This past week was the same as usual.
By that, I mean that I had some lovely conversations with my students throughout the week, went to the gym almost everyday after work, and finished the week with some excellent food and drinks and karaoke on Saturday night.
It’s nice to follow a routine when you like what you’re doing.
This week’s “excellent food” was tempura and crab legs and tonkotsu ramen. I’ll also throw in a picture of the tiramisu and latte I had at the cafe I mentioned last week. This week’s drinks were beer and a little atsukan (not pictured).
Also, and this is the most exciting news I’ve heard in a while, I got my test results back for the JLPT N4. I passed with an unexpected 174/180 points! It’s a pass/fail test, which means you only need to get 91 to succeed. I’m ecstatic with my results. The only “negative” is that I might’ve aimed too low. If I had tried the JLPT N3, I *might* have passed that one, too. But who cares?
I wanted to choose a manageable goal. I never studied Japanese in school, so this JLPT was my first time getting any kind of score for my Japanese. I can do N3 (or N2) next time. For now, I’ll bask in the glow of this win…and keep studying.
I’m off to Starbucks to meet my friends for a celebratory $8 latte and then to the supermarket to get ingredients to make sushi rolls. I’ve actually never tried making sushi in all 2.5 years that I’ve been here, even though I have access to a nice variety of lovely sushi-grade fish for more than reasonable prices.
Wish me luck!
Alisa & a Visa 