Japanese class

About 2 years ago, I took a beginning Japanese class through our local community education program.  I learned something of the basic construction of the language and a small vocabulary.  At the end of the course, I was able to say a few polite things in Japanese and understand some of what a very sympathetic Japanese speaker was saying.  After that I spent 2 years not using any Japanese and forgetting most of what I had learned.

Last night I attended the first session in the second level Japanese class.  I was pleasantly surprised by what I remembered from my classes of 2 years ago.  Our teacher, Nanako san, is a very sympathetic Japanese speaker, and presents the Japanese language to us in a meaningful and understanding way.  If we put in the effort, we will gain much from this class.

My personal goals for this class are to improve my understanding of  the structure, develop an active vocabulary of 100 or so basic words and phrases with a much larger passive vocabulary, be able to have short simple conversations, and write at the level of a first grader.  That means that by December I'll be able to tell you in Japanese that I've accomplished these goals.

There are still openings in her classes on Wednesday evenings, both in the first and second levels.  So if you are in the Bemidji area and interested in starting or continuing your study of Japanese, check out www.bemidjicommunityed.com, then click on course listings under adult enrichment, then on world languages.

Sayonara 'til next Wednesday