Last night I had my first Japanese lesson. Muramatsu sensei is going to be tough but she is going to get me speaking Japanese. I told her that I was on a intermediate listening level but a very basic speaking level.During our lesson she evaluated my speaking, listening and writing skills by worksheets, reading from the textbook and talking with me. She has her own classroom with desks, a copy machine and a chalkboard. I really felt like I was in a class which is what I needed to get me focused on learning again. I've been out of school for almost a year now and this is definitely different but I will enjoy it. I just so intimidated to speak just like my students do with me, so I totally know how they are feeling. I told her that I was really glad she is going to be my teacher and that I think I'm going to learn a lot with her because of how she teaches. Two of her daughters speak English very well and they are nice too I'm glad to have another English speaking "friend" so that if I need anything I don't really have to depend on Harada sensei (the Japanese English teacher I work with). She was very impressed but told me that I had a lot in my head that she wanted to help bring out of me. We are going to meet each week for 2 hours and I only have to pay her 1000 yen, which is like 8 bucks in the US. She is a volunteer with the International Center in Kofu and that is the deal that they have worked out with all their volunteers. I'd heard some bad things about going through them because sometimes the volunteers aren't trained teachers and they are sometimes more excited about talking with foreigners than they are actually teaching, but Muramatsu sensei seems to be very trained and had a variety of textbooks that she wanted to choose from depending on my ability so, I'm excited! Yeah!!!!

Like everyday in my life in Japan and with every good thing comes a not so good thing. So, I'm trying to get out of sensei's driveway but it is a one lane road and her driveway is also very narrow. When I got here I was following her so I pulled and and she guided me in as I tried to park. On the way out, she said goodbye to me from the door and I was left to fend for myself...I was probably out there backing in and pulling out for about 5 mins (which seems like an eternity when you are performing a task that should take seconds) when she came out to guide me out. I wanted her to just get in and back me the hell out of there but that wasn't happening. I guess she didn't want to be liable if anything happened but my frustration level was steadily rising..at one point I was stuck between the concrete gate of her driveway, and the gate that blocks the other side of the street with my car blocking traffic in both directions. These streets are just so extremely narrow! Nonetheless, I have a slavedriving, but good teacher. I have homework already on the first lesson, but I'm glad to be back studying.

I'm learning and lovin' life.