あけおめ！
Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve if you did anything special, and if not I hope you were able to relax and have a good time anyway. My family usually doesn't do anything, but we ended up going to a party hosted by some of my parent's friends from Boy Scouts. We had a great time, and were right across from the playground, the perfect spot to watch the amateur fireworks going off there.
I can't call 2011 a completely horrible year, but it wasn't the greatest either. The first two and a half months, I was in Japan and having the time of my life. Then of course the earthquake happened, and everything changed. As horrible as it was, it was an experience that has changed me a lot. I've really changed my priorities since then, and I hope that I've changed for the better. I was a little depressed after that, but things got better as the summer went on, and grad school has been amazing so far. I can only see things getting better in the future. This year will see my second and third semesters in my MA program, as well as the start of my thesis, and once again, applying for grad school. (Not looking forward to that.) I don't usually do resolutions, but I do have a few this year.
No earthquakes. Okay, I have no control on this, but I would really really REALLY like to not experience something like that again. At the least, I really hope there are no horrible events occurring this year for me or anyone else I know. *fingers crossed*
Take the JLPT N1. This really is a year-long goal, as the test isn't until December. I've been able to continue speaking Japanese regularly, and my grammar and reading have really improved thanks to Classical Japanese, and kanbun this semester will mean I have to learn weird kanji. I don't really need to have N1 certification since I'm going to grad school, but if I ever wanted a job that needed Japanese language, this would be excellent to be on my resume.
Read more "classics." I started reading for fun a lot more after I graduated from Bryn Mawr. I've continued to do this, even while having tons of reading for class and the like. But I've missed a lot of English classics. Project Gutenberg will be my friend this year. Jane Eyre, Little Women, and Pride and Prejudice are at the top of the list, but other suggestions are welcome.
Try new recipes. I love to cook, but I fall back on some recipes all the time. I want to try to expand my repertoire; maybe not a new recipe every week, but one or two a month?
Be happy! This is an easy one, I hope. I've had a fantastic time for most of last year, and I want to keep that attitude up.
今年もよろしくね！
I can't call 2011 a completely horrible year, but it wasn't the greatest either. The first two and a half months, I was in Japan and having the time of my life. Then of course the earthquake happened, and everything changed. As horrible as it was, it was an experience that has changed me a lot. I've really changed my priorities since then, and I hope that I've changed for the better. I was a little depressed after that, but things got better as the summer went on, and grad school has been amazing so far. I can only see things getting better in the future. This year will see my second and third semesters in my MA program, as well as the start of my thesis, and once again, applying for grad school. (Not looking forward to that.) I don't usually do resolutions, but I do have a few this year.
No earthquakes. Okay, I have no control on this, but I would really really REALLY like to not experience something like that again. At the least, I really hope there are no horrible events occurring this year for me or anyone else I know. *fingers crossed*
Take the JLPT N1. This really is a year-long goal, as the test isn't until December. I've been able to continue speaking Japanese regularly, and my grammar and reading have really improved thanks to Classical Japanese, and kanbun this semester will mean I have to learn weird kanji. I don't really need to have N1 certification since I'm going to grad school, but if I ever wanted a job that needed Japanese language, this would be excellent to be on my resume.
Read more "classics." I started reading for fun a lot more after I graduated from Bryn Mawr. I've continued to do this, even while having tons of reading for class and the like. But I've missed a lot of English classics. Project Gutenberg will be my friend this year. Jane Eyre, Little Women, and Pride and Prejudice are at the top of the list, but other suggestions are welcome.
Try new recipes. I love to cook, but I fall back on some recipes all the time. I want to try to expand my repertoire; maybe not a new recipe every week, but one or two a month?
Be happy! This is an easy one, I hope. I've had a fantastic time for most of last year, and I want to keep that attitude up.
今年もよろしくね！