PE 2 Reflection:

For this PE, I believe that I made a lot of progress towards my stated goals. I've noticed that I've become more comfortable speaking Japanese, and I speak in a more flowing, natural fashion rather than a broken, awkward one. Furthermore, as we've been learning more relevant vocabulary,  I also feel as if I'm beginning to be able to have actual conversations with those around me, albeit about extremely limited topics. This has really been helped by my attendance at JSA dinners, which I plan to continue, as well as my visits to Language Table, although I didn't have the opportunity to go to office hours. I also feel as if I improved on my shadowing exercises, even though I didn't shadow more advanced materials as I originally planned; I think I'm getting more used to the sound and rhythm, which is always a good thing.

こんにちはみなさん。わたしのあきやすみはよかです。カリフォルニアにいきました。カリフォルニアはきれいです、そしてあついです。せんしゅうのしゅだいをしませんでした、そしてこんしゅうはとてもむずかしいです。でもこんしゅうのにほんごのじゅうぎょうはたのしいです。がんばります！

ー コル

わたしのしゅまつはとてもかなしいです。しゅくだいをしましたそしてべんきょうしました。げいむおしませんでした。げつようびにテストがあります。。。midterms はむずはしいです。あしたえいごのくらすに essay があります。がんばります！

こんにちは、みなさん。I haven't written anything on the blog in a while, so I decided to do what I do best and talk about anime. "K" はあたらしいあにめです。きんようびにあにめクラブをみます。Here's the opening of the anime; it has some pretty cool fighting scenes, and I think the song's pretty good. It has some fanservice, so be warned.

PE 1 Reflections

The goal I set for PE1 is not something you can accomplish over the space of a few weeks, but I still feel as if I made some real progress. Many people have told me that I sound confident and natural when speaking Japanese, particularly after watching my self-introduction video, so I feel that I did accomplish something on that front. That said, I also learned something about setting realistic goals and trying to follow them; I didn't shadow as much as I said I would, and in the end I believe I really need more practice if I want to shadow more complex segments from anime (which I really really do). I feel as if I improve my shadowing technique, my Japanese will really improve, so I plan to do that for next time. I haven't given up just yet...

PE2 Goals:

• To improve my use of particles in speech by reducing pauses between them and linking them more confidently with other words in a sentence
• To begin incorporating more advanced vocabulary into my sentences and making more meaningful statements

PE2 Activities: 

• Continue to practice shadowing, and work my way up to shadowing more complex passages
• Attend JSA dinners on Friday in order to gain exposure to casual Japanese conversation. 
• Try to attend office hours to practice pronunciation and speaking