Beckteria

Progress

Well, I eat lunch from the cafeteria at school a lot, but not always in the cafeteria or at the same time as the students. If I eat in the cafeteria, I get scared and don't know who I should sit with because I can't remember most of their names. Last week, I sat with a couple of 3rd year students (seniors) and one of them is this badass boxer. I just learned that he's won some titles or something like that. Anyway, I hate asking to sit somewhere and today I didn't have to. Four 3rd year girls asked me to join them! I was so shocked. And later, two of them asked me to hang out with them so they can practice more English conversation either at lunch time or after school. It was really cool. They were so shy, but I told them they could speak Japanese too if they needed to.

I was so impressed that they tried at all. And I feel like I'm making headway--learning names (I know what they look like, but I have a really difficult time learning J-names), hangin' out, speaking broken Japanese/English, it's cool. I've mostly been learning their nicknames too, which is good and bad. I guess it's easier, but I don't really know their real names either. It's really funny what they call themselves. There are 3 "max"es--ojimax, shimax, and hamax--and today I ate with "Monroe" as in Marilyn Monroe (it took me a long time to figure out who they were saying it in Japanese 'cause it sounds nothing like Marilyn Monroe). Other people I know their first name and the teachers know them by their last name or the exchange student knows their first name and I know their last name. It's really quite funny.

posted by Bex @ 6:56 PM