We just finished our second quarter at the Yamasa Institute, and I’d have to say we learned a great deal this time. Our teachers were very well prepared lesson-wise and we cruised through 20 more chapters of the Minna no Nihongo book series. This was a great feat because this quarter had many school holidays—class time was cut down by almost two weeks.
We followed the typical routine (learn the vocabulary, learn the grammar, practice, and then move on the next lesson) and continued our daily quizzes. In addition to the vocab and grammar quizzes, we were also introduced to the dreaded katakana (カタカナ) quizzes. This is where I really struggled. Many words in katakana are re-formed English words. Team becomes chī-mu (チーム) and theme becomes te-ma (テーマ). Since I already have trouble spelling in English, changing it to Japanese and then spelling it with katakana is really not much fun. Oh well, in the end I survived the quizzes.
Class 102 had four listening and reading/writing exams and two conversation exams. Plentiful review by the teachers occurred before each exam, so as long as you paid attention and studied, passing was not a problem. The difficulty of the exams was greater than the 101-level, but the grading was more lenient. Partial credit was given for partially acceptable answers, so this helped boost my scores.
Aside from the required daily quizzes and major exams, there were also self-initiated kanji tests to take. There is no set timetable for these exams, but you are expected to pass all of them (around 12 or so) by the end of level 103. Thomas and I both got through six of them before the end of the quarter.
Electives for class 102 were much the same as 101: conversation, accent, and kanji. We stuck with conversation and kanji again since we needed all the kanji help we could get. This time, the conversation elective was actually interesting as each class centered around a different theme. It was also taught by a very energetic and fun teacher, so that probably helped. Kanji was much the same. Worksheets and self-study, but there was a fun game each class period.
The teachers this quarter were again kind and helpful, but they were also very energetic and worked well as a team. And because our Japanese level had increased, we could more easily converse with each other. This allowed for more interactive and entertaining class activities.
Overall this second quarter was excellent and I greatly improved my Japanese. Listening and thinking on my feet are still difficult, but I’m getting there. I can even special order a cake now, which for those of you who know me, is a necessary skill!
Interested in our class breakdown?
Class 102
4 core teachers; 2 elective teachers (all Japanese women)
13 students
5 women (1 American, 1 Filipino, 1 French, 1 Mexican, 1 Myanmar)
8 men (3 Americans, 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch, 1 Lithuanian, 2 Taiwanese)