*sigh* As you can see, me and Spanish just don't go well together. I don't even know how to say "what?" My natural instinct right now is just to revert to any foreign language that I'm more comfortable with, which is usually Japanese. Suprisingly, I find myself thinking things in French every now and then - I haven't taken French for roughly 8 years!! What's the problem? I really think it's the way it's taught. I know that any new language is hard - but this is insane. Manolo (the teacher - I may have mentioned him before) is a 'linguist', and obsessed with grammar. Grammar is good to know, I agree, but not when you don't have vocabulary to back it up. It doesn't seem as though he has any plans to strictly teach us that either - it's more of a "just listen and learn" approach. So I've been very confused in class. I just didn't go yesterday. Instead, I went into town to buy a dictionary and some flashcards. I've spent most of toay filling them up. Another difficult task when there's no set vocab list. Every word I come accross in our grammar sheets, I write down. There are looooaaads. It's only been 2 weeks! I repeat: insane.
Thus - I'm stressed. Already. Not just from Spanish; I feel like I'm falling behind with reading too, even though I'm making more of an effort than I'm sure I did a couple of years ago (not counting KG - completely different situation). It's a sad state of affairs. There go my plans of having a proper weekend then.
mustworkmustcatchupmustworkmustcatchupmustworkmustcatchup.
What am I doing now, I hear you ask? Just making it that much harder on myself, of course. No, I'd lose my mind if I never stopped (it's a hard balance). After all my talk of societies, I decided the 45 minute walk up to campus made most of them... not worth it - especially if the activities then involved more excercise. But I have been to both Japan Soc meetings this year. They're at 7, on a day when my classes finish at 6, so I have an hour to get food (and don't have to go home). Usually, when it comes to anything related to Japan in this country, it's organised by some Japanophile who phenomenolizes everything, epsecially pop-culture, and is just ultra-excited. Unfortunatley they tend to gloss over reality, and generally speaking, they grate me. I think this society probably started like that, and some of the people who come are maybe like that, but there are a fair number of Japanese students around Canterbury, and they get involved. I think, in terms of commitee members, lessons have been learned and even if they haven't been to Japan, they really do have a feel for it. The activities aren't that different than they might have otherwise been, anyway. There's a planned karaoke night, and I'm sure there'll be a sushi-making party, too, eventually.
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Tonight, me and my housemates are going to see Kyrbgrinder again (remember the band from the Alternative Freshers' Ball?). Somewhat looking forward to it - I'm sure I'll get more into it once we're actually out. Other than that, there hasn't been too much going on. The only thing that's captured my interest - not counting X Factor or Strictly, which are more like guilty pleasures, or vices - is this documentary called "A Thunder Being Nation" which isn't out yet. I've been following the filmmaker on twitter; he's really quite involved with Pine Ridge Res., where the doc is set, and also where he filmed another film set there ("Rez Bomb"). I envy him... Anyhow, in order to completed with the best historical footage etc., he needs funds. Since I want to see it so much, it's only fair that I give something. So I did - I guess it's a good job that I haven't been able to work my budget out yet. Sort it later.
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| Pine Ridge, SD. If nothing else, it's got soul. I'd love to be involved. (Taken from Fixingtheworld's page) |
So, no epiphony, or any particular point to make today. Maybe I forgot if there was. It'd be nice to find myself in a situation where things didn't get so hazy...
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