Contentment - マンゾク

I have little more than a week and half before I leave Sapporo and hang out in Honshuu for a while before returning home, but I can finally say that I've extremely content right now. If that makes sense.

I've improved speaking a tremendous amount, seeing as I would hesitate a good minute or so before replying in Japanese.

Right now I'm in level 1 of 5 classes, the highest class. But in no way do I deserve to be placed in this class. It's been good though; it's actually noticeable how much I am learning. I'm actually pressured to prepare for the next lesson, otherwise I won't be able to answer any of the questions or know what's going on in the class.

The sensei(s), for the most part, are very good and lively. Even the most annoying one, with her perpetual nervous, awkward laughter, is actually very good at teaching. So good that I rarely ask questions because she answers it during her own monologue-like discussion. Then she begins to feel nervous because no one is asking questions.

I'm able to keep pace and on the same level as the other students. That is to say, we are all struggling the same amount. I've actually learned a lot from 一組. More reading and recognizing kanji than anything but I'm okay with that.

Made a couple of a friends, even a guy from Princeton. (>.>) He was a very strange guy and a smoker to boot. We weren't really good friends during the time we had class together, but we did sort of bond at the school party over some beer. I was even sometimes his translator for the things I learned about at home, which was pretty cool for me.

The reason why I didn't make very good friends with the other students at first is because I would usually go right to the subway station. If I did loiter around front, they would make dinner plans that I wouldn't be able to make. Many of them lived close to the school and would go back before going out late. Besides, the subways stop at midnight, so I can't do much late-night partying. I could go to a late night momihodai bar and roam the streets of Susukino in the morning before catching first train in the morning, (which I did once; I was woken up by a station attendant because I passed out on a bench.) but it's not something that should become a routine.

During that late night, I made sure I got my money's worth of the nomihodai by staying until it closed at 6am. In my drunkenness I actually attempted to pick a Japanese girl hanging out by herself at the bar. It almost worked, but she disappeared after I went to the bathroom. Okay, so maybe it didn't work. For some reason, I can have confidence of approaching cute girls here in Japan but not in the States.

But it worked out all right, I have a date on Monday at the beer garden with this amazing girl, Keiko.

The first three weeks of living in Sapporo were amazing. I told my host mom during a late night deep talk that I actually feel happy here. Back in the States, I would be bored or sad, but for some unexplainable reason, I'm pretty happy here. And I've felt like I made good use of my time here.

Thusly, I am content.