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| More Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What do you hope to get out of your time over there? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| � I would say that the main thrust of my goals for Japan is centered upon strengthening my Japanese language skills.� I am convinced, and anyone who knows anything about this stuff or has any experience, will agree with me that the best way to acquire a language is to learn it in the country in which it is spoken.� Only in this way can one be exposed to the target language during every waking moment but also be forced to use ones speaking knowledge every time one wants to communicate and to improve ones speaking knowledge to achieve a higher level of communication.�That's what I'm aiming for.� I won't be fluent by the time I get back, that will take considerably more time and studying, but I am positive that my language skills will be much better.� I am also going to Japan for the cultural experience.� Similar to the theory of direct and efficient language acquisition, is the theory of the acquisition and appreciation of other cultures.� Yes, one can learn a lot about the ins and outs of cultures customs, and native psyches from books, but the only way to actually see what you've read about is to live among the people and live as they do.� Only when you can set your mind free and release your former self while adopting the life, language, and behaviors of another people, can you truly begin to appreciate and understand them.� I know you, whoever you are, are probably groaning at this point and telling yourself, "Oh come on, Mike!� This is such a load of $#@%!"� Please, be patient with me and understand that THIS whole thing is what my life is about right now and I wouldn't be in Japan if I didn't feel it was worthwhile and that I really cared about it. So, maybe you don't care and think I'm waisting my time with all of this, but remember, I am the one who is here, not you, so I have to make my own decisions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Can you speak Japanese?� What about writing Japanese? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ��� Well, my Japanese certainly has improved a lot since I've gotten here. I've learned all kinds of new words and ways to say things. I've also gotten a lot of practice with with certain grammatical structures that I didn't quite understand before. So, through hearing things enough times, I've gotten to understand them and even be able to use them myself. My studying alone from books hasn't gone nearly as well as I hoped it would. I think the problem has been that it's frustrating to not have a teacher--to not have a guide and someone to tell you if you're making mistakes or not. So, I am lookig forward to being able to learn from a professor at college. The next time I come back here, I will be able to speak correct Japanese from what I've learned at college. I have gotten a LOT of practice with how Japanese people REALLY speak and not how the textbooks say they speak (completely different). And amongst the things that I know how to say, I have gotten a lot more confidence in saying them. I'm also not so afraid to talk on the phone anymore! That used to be the scariest thing on the planet, and now it's not so bad as long as I know who I'm talking to. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aren't you homesick? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ��� I've been in Japan for just over 3 months now. It's hard to tell how I feel about the status of my homesickness. It seems that when I'm in a good mood (whenever the sun is out) it seems pretty cool to be hear and I don't want to go home that much. But when I'm in a bad mood, or when things just aren't going my way, then the reasons for wanting to be home instead of here really pile up! Well, I miss a lot of things about America and the life that I had before I came here. But I think that I am going to miss things here when I go home because when I leave here, it will be leaving forever. I could come back to visit, but it will never be the same. So I think I should just enjoy it for what it is while I can. I am glad that I can come back to America and look forward to something totally new though (college)! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How would you describe a typical day in your Japanese life? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| �� Get up at 6:30am, take shower, breakfast at 6:55am, get dressed, leave house by bike by 7:30am, arrive at school around 8am, classes start at 8:20am. Lunch is at 12:35 and school is over at 3:45pm most days. Boat practice from 4pm until 6:30 or 7pm, ride home, arrive home around 7:30, take shower, eat dinner, relax. Go to sleep around 10:30-12. Awaken periodically during the night for rain storm or roosters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I miss you a lot, Mike.� Is there any way I can get in touch with you? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ��� Yes, in fact there are a number of ways you can try and get in touch with me.� If you want to check them out, just head on over to the Contact Me page.��Please keep in mind that my activities and in Japan, and especially those with my host family will take priority over communications I make with friends and family in the US.� It is possible that my host family will have certain rules or wishes when it comes to the amount of time I spend responding to e-mails or simply the amount of time I devote to contacting people outside Japan.� When I get a better sense of how much of this I will be able to do (after I meet and talk with my host family about it), I will put that information here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Where or with whom are you living in Miyazaki? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ��� The host family I am living with now is better than my last host family. I wasn't even really a part of that last host family. Everyone pretty much ignored me so I just did my own thing. But this family is much more quiet and things run more slowly around here so I can actually feel like I'm a part of the family here. My host parents actually talk to me (perhaps a little bit too much at times). We communicate and understand each other's ideas and routines and manners pretty well by now. I also have free time to do what I want and we have it all set up so that's great I think! Right now I'm living about 30 minutes away from school (by bike of course). It is a little bit farther away than before, but there are no hills so it's not a hard ride. The cool thing about where I live is that it's very close to Sea Gaia and the Ocean Dome. When it reopens on July 1st, I'll be able to go there very easily! |
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| What is it like to go to a Japanese high school? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ���� I can't believe I actually put this question in the FAQ section. It would take 20 pages to describe this. If you really want to know, read my journal entries, or wait until I come home. Until then if you want to just poke around and look at pictures of my high school you can visit the school's own website.� You can also look at the pics the school on my site here! By the way, my pictures are better! Explore the Miya-sho Website! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Take Me to the Final FAQ Page, Please! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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