I was joking around in my two classes today. All the students are gearing up for exams, and they were listening carefully for clues to what might be on their exam. I gave my students loads of clues. I circled important words that they should memorize, and spent about 30 minutes trying to get them to study.
Usually they end up complaining that it was too hard, but I think it’s a good experience for them.
I had the latter half of my day with no classes, so I locked myself in my classroom and took the Japanese language proficiency test from two years ago. I’ve been practicing with last year’s exam, but the one from 2003 was completely new to me. I followed all the rules, used the same time as the actual test, and after almost three hours I passed the test. It was just barely, though, so I know that the actual test may be even closer. Yikes – I hate close shaves.
On my way back home today I noticed that there were lots of kids and mothers preparing for the upcoming Xmas party at my apartment complex. The amount of work they are putting into it is amazing. For the past few nights they’ve been working in the meeting room – painting, drawing, hanging things up, decorating the tree, etc. I’m looking forward to being Santa for the party, I should be pretty relaxed by then and ready to chug eggnog with a bunch of kids.
Home life is still in a little bit of disarray around here. Kuniko still has no voice, and has a nasty cough. I’m fighting off my cold and I think it is in it’s last throes. We’ve cleaned up most of the boxes and gifts, and are compiling a list for thank you notes. I never thought getting married was so much work!
I forgot to mention that Kuniko and I took the plunge and bought a heater for the house last weekend. We had been planning on getting one since the little electric space heater I have wasn’t going to cut it for two people. While they were here my family gave us money to buy one as a wedding present, so now it is sitting in the kitchen waiting for it’s first drink of kerosene. We got an empty kerosene drum to fill at the gas station, and as soon as it cools down enough we’ll fire it up and try not to asphyxiate ourselves.
