Hello everyone!
I am back here on bunpro, and happy to be back! I disappeared for a little bit because I was actually prepping to move to Japan! Which, of course, studying more should have probably been higher on that priority list, but saying bye to friends and packing your life up is also important, I guess.
Anyways, I’m here in Japan working as an ALT, and while I a lot of people say it’s not a very good way to learn Japanese, I’m pretty lucky in the fact that the level of English among the other faculty in my school is pretty low (but honestly, better than expected), so I’m forced to use and listen to Japanese every day. Also, people are very outgoing here, so I’m usually dragged out if there’s an event and get to have Japanese conversation then!
Why I’m Studying
Aside from living life a little easier while I’m here, I mainly came because I needed a break from my work, and my industry does benefit a lot from knowing Japanese. That’s not really how it started–I was just your average weeb interested in anime and manga, but that’s what it’s evolved to.
Closest Main Goal
So, obviously “I want to work with Japanese” is not a good, short term goal to set for myself if I want to get any progress done. So my main goal is currently: I want to pass N3 next summer. I think I’m well on my way and could easily be studying for N2 in that time, but I want to feel as confident as I can going in, as well as not get derailed by adjusting to life here, so I’m giving myself that extra time to prepare. Ultimately, before I eventually go home, I want to try to pass N2.
Grammar
I’ve finished Genki I and II multiple times, and have gone through N5 and N4 grammar on Bunpro. I started N3 a while ago before my long break to prep for moving, and am currently sitting at 119/219 grammar points studied. There’s also a random N2 grammar point I knew and marked off, so don’t mind that. However, I have a massive backlog on Bunpro now and am working to get through that before I add any more grammar points or vocab on Bunpro. For reference, as of writing this, I’m currently at 555 reviews, which is at least down from the ~950 I had a few days ago.
Vocabulary
Like a lot of people I see who do study logs, I’m feeling like I’m lacking severely on my vocab, especially now that I’m having more actual conversations with people. Something that’s changed in my study routine since returning to Bunpro, is I’m definitely reading more (currently reading 「多門君今どっち？！」and watching Netflix with Japanese subtitles(今際の国のアリス), and mining both of those things using Anki. I’ve also been using Bunpro for vocab, so that’s some of my reviews.
It’s a big screenshot grab, so looking at my stats for vocab here on Bunpro, I’ve got:
- N5 (1110/1110)
- N4 (950/1100)
- N3 (353/2000)
- N2 (116/1998)
- N1 (158/2974)
Kanji
Like everyone and their mother, I’m using WaniKani. I had a bunch of reviews there too, but I managed to finally get through them and I leveled up to level 24 yesterday! Yayyy! Speaking of which, I currently have 99 reviews. Nooooooooo!
Weaknesses
Outside of just my general vocab weakness I mentioned earlier, speaking and reading are my two biggest weaknesses right now, I think. Conjugating on the fly is a little difficult for me, but I think I’m already improving in that area! I also put reading on the backburner even though that’s very important for my job? So I’m trying to get in the habit of reading at least a little bit every day. Today I read three NHK easy articles. I would read some more of 「多門君今どっち？！」but it’s already 9:20 and I need to head to bed after I finish this.
Goals for the Week
- Get through my Bunpro backlog.
- Get 2/3rds of the way through 多門君今どっち？！ volume one. I’d say I’d finish it, but I move to a different apartment on Sunday and obviously that’s a little important. I’m currently 40% of the way through it, but with all the slang and grammar points I don’t know, it takes a long time for me to get through it.
- Finish episode 6 of 今際の国のアリス. Currently need to start episode four. Once again, would aim to finish by Sunday, but need to pack my stuff up and move. Also not sure if I can run Netflix on my pocket wifi, but I’ll have to see.
- Write down four new words at the grocery store every time I go. May not be a lot this week because of the typhoon, but I’m seriously so lost at the grocery store and also don’t want to seem like even more of a weirdo staring at something and copying it down.
Next week I want to start learning new things on Bunpro again, as well as maybe get back on Italki. I also need to start thinking about if I take a break from Tamon-kun or switch to another book after. I’m liking Tamon-kun, but you know–trying to get that new vocab going. Maybe I’ll also try to do a week in review in Japanese here on Sundays? Not really about studying, but trying to get as many grammar points as I’m struggling with in just a journal-style blog post manner.
