up and down and all around
Sep. 6th, 2006 07:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katekatwednesday? feels like monday.
The wheels of the universe move onward. Look at me trying to sound philosophical. Truth is, I'm still shakey and inordinately whiny and quick to react (or over react).
Japanese translation class sucked - oh, most of it was fine, because we had two pieces that I could read in english. Those were great. Discussion was great. I was not at my most eloquent, but I think I got the point across occasionally. However, the piece that I got a paragraph into, that was entirely in Japanese and had no translation, was lingered over for at least an hour. And there's nothing fun about feeling increasingly helpless when you want to be compitent.
Besides that, the prof didn't want us to leave until 12 noon - didn't even begin to discuss the reading assignment until 11:56 - at which point I was scrambling and hussling because I knew I had to get to another Japanese class to take a quiz. The first quiz of the semester and not only was I late for a class that actually docks points from your grade if you're late too many times -- I missed the damn quiz because I was muddled enough from the latter part of the first class that I didn't get my shit together and I felt like I needed to find out what we were reading next week (and hope there was a translation of it - which, apparantly, at this moment in time there is not).
Afternoon was a struggle to stop obsessing about my zero language capability and just get work done and make it until 6 pm. Meant to talk to the boss about some product that came to me mistakenly on her credit card - didn't get that done either.
However, tonight I'm a reading fiend. I will finish all of my assignments for tomorrow, I will be great and stellar and excited in class, I will get ready for our weekend in Oakland, I will take breaks to call friends that I miss, I will be go to bed at a reasonable hour so my lack of sleep doesn't impact my already crappy mood, and I will try to figure a way to eat a healthy dinner (to achieve same).
One nice thing about today was this award
(and to see the art it was awarded to, click the banner) and seeing friends get awards for the spectacular things they do as well. Congrats to you all.
The wheels of the universe move onward. Look at me trying to sound philosophical. Truth is, I'm still shakey and inordinately whiny and quick to react (or over react).
Japanese translation class sucked - oh, most of it was fine, because we had two pieces that I could read in english. Those were great. Discussion was great. I was not at my most eloquent, but I think I got the point across occasionally. However, the piece that I got a paragraph into, that was entirely in Japanese and had no translation, was lingered over for at least an hour. And there's nothing fun about feeling increasingly helpless when you want to be compitent.
Besides that, the prof didn't want us to leave until 12 noon - didn't even begin to discuss the reading assignment until 11:56 - at which point I was scrambling and hussling because I knew I had to get to another Japanese class to take a quiz. The first quiz of the semester and not only was I late for a class that actually docks points from your grade if you're late too many times -- I missed the damn quiz because I was muddled enough from the latter part of the first class that I didn't get my shit together and I felt like I needed to find out what we were reading next week (and hope there was a translation of it - which, apparantly, at this moment in time there is not).
Afternoon was a struggle to stop obsessing about my zero language capability and just get work done and make it until 6 pm. Meant to talk to the boss about some product that came to me mistakenly on her credit card - didn't get that done either.
However, tonight I'm a reading fiend. I will finish all of my assignments for tomorrow, I will be great and stellar and excited in class, I will get ready for our weekend in Oakland, I will take breaks to call friends that I miss, I will be go to bed at a reasonable hour so my lack of sleep doesn't impact my already crappy mood, and I will try to figure a way to eat a healthy dinner (to achieve same).
One nice thing about today was this award
(and to see the art it was awarded to, click the banner) and seeing friends get awards for the spectacular things they do as well. Congrats to you all.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 01:20 am (UTC)Congrats on the award - it's certainly well deserved. :)
Also, I think that languages are just difficult to learn, when you haven't been raised in it. We acquire language so young and it's such a huge part of the signs/symbols of a culture, that to learn a new one as an adult is a lengthy, not easy process. Don't get too fnerred over it, honey.
I shall use my icon of multi-lingual!woe for you. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 04:42 am (UTC)And there will come a moment sometime in the next few months, when the Japanese will snap into place in your head and you will be all, woah, I understood that. It is hard, and you are smart, and you will crush it.
I got as far as learning, er, maybe 20 kanji. Numbers, a few basic words/roots. Adjusting to the idea that I had the literacy level of a first-grader was tough. Had much more fun when it was just a matter of learning grammar & vocabulary & reading things in hiragana. You are much braver than I was.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:22 pm (UTC)thank you lady!
and you're right - it's definitely evil that they don't let us take more languages when we're younger so we have those neural pathways opened (because i do feel like i'm occasinoally using a jackhammer on my brain at this point). Thank you for the reassurance that i'm not a total loss for feeling this is tough, though - it really helps.
*clings to your icon & you*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:23 pm (UTC)