I'm gonna learn some Nihongo!

wahooo. I just signed up for free Japanese lessons at a nearby Community center. They are every tuesday and friday morning from 10-11:30am. I have tuesdays off and then I don't have t be at work until like 2:30 on fridays, so this is totally doable. And they are FREE. I'm super excited. Maybe my Japanese will improve a little faster now. The classes don't start until May 13th so I have like a month til then. I wish they were starting sooner.

I learned about the classes from a student of mine though. She's Indonesian, but her English is pretty good so she's in the highest level English classes with me. She actually teaches English to little kids for the same company as me, but they are required to attend FTL classes with native speakers to keep up/improve their English. She works for the program where Japanese housewives (sorry, I mean homemakers? that's what they're taught to call themselves in English class) hold classes for children in their own homes.

Anyway, she's married to a Japanese man and they have a couple kids, so she's been living in Japan for about 8 years. I guess she was working at a Japanese company in Indonesia and she met her husband who was also working there. They eventually moved here and she's been taking Japanese classes at this Kunitachi Community Center a few stops near where I live. When I asked her how she liked living in Japan and how she learned Japanese she told me all about it. So I went out there today to find out more details. It took me a long time to find the Kominkan (community center) because, of course, it's name is written in Japanese. When I finally entered the place, it was a bit of a struggle to find the front desk cause it was actually a couple floors up, not on the ground floor. Very strange. The lady who helped me sign up didn't speak much English but she had a packet of phrases that she might need for this exact occasion, so we worked it out, at least, I think. She was very nice about it and showed me the rooms where the clasess would be held and everything. Apparently there is a book I have to buy which is roughly $25, but that's okay cause the classes are free!

Anyways, feeling good about it. Very excited to learn more Japanese.