April 18^th, 2015

So how does this test work, well it's pretty simple. There are three additional tests on top of a listening test. The listening test starts with the words spelling, then sentences, then conversations where you must answer questions. The first written test is fairly basic; most of us finished it in 10 minutes. The second one is at higher level, more vocabulary and kanji are needed to complete it, and finally, the last page is quite hard, two paragraphs where you must place the right characters in the right spots.

The first two where quite easy, but the last one was very confusing. Lack of knowledge with kanji and vocabulary was most likely my biggest weakness there. But I finally handed it in, and walked out of the room satisfied. I was really expecting to end up in the 3rd class, since last semester's 4th class' textbook seemed too easy. I really believed my Japanese to be quite a high level, since out of a lot of the international students, I was the one who spent the most time talking with Japanese people.

The next day, April 3rd, we found out the results of our tests. I knew I wasn't going to be in the 6th or 5th class, but it now remained to see if I would be in the 4th, or 3rd class. When I checked my name on the list that day, I was quite disappointed to see that I was marked down for the 4th class course level. But I didn't let it bring me down, since I still had a chance during the interview with our teachers later that day to prove to them I was good enough for the next class.

The time for the interview came and I actually arrived about five minutes before I was called. I walked into the classroom and found Yamamori sensei, one of the teachers from my previous class, and Nishiyama sensei there waiting. Another teacher was also there, yet I did not know her. Now they asked me to read from a book to see how difficult it was for me, and unfortunately, the three kanjis that happened to be on that page where three that I didn't know. After reading quite slowly (with a sore throat), the other teacher said I should stay at this level. I tried asking them if the pace would be good enough for me, since last semester, it had slowed down quite a lot after the first two months, but after a few more comments, I walked out of the class, now officially part of the 4th class. Another deciding factor had been the fact that I was practicing judo at a hard pace, which took quite a lot of time. Not much I can say there to argue.

I had kept the bookstore card I had won during the speech contest last semester to help pay for my textbooks, and so I went and bought two of the textbooks right away. I also bought a whole bunch of other textbooks I plan to study on my own if the pace of this class becomes too slow.

I spent the rest of the day alone. I felt quite disappointed with myself. A lot of the other students hadn't even touched their books during the break, yet had jumped three classes just like I did, or more. Most of them couldn't speak as fluently as I could, or so I believed, and spent most of their time speaking English or their own language. But this really humbled me and brought me back to reality. After hearing all my Japanese friends telling me my Japanese was good, I guess it might have gotten to my head. I took this time to really consider the situation and see how I could approach it to make the best out of it.

No matter the class, I know I will learn. It's now on me to push through, and give this class the best I can. So class 4 is where I'll be spending the next four months studying this crazy language they call Japanese.