So the new semester has finally completed a full week of classes, and now I suppose it is safe to report on the new courses I will be completing this spring.

Naturally, Japanese. 8 credits, 16 hours a week. I haven’t actually learned new material in exactly a year, so I’m both terrified and excited to finally start adding concrete material to my knowledge, rather than honing and improving it.

I’m also taking ikebana, or flower arrangement classes. The selection of art related classes at Nanzan didn’t bear much interest for me since I finished tea ceremony class. Aside from ikebana, I also had a choice of calligraphy or wood block printing, neither of which appeal to my utter lack of talent at art, so ikebana it was. It always pays to have a sort of relaxing, very light workload course, and this is it. I think the idea of flower arranging is rather interesting, and I feel like I at least have some patience and potential for it, rather than with calligraphy, where I know i’m a hopeless wreck. The first class went alright, got a “You’re very good at this!” and everything from the assistant, and it’s nice to bring flowers home to my host mother every Thursday.

Next, we have Writing. It’s 400 level back in the US, but I need it more for my own personal benefit than anything else. It focuses heavily on writing and kanji, both of which are my weaknesses in Japanese, so I hope it helps me improve on that.

I’m also taking Translation. Since my reason for studying Japanese in the first place has always been a vague pipe dream of becoming a translator, I figured this would be a nice course to take. The first two classes have gone by rather well; it’s a bit time-consuming, but it’s strangely satisfying and I’m finding it to be something I enjoy doing quite a bit.

Finally, I’m taking Japanese Politics. A bit out of left field for those that know me, i’m sure, but as it focuses on current events rather than going over the actual structure of government and government policies, it’s extremely useful, both with keeping up with current affairs and learning just how Japan functions as a society and a nation. Understanding why they do the things that they do and how decisions are made up in the important offices has always bewildered me. The teacher is actually English, and came to Japan on the JET program back in the 80’s. I’ve already cracked down my presentation topic to Yakuza (of course). Honestly, it’s just been a while since I’ve had a proper ‘sit down discussion’ sort of class, and as that is one of my key strengths, I’m looking forward to it.

All in all, my workload has definitely increased. More homework-demanding classes, more Japanese, more everything. I’m not complaining, since this guarantees that I won’t be bored this semester, but considering my work ethic, I can’t help but worry just a tiny bit. Time to get my act together. However, for those that are worried about choosing classes while on study abroad, there’s a couple things I’ve stuck by that served me well.

1. Have fun with it – Pick something that looks interesting. Yes, you will have your core classes that take up time and brain power, but leave some stuff that’s less work-load and more fun. Take an art class if you can, a culture class. Don’t fill up a schedule with nothing but stress when you should not only be learning during this sort of experience, but you should be having the time of your life as well.

2. Learn something – That being said, pick classes where you will learn something new. Stray away from the stuff you know, from the stuff that looks easy and like a cake-walk. Choose classes where you will learn something new, something that may change your way of thinking, or something that you’ve always wanted to know about. Make this a learning experience, and get the most out of it with courses you couldn’t take elsewhere!

3. Language majors: don’t stress the language major – If you’re like me, you’re going to a country to rack up credits towards your language. But remember that you don’t need to overload yourself simply on cramming grammar and vocabulary into your brain. You’re in the country that speaks the language you’re trying to learn. Get out there! Learn some slang, speak to people, absorb the culture and don’t coop yourself up in the classroom. Don’t forget that learning the story behind the people that speak that language is just as important as the language itself.

Location: Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan