よー、先生! 元気カイ?

Picking up from where I left off on Monday, Tuesday turned out to be busy after all. First order of the day was an oral assessment in two parts, beginning with a two-person "skit," which we'd written and rehearsed beforehand. Mine involved a student asking a teacher for advice on various matters (the opening line is reproduced as this entry's title, and roughly translates to "Yo, teach! Whassup?"). I forgot one line but otherwise I think it went well, and the sits performed by the rest of the class were also entertaining. For the second part (one-on-one with a teacher) we'd also been allowed some preparation - three scenarios were made known to us, then one was randomly selected and we had to improvise a conversation. Perhaps if I had considered ways to work in more advanced grammar points this test may have gone better, but I was surprised at how (comparatively) confident and smooth my speaking was. Besides, it only took five minutes, so nothing really worth worrying about.

When I returned home I was pleasantly surprised to find an e-mail from one of my teachers at SOAS. Finally I was able to confirm my re-taking of Modern Japanese Literature, at least in some shape or form. Still chasing up the Faculty Office to confirm, but I'm sure they're very busy just now. In any case, I was able to talk about my ideas for my first essay this year, got the title approved and a few tips for suggested reading. I went to the library to pick up a few books, though I'm not sure how easy it will be to get ahold of some of the others. It felt really good, though; everyday Uni life in Japan being as laid-back as it is, sometimes it feels like taking time out rather than appreciable progress toward my final goal. Or perhaps my resolve and passion are stronger because I failed MJL before? Let's hope I don't have to fail first before I can properly apply myself to it!

I made the journey to the Ward Office in order to pay for Health Insurance - there was the option to pay one month at a time, but instead I payed for several, so I won't have to worry about it again until April. Farewell, my last 10,000 yen note. The procedure was unfamiliar to me and I had to ask about it, but in the end I was rather relived that it went so smoothly. I stopped by the bank on the way back, thinking to check my balance... but I wasn't quite able to make out what did what on the machine (touchscreen, incidentally), though I later looked up a video of how to operate one, so next time I get a chance I'll try again.

One final note - I realised recently that Tea Ceremony mentality has found its way into the way I take luncheon. While I may buy my food in a frenzy of desire, when I get back to my room I carefully consider what to eat in which order to properly compliment the various tastes, and take my time to consider the individual merits of each item. Perhaps I did this before in England, but I like to think I savour food more since coming to Japan. Will this insight come in handy in future? Who knows. Watch this space!

Japanese Snacks Vol. 7 - Chigiri Pan Milk: Dripping with honey (or something similar), dusted with sugar, sublimely sweet, especially when bits and pieces caramelise on the bottom.