Self-Introduction

     It's been quite some time since I've updated this blog. If you don't feel like scrolling through past entries, then I'll just go ahead and re-introduce myself now!

     My name is Sarah Swanner and I live in the United States. I'm eighteen years old and I will be starting my senior year in high school this coming fall. Learning languages was always something I enjoyed, and when I was ten years old I began to have an interest in the Japanese language through my favorite anime, Inuyasha. Since then I have self-studied Japanese for around eight years now, and my exchange trip to Japan really helped me develop the communication skills necessary to have a fluent conversation. It was always my dream to be an exchange student, and during my sophomore year I discovered the AFS website and I sent in my preliminary application.
     I participated on the 2013-2014 academic year program (March 19, 2013 - February 11th 2014) to Japan through AFS Intercultural Programs, and it had to be the best decision I've ever made for myself.  I lived in Osaka and traveled around the surrounding prefectures.
     Since I have returned home, my time is spent either studying for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) or preparing college applications. My goal is to return to Japan as an exchange student in college and study Japanese and/or Asian studies. I hope to be a source of information for any incoming exchange students to Japan for the years to come.
   
     I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue using this blog or not, but I have a new purpose for it now. I've been in contact with some of next year's prospective exchange students to Japan, and I want to share my experience in Japan with everyone who is interested.

     If you are interested in going on an exchange program to Japan one the academic semester or year program in 2015-2016, or if you will go during the summer of 2015 then follow this link to the Facebook page they have created. All of the prospective exchangers gather in this group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/423235941139012/

↑ Here you go!

     I am a member of the group as well, although I am a Returnee. I joined to help them out with any questions regarding the application process or the language and culture.

     Feel free to join the group!

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みんなさん

みんなさんってあってるの？

     Hello, everyone! Today I`d like to talk about something that I see a lot, and it has to do with the Japanese word for `everyone.` I have seen many learners of Japanese make this same mistake over and over, so I hope to maybe inform those of you who were not aware of this mistake and of it being wrong. Let`s get started!

First off, I`m sure many of you have seen this word before: みんなさん
Or, perhaps you may have seen this one pop up somewhere as well: みんなさま

If you didn`t already know, these two words are both incorrect Japanese and are not used in either spoken Japanese or written Japanese. If you see it written, it is a mistake.

Let me explain why this is. Let`s go way back to the beginning! At first, we had the word みな. This also means `everyone,` but it is not used often at all. In fact, the only time I have ever seen this word was in old Japanese script written entirely in Chinese characters, called 漢文　（かんぶん）. Here is the link to the script: http://www5.airnet.ne.jp/tomy/koten/soji/soji_d.htm You may have the opportunity to learn classical Japanese in your host school, but of course, this depends upon the school and what classes they choose for you, if you`re not participating in all of them.

In line 13, you can see that the word 人皆 is used, and down below the reading is written as 人みな.
Also, in line 15, the kanji 皆 comes up again and is read as みな. Outside of classical Japanese, I am unsure as to whether or not the word みな is used, but if it is used I would think that it goes without saying that it must be quite a formal situation if one is using it. Okay, lets move on.

So, we have みな, written as 皆 in Chinese characters. However, did you know that it can also be read as みんな? If you`re wondering what the word みんな is, I`ll explain it to you!

Basically, it is the most informal way to say `everyone.` It is very commonly used, especially with friends and family. When we add in the letter ん and replace a part of a word, this is called 撥音化　（はつおんか）.

Examples:
ぼくのうち　--- ぼくんち　（うち　house)
あまり　　　 --- あんまり
~のだ 　　　--- ~んだ
しらない　  --- しらん


As it is an informal word, you would not attach the respectful title -さん to it, making　みんなさん, which is wrong. Likewise, attaching the very formal title -さま to create みんなさま is also wrong. So, let`s review what we`ve learned so far:

1. As a casual expression, one cannot attach the respectful titles -さん or -さま to みんな. Furthermore, みんなさん is difficult to pronounce and sounds unnnatural if you do.

2. When written in Chinese characters, called かんじ in Japanese, the Chinese character 皆 can either be read as みな or みんな. However, if one were to attach the titles -さん or -さま to 皆, the reading of the Chinese character is limited to みな.
皆さん　：　みなさん
皆様、皆さま　：　みなさま

It cannot be read as みんなさん or みんなさま.

For reference, here are all the words meaning `everyone` and their level of formality:

みな original word　（本来の言葉　ほんらいのことば）
みんな casual speech　（ため口　ためぐち）
みなさん semi-formal, respectful language （尊敬語　そんけいご）
みなさま formal, respectful language （尊敬語）

Here are some links to other explanations:
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1056678155
http://lang-8.com/681939/journals/43698442949978887537996084485752851257

Well, that`s the end of this lesson! I only have about thirty some odd days left here in Japan before I leave and return to the US. My departure date is February the 9th. For those of you coming to Japan for the 2014-2015 year program, here is the link to the Facebook group where all of those students are gathering:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/129962473832762/

荷物 Luggage

     Today I sent an eight kilogram box filled with my summer garb to my mother in the US. I had expected it to cost around two hundred dollars, but to my surprise, it was only sixty eight dollars. Wow! I decided to send it by boat (ふね） instead of airplane (ひこうき） so that I could have more money to spend on last minute souvenirs (おみやげ） for friends and family. I had a bunch of summer kimono (ゆかた） packed in the box as well. I plan to give one to a friend, as it does not suit my taste all that much. I`m also beginning to write my farewell speech that I`ll deliver in front of my school. Once I finish it, I will upload it onto this blog for everyone to read!

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

Learn Japanese: Basic Verbs

　

日本語の基本的な動詞　

 

＊にほんごのきほんてきなどうし＊

     Hey guys! For those of you getting ready to depart for Japan, whether it be a year or a semester or even a summer program, it`s important to learn a little Japanese before you go so that you don`t feel so lost, right? If you have just started studying Japanese, or have been learning for around a year or so, but feel like you aren`t prepared or that you need more matierial, here is a list of some of the most commonly used verbs that I can scrape up off of the top of my head. These are verbs that you will use often yourself, and will hear others use these in conversation and in written context. Whether you`re at school, at home, or at the train station, these verbs will be of great use to you! Let`s get started!

いく　(行く） to go
くる　（来る） to come
もどる　（戻る） to return, to come back (もどってくる）
かえる　（帰る）　to come home, to return home (かえってくる）
あげる　to give (you give to someone; someone does a favor for someone excluding yourself and those related to you)
くれる to give (someone gives to you; someone does a favor for you or someone in your family)
もらう/*いただく　to recieve, to have someone do something
*いただく　is the respectful form of the verb もらう 　　　　｛そんけいご　尊敬語｝
はなす　（話す）　to speak
しゃべる　（喋る） to talk
いう/ゆう　（言う） to say, to tell
どなる　（怒鳴る） to yell
なく　（泣く） to cry
わらう　（笑う） to laugh
ほほえむ　（微笑む） to smile
おならをする　to fart, to pass gas
はく　（吐く）　to vomit, to puke
くしゃみがでる* to sneeze
げっぷがでる* to burp, to belch
あくびする to yawn
*（でる＝出る）
たべる/くう*　(食べる・食う） to eat, to consume
のむ　(飲む） to swallow, to drink (often used in the expression くすりを飲む to take medicine)
かむ　（噛む） to bite, to chew
Ａでむせる　（咽る） to choke on A
*食う is male language and is not a very polite word to use, especially as a female.
のる　（乗る） to get on, to ride (train, bus, etc.)
おりる　（降りる） to get off (train, bus, etc.)
のりかえする　（乗り換え）to switch trains
まちあわせる　（待ち合わせる） to meet up, to rendezvous
むかえにくる　（迎えに来る）to come and pick someone up
むかえにいく　（迎えに行く） to go and pick someone up
つくる　（作る） to make
つかう　（使う） to use
すてる　（捨てる） to throw away, to get rid off
おす　（押す） to push
ひく　（引く） to pull
Ａにぶつかる to run into A, to bump against A
きる　（切る） to cut
おぼえる　（覚える） to remember
わすれる　（忘れる） to forget
おもいだす　（思い出す） to recall, to come to mind
おもう　（思う） to think
かんがえる　（考える） to decide, to think about, to consider
かんじる　（感じる）　to feel (emotions, etc.)
あるく　（歩く） to walk
はしる　（走る） to run
すべる　（滑る） to slip
ける　（蹴る） to kick
たつ　（立つ） to stand
すわる　（座る） to sit
おきる　（起きる） to get up, to rise, to wake up
ねる　（寝る） to sleep, to go to bed
ねぼうする　（寝坊） to sleep in, to oversleep
てつやする　（徹夜） to stay up all night, to pull an all-nighter

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

お正月 （おしょうがつ） New Year

     Hello, everyone! It`s December 12th, 16:00 right now here in Japan. I thought I`d update everyone on what`s been going on here in Japan and with my exchange. It`s definitely winter, that`s for sure. In the Kansai region, during the summer it`s unbelievably hot and during the winter it`s butt-freezing cold. Yet as cold as it is I must continue to wear my uniform skirt to school. I`ve caught a cold three times already, but I made it to Japan so I won`t complain!
     The New Year holiday is fast-approaching, and with it come mail from AFS informing me of my nearing departure. Everyone here is busy writing New Year`s cards, or as they say in Japanese 年賀状　（ねんがじょう）. For those of you learning Japanese, here are some great phrases to remember during the New Year holiday:

・　明けましておめでとうございます　（あけましておめでとうございます）　Happy New Year
・　今年も宜しくお願いします　（ことしもよろしくおねがいします）  I'll be indebted to you/relying on you this year too

There are also these two expressions, which mean basically the same thing as what I mentioned above:

・　謹んで新春のご挨拶を申し上げます
(つつしんでしんしゅんのごあいさつをもしあげます）
・　旧年中はひとかたならぬお世話になり、誠にありがとうございました　
（きゅうねんちゅうはひとかたならぬおせわになり、まことにありがとうございました）

That`s it! Pretty easy, huh? Try to write some Japanese ねんがじょう　to your friends and family in your country and share they Japanese culture with them! According to the Chinese calender, the year 2014 is the year of the horse, so all ねんがじょう will have a horse drawn on them. Here is an example of a ねんがじょう!


 

 


     My New Year plans include visiting my host grandmother in Kyoto and and taking a trip to Tokushima to stay at a hotel on the beach! I`m going to save up my money and buy a furisode to wear on New Year`s day when we visit my grandmother. It`s going to be cold, but I`ll be okay, hopefully!

Best regards,

Sarah Swanner 須和奈　星羅　（すわな　せいら）

 

Long Time No Update

     I haven`t updated this blog in a while, and for that I appologize. A lot has happened since I arrived in Japan, so I will try to cram it all into this one post. Hopefully it won`t be overbearing! So to start with, I arrived in Tokyo the evening of March 20th. The group of twenty adventurous American teens, including myself, filed into Narita airport and proceeded to get our residence cards. It was a long line of gaijins, but we managed to make it through. One of the AFSers was half Japanese, so she had Japanese citizenship and therefore did not have to wait in line. Sure sounds nice, huh? After we got our residence cards, and they are by no means the most flattering pictures either, we trollied on down to the first floor to claim our baggage, then hopped on a bus outside the airport that took us to a fancy dancy hotel. Riley Keenan was so tall that he had to bend down on the bus! Once the bus pulled into the driveway of the hotel, we again claimed our baggage and dragged the blasted things into the hotel lobby, where we waited for further instructions from the AFS volunteers. It was here in the lobby that I met my Norweigian friends in-person for the first time. Oddveig and Carina and another girl whose name I can`t recall greeted us warmly! Riley, Miranda, and I were so happy to see them. We would often have google chats with them, and to finally see them in-person was pretty awesome. My other Norweigian friend, Serina, was somewhere else. I can`t remember! Whoops!

     At the arrival orientation the boisterous group of twenty Americans met the rest of the world going to Japan. Never in my life have I heard so many languages spoken all at once in the same room. It was mind-boggling, to say in the least. There was Spanish, French, German, Italian, Norweigian, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai, just to name a few. Well, and English as well, of course. We met girls from New Zealand and Australia! After we loaded our plates with whatever food there was to take, we sat down at a table with some other teens. It was quite an eclectic group, let me tell you. We talked about our reasons for wanting to go to Japan and compared our flight lengths. 

     The next day we were grouped according to our regions. The newly made friends said their goodbyes to those who were placed far away, and we all got on our respective buses and were soon on our way. My bus was headed for Osaka. The drive was about seven hours, I believe. On my bus there were Americans, Thai, Norwegians, Mexicans, Danish, New Zealanders, Russians, and one girl from Paraguay. We sang the popular songs of our countries the whole way there. I`m sure the bus driver wanted to throw something at us!

     Once we arrived in Osaka, we parked the bus and walked to yet another orientation site. This time, the orientation was three days long, I believe. We stayed at a youth hotel, and here we were instructed on how to take on the world of Japan. We recieved two booklets; one booklet was on Japanese grammar and the other contained around one hundred kanji to be learned. We discussed Japanese manners, customs, and language. The volunteers gave us tips on how to handle various situations, and we discussed what to do in an emergency. All in all, it was a fabulous time. Inside the hotel was an onsen, and all of us girls didn`t know that we had to take off all of our clothing. It was a nice start to the many culture shocks to follow.

     Once the orrientation came to a close, the group was again separated, but this time it was according to our chapter. Some of the chapters left with other chapters because they were close together. That was the case with mine. In my chapter, Mishima, there are only two AFSers: myself and Hao, a boy from Malaysia. We commuted to the station with an AFS volunteer and another small group of a different chapter. From here, each of us branched off to where our host families would meet us. I was the first to go in my chapter. I was greeted by my liason, Sugo Hiroe, and my translator Hitomi Matsumoto. We exchanged greetings and talked for about a minute or so before my host sister arrived. This was the first time I saw Nao. She had seemingly just finished with a club activity, for she was wearing her school uniform. She walked up to me, played with a couple of strands of my hair, and said, "Kawaii!"

     Together with my host sister, my liason, and my translator, we walked to where my host mom had parked her car. We loaded in and my host mom drove us to her house, where we all sat in the living room and discussed AFS things. After my liason and translator left, it was just my host family and I. From here began my new life in Japan.

      I also met Nao`s cousins,Yosuke and Kosuke. Kosuke took us to Starbucks and bought us coffee. Well, he bought me coffee and Nao a shake of some sorts. Nao doesn`t like coffee! The following evening Yosuke took us to a large city called Shinsaibashi. It`s really like a huge shopping area of the city. There are so many people congregating in such a small place. I saw gang members, lolita, and all sorts of people. It was wild. Yosuke took us to take purikura, which are like cute versions of the photobooths in the USA. They make your skin lighter, and your eyes bigger. I kind of looked like a blue-eyed catfish, but it was fun, nonetheless.

     So after a couple of weeks, school started. I had to write a speech for the opening ceremony. I stood in front of around eight hundred students and faculty and delivered my elementary level self-introduction in Japanese. It was nerve-wracking, but I managed to do it. The next day was my first day of school. I swear, you would have thought that I was Harry from One Direction or Beiber, because the girls nearly passed out when they saw me in the hallway. I`m not exaggerating, they literally screamed. Some even begged me to take a picture with them. I gladly did so, I mean, what could it hurt? My class is ２年８組、or second year, class eight. There are forty-one students in my class, including myself. I take chemistry, bioligy, computer, health, PE, math 2 & B, classical Japanese, modern Japanese, home economics, calligraphy, geography, and English W and 2. I always take notes, because I want to bring them back to the USA and show everyone what the work looks like in Japan for high school students. In English class I participate fully, but as for classes like chemistry and math, its too difficult for me to comprehend. I understand single words and sometimes full sentences, but the chemistry lingo in Japanese is way over my head! I at least know how to say `oxidation reaction` in Japanese, but I`m not sure how useful that will be in the long run.

     All in all, everything is as it should be. My host family is more than what I could have ever asked for, and my host sister is a riot, I love her to death. On weekends we often go hang out with other nearby AFS students and go to amusement parks or go shopping in the big cities. The best part is eating dinner at Nao`s part-time job, Kiraku, which specializes in ramen and udon. I hope someday I can bring my family and friends to Kiraku!

    Until next time!