I've got a lot of blogging catching up to do so I might as well start now. First things first: Hiroo rocks. Its a sick location to have a program and you can walk in 20 min to Roppongi (probably Japan's most popular nightclub/bar scene). Of course, you've got to find the time first.
[tokyo bay]
I'm sure all the light programs can relate to this, but the workload you take on during a summer cram course is intense. MTuWThF I get up at 8PM commute to class by 9:15PM and the "ending at 12:50PM" classes usually get out around 2:00ish and I cross my fingers that there's no after-class one hour explanation of directions or some kind of debriefing (in Japanese of course). Eitherway, enjoying the convenient stores' onigiri (rice ball) and oinarisan (rice in a sweet fried s
oybean/tofu wrap), eating with the teacher's has become kind of a good habit. After lunch I usually get back to my room around 3:30ish. Despite being tired and mentally taxed I greet myself with a mound of homework and tackle through it until around 10 on an easy night, midnight if I waste time, and 2PM on the difficult days. Either way midnight is always the goal, stopping to cook myself dinner in the rooms kitchenette and eating dinner while watching one or two anime episodes (great for the listening skills) or some Entourage.[Hokkaido]
That's the daily routine. If you're brave you can finish your homework by 11 or 12 and headout to Roppongi which is always bustling with a large crowd of foreigners, businessmen, and Japanese in the 20-30yr old range. Weekends add the option of going to Shibuya which has a much smaller foreigner mix and a big hip-hop scene though I'm sure whatever your fancy is be it karaoke, dancing, house/techno, or watching hip-hop crews showcase you'll find it.
The Sun Academy has a good mix of teachers. All female and ranging from what I'd guess to be 30 up to 60 years old. The teachers are a mix of characters of course. Some you'll love and some you'll find difficult to get along with. The usual story I guess. No matter what, in the end you can't help but remind yourself that no matter
how strict they are, how much homework you get, or how frustrated you get, the teacher's are on your side and are doing everything they can to help improve your Japanese. The program has a heavy focus on speaking ability and improving what you have already learned to a fluency that allows you to use it with ease while expressing an opinion. I feel that as a second year student, these focus points haven't allowed me to pick up enough vocabulary, or new grammar. Of course the former is an opinion since learning more vocab is entirely dependent on the student; write down words you come across that you don't know, the make it your own responsibility to learn them. Its just hard to find the time for free time and non-course-work study time. Half the students seem to grasp this balance by skipping night outings and replacing clubs and bars with karaoke.To each his own.
