Oh my poor brain

I’m tired!

I originally scheduled 100 private lessons, if for no other reason than a nice discount on the rate. I have four lessons each weekday, so I have five weeks here (plus or minus). I have four teachers, one for Monday and Wednesday, and one each for the other days. This exposes me to a variety of teaching styles. Each lesson is nominally 50 minutes, though a teacher will sometimes skip the break.

It’s been going fairly well.

I’m glad I took private lessons instead of group lessons, because I think I’m moving fairly quickly (or maybe not). At least, the pressure to not hold up the rest of the class is removed. I overhear students in group classes talking about not being ready for quizzes and tests. I kind of wonder if I’d be more motivated if I asked for more tests, but I’m not getting graded, so why invite the pain?

As I approach the half-way point, I think I’ve made some decent progress. Some days, I’m on top of the material. Other times, the material is slippery. This is still pretty elementary stuff, too!

Instruction has shifted almost entirely to Japanese. Grammar, vocabulary (with intonation!), conjugations, and such. At first, I couldn’t express myself because I didn’t know any nouns. Then it was because I didn’t know any adjectives, and then verbs. Now I have a better inkling as to how much there still is to learn. I actually do like the technical aspects of this material, but book-learning isn’t everything.

I need to be better at refreshing my vocabulary. I’m starting to forget some of the earlier vocabulary and grammar points, so I will set up (or find) a flashcard system to help me review. I also need to improve my real-time conversation speed. Luckily, the teachers are there to help!