I know more Japanese than I thought!

Vocabulary I forgot I knew:

Goodnight, I love you, happy birthday, delicious, great, like, don’t like, bridge, highway, island, chopsticks, cat tongue (what they call people who can’t handle hot food/ drink), you’re welcome, really, Thursday, difficult, plane, full, summer kimono, traditional hair accessory temple, castle, road, table heater, see ya, see you later, happy, rice ball, squid, steamed soy beans, nice to meet you, how are you, how do you do, of, glasses, fried chicken, what…

It’s so rewarding to see all these words and phrases written down because I still feel like I know nothing but I guess that’s not true anymore. Though in the business meeting at work, it may as well be; if things are not translated or given directly in English I am completely lost! Communicating in only second languages especially in the workplace is so problematic and confusing sometimes, even when some of them are really advanced.

Very exciting when I do actually understand though, especially now when I’m comprehending written Japanese. I’m constantly trying to read shampoo bottles, menus, signs and now even the textbooks and course material at work. My students must think it’s hilariously pathetic when I clap myself for being able to sound out a word from a sentence that they can glance at and get without firing a single brain cell.

Anyway, I am so excited to show off my Japanese speaking skills to Gavin when he gets here in… less than 4 days!!! I hope he is impressed. Poor as they are in the scheme of things, I can definitely get around without relying too much on gestures alone and offending too many people. However, I did tell my (middle aged) Japanese teacher that she “used to be pretty” when I meant she “was beautiful” the day before in her choir’s performance. Oops! She smiled and thanked me so I guess it was forgiven. Shame!