Has it really been this long?

It is somewhat sheepishly that I write this blog post now. If you have ever lived abroad as a student you will know that you will always be very busy. But as the Japanese say; がんばろう！(let's hang in there!). So it's time to pull up my 元気 (genki) socks and start writing again!

So it has been a good 4 months since last time and what have we learnt? Don't talk on the phone on buses or trains, check your bed at night for mukade (centipedes), if it flies kill it, if it crawls kill it, the many encounters with my arch-nemesis the しゃがんでる-ing (squatting) toilets, and for god's sake will you use the toilet slippers!



General tips over the past months, try and speak as much as you can! It is ridiculously easy to enter Japan with the "If-I'm-in-the-country-I-will-learn-to-speak-Japanese" attitude. If you are thinking this now, first raise your right hand. Ok? Now slap yourself really hard across the face with it. The answer is no, no you will not. Over the last four months I have learnt that acquiring a new language requires effort, regardless of what country you are in. It goes without a doubt that your Japanese, or any language for that matter, will get better faster when you are immersed. However a pinch of "can-be-arsed" attitude is required.

Tip #2 Drinking is fun

The last tip, possibly the most important tip, is have fun :) If you aren't having fun then why are you here?

Watch this space...