tail. I have also spent some time talking with my mom on the phone and when I see her.
The importance of learning Japanese is that I continue to embrace this important piece of my life that makes up who I am.
Ha! I posted the video on your FB wall before I read this... just so you know!
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