Blogging about blogging

Hey gang,

Sorry for the lack of updates. When I started this blog for my trip, I guess I was under the impression that I was going on a vacation. I thought I would have a lot more free time. I forgot about the whole school part and how much time that would consume. So when I have down time, I go out and explore rather than get online. So I hope all can forgive me.

This week has been crazy. It was Gion Matsuri, so on top of school, we were all exploring the festival. It was also my family's annual beach trip. This being the 1st time I ever missed it in my almost 20 years of existence - I skyped them as much as I could, generally at very strange hours. But it was good to chat with the family. I miss them all, though I must remember that I'll be able to pester them in person soon enough.

I have an exam tomorrow, which I am not too worried about. I have to memorize a bunch of Kanji tonight. While not the most exciting evening, at least it is not the most terrible task. The tough part is the motivation. I love Japanese, but it is always so hard to concentrate on something you are expected to do, rather than on something you would like to learn out of your own interests.

I just started using smart.fm to learn a lot of Japanese vocabulary and it is awesome. In fact, I procrastinated studying today by studying the vocab on that sight. It works so well for my learning style. It is very engaging for me and has visuals - so rock on, smart.fm.

This week is our last full week of classes. I am thrilled and sad. I am not going to miss the actual classes (even though I learned so much from them), but I am going to miss the teachers. They were all really great. I hope this trip will not be my one and only interaction with them. I now have a goal to one day come back here and be able to speak to them on a level slightly over an elementary one. They are all so fascinating.

Well, I should not be on here for too much longer or else I will never study. I have many tales to tell you all. I hope that after my exam tomorrow I will feel like I have the time to give uploading vlogs and pictures another chance.

Farewell for now.