Japanese Student Exchange Program
Our Japanese class teacher just told us about some Japanese exchange student program availible this summer. The application's due the first of March, and the application form is a scary 17 pages long @_@ He's printing more copies for us tomorrow. What it is is a program where during the summer, you would go to a host's home in Japan, stay there for four weeks, and then once those four weeks are up, the host's kid will come over to the States with you, and stay with you for a month in your house. While you are there, they will show you around their area a bit, as you absorb the language and feel of Japan, while you show them around, and help them with their English as well. I'm less excited about the latter part of the plan (I am really not the outgoing tour guide type, and I don't even have my driver's permit yet (though I'm 16), so I'd have to depend too much on rides by family members), but the first part is amazing O_O
Problems I see:
-fluency: by this summer, I'd have nailed 2 years of Japanese. I doubt 2 years of learning in school would be adequate for enough conversational Japanese to live/breathe/eat in Japan. It'd be too overwhelming, especially if the hosting family is as limited in English as I in Japanese.
-etiquette: I know how etiquette is quite large in Japan (there are so many forms of words to use on basis of social status and such already x_x), so I'm worried I might make a move that is socially inacceptable or something, which, fine, may be a bit over the top, but still. I'd be trying to follow all these things that I'd be as stiff as a board ^^;;
-hosting: no means of effective, ready transport while hosting the Japanese student, so then what? Moping around the house all day
-the student: kind of worried of how the actual exchange student would be like. Since we'd be living together for 2 months (1 month in Japan, 1 month here in Washington), if we somehow can't get along well, then it'd be tough as heck.
The good things?
-living in Japan in a month. It'll burn a hole in the wallet, that's for sure! xD (Wait-- shouldn't this be under problems??)
-it'll help with my fluency, that's for sure.
More items under problems, because I'm a worrywart x_x Also, it was mentioned that we wouldn't have to pay much for this program at all, as it is funded in part by the education department-- the absolute most we'd have to pay is $500, but that's not too bad, if you think about it. Can't really put a price on some experiences.
What I think I'll do: I think I'll sit this one out for now-- my Japanese teacher said that this has been offered in the past, and so it might be availible again next year, so I can wait until then, when I've had THREE years of Japanese under my belt. Then I might be at the very least, so-so fluent. Currently, I have one of the top three test scores in my class (I don't know exactly what place, though), but test scores don't exactly translate as good at the language itself. Or maybe I'm worrying too much again...
If I sit this one out, and they don't offer it again next year, I am really going to kick myself really, really hard.
Some of my classmates will be doing it this summer, which makes me jealous and want to go now, but I think it is best if I stay another year, however painful it may be ;_;
Problems I see:
-fluency: by this summer, I'd have nailed 2 years of Japanese. I doubt 2 years of learning in school would be adequate for enough conversational Japanese to live/breathe/eat in Japan. It'd be too overwhelming, especially if the hosting family is as limited in English as I in Japanese.
-etiquette: I know how etiquette is quite large in Japan (there are so many forms of words to use on basis of social status and such already x_x), so I'm worried I might make a move that is socially inacceptable or something, which, fine, may be a bit over the top, but still. I'd be trying to follow all these things that I'd be as stiff as a board ^^;;
-hosting: no means of effective, ready transport while hosting the Japanese student, so then what? Moping around the house all day
-the student: kind of worried of how the actual exchange student would be like. Since we'd be living together for 2 months (1 month in Japan, 1 month here in Washington), if we somehow can't get along well, then it'd be tough as heck.
The good things?
-living in Japan in a month. It'll burn a hole in the wallet, that's for sure! xD (Wait-- shouldn't this be under problems??)
-it'll help with my fluency, that's for sure.
More items under problems, because I'm a worrywart x_x Also, it was mentioned that we wouldn't have to pay much for this program at all, as it is funded in part by the education department-- the absolute most we'd have to pay is $500, but that's not too bad, if you think about it. Can't really put a price on some experiences.
What I think I'll do: I think I'll sit this one out for now-- my Japanese teacher said that this has been offered in the past, and so it might be availible again next year, so I can wait until then, when I've had THREE years of Japanese under my belt. Then I might be at the very least, so-so fluent. Currently, I have one of the top three test scores in my class (I don't know exactly what place, though), but test scores don't exactly translate as good at the language itself. Or maybe I'm worrying too much again...
If I sit this one out, and they don't offer it again next year, I am really going to kick myself really, really hard.
Some of my classmates will be doing it this summer, which makes me jealous and want to go now, but I think it is best if I stay another year, however painful it may be ;_;