Day 2: September 18, 2014

Today, we learned how to write basic vowels and other things in hiragana （ひらがな）. We also noted that katakana (ｶﾀｶﾅ) is typically only for foreign words. We were taught the stroke orders for each basic kanji in hiragana and how to spell each in romaji. Hiragana and katakana are types of Japanese calligraphy while romaji his japanese calligraphy in Roman characters.
We combined the kanji to create more complex words. However, these combinations are still fairly basic.  Along with learning of these types of writing, we learned the meanings of the combination of the basic words. It was challenging to write the calligraphy to the best of my ability. However, to me, it was fairly calming and I enjoyed writing. We also began learning how to say the time on a clock in Japanese. Although, I still need to absorb the information I received  beforehand. I was asked by a member of the SSF Rotary Club to compile a message from all of the exchange students and I'm looking forward to doing it. I'm extremely excited to learn more but, for now, here are my notes:

Here is my work:

じゃあね!

-Justin Tse

-Time logged: 1.60 hours
-Total time logged: 3.19 hours

Day 1: September 11, 2014

Although the first post was a bit late (posted on the 19th), I'm glad to say that this blog portion of my Capstone project has officially begun! 始まるよ! Let me explain my Capstone project, I will be learning Japanese from my mentor, Satoko Tsujimoto Piett. She is a professor of the Japanese Language at Laney College. I will be collaborating with my classmates as we learn Japanese together. Although Japanese is a difficult language, I believe I can grasp the concepts and learn the language because of my knack for understanding the syntax of languages. The problems I will face will include the understanding of syntax, the understanding of the stroke order when writing in Japanese, and communicating fluently. Although, I will still need to do more than just understand the language. I will probably be doing volunteer work related to Japanese or Japan in general. I predict that my efforts will one day build strong and friendly relationships with Japan. This is a goal I will strive for. Follow me on this wonderful experience as I complete my Capstone project. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I will! Here are my notes from today:

We learned basic phrases in Japanese culture. It was fun and at the end, we advocated for what we wanted to learn.

-Justin Tse

-Time logged for this session: 1.59 hours
-Total time logged: 1.59 hours