Chatting with Friends
For the past three months I've been a member of the AFS Japan 2013-2014 Spring Year group on Facebook, and in those three months I've made some amazing friends. This group was created to unite all the AFSers going to Japan on the same program, but it is now more of a group for those interested in Japan and its culture. Together we discuss our favorite things about Japan, our troubles with the numerous kanji, and we help each other untangle complicated grammar. It's a learning tool, but also a great way to form friendships with people just like yourself. My school, Enid High School, hardly has any people interested in Japan. Sure, we have those people who watch tons of anime and read piles upon piles of manga, but my interest in Japan runs deeper than that. I want to learn their language, befriend their people, and immerse myself in their culture. To my knowledge, most everyone on the AFS Japan group shares these interests.
Recently, the group has decided to start group chats through Google+ hangouts. Now we can hear each other's voices, and we can practice our spoken Japanese with one another. This helps a lot with pronunciation and thought process. Believe it or not, it's harder to process thoughts in Japanese and speak than it is to write in Japanese. While learning your kana and some basic kanji would benefit you, learning to quickly respond to spoken Japanese is vital. These hangouts help us achieve this skill.
For those of you who are interested in joining the AFS Japan group, follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/111819918949340/
Anyone who is interested in Japan is more than welcome to join, however, as an admin of the group I must make some things very clear.
1) The AFS Japan group is visible by AFS staff and volunteers and therefore the use of profanity or other such derogatory terms is strictly prohibited and will result in your deletion from the group.
2) We understand that some members have studied the Japanese language longer than others, and while we encourage those with more knowledge to share what they know, we do not wish to have any arguments or belittling because of a lack of knowledge. Language differences must be discussed peacefully. The AFS Japan group is intended to be a learning tool and a source of information for those prospective exchange students to Japan.
3) As the AFS Japan group is intended for the study of Japanese culture, language, etc., please refrain from posting unrelated topics on our wall. (eg. clothing store links, unrelated YouTube links, app requests, Farmville updates)
