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Well, after a 3 months of vacation far away from the intermediate level of the AIJP classes of Yamasa, I am back in Canada. I made it, I reached my goal. I have started a new job, and I can read some documentation in Japanese at the amazement of my new colleagues. Haven’t convinced them yet, that my skills are worth a higher salary haha. So I studied 1 year and 3 months. Took 1 year to master Mina no Nihongo. Yeah laugh if you want, but I am not a study machine and I could enjoy a great deal f Japan. I even made it into chu-kyu. It is an accomplishment for myself. I even extended my stay in Japan of 6 months. That was unplanned.
I really enjoyed my 3 months vacation in Japan after I finished Yamasa. I swear it was the best time of my life. With the basic Japanese I learned at the school, I could understand enough to read new mangas, watch tv and movies and manage with the neighboors. Moving out of Yamasa accommodation was also a big thing. I can highly recommend it if you are not on a too tight budget. In fact it is not that expensive when you consider utilities costs and the extend liberty of having friends staying over. Even though everybody is doing it, I was caught doing it because I was honest when the school staff saw a girl coming out of an other students room during weekdays. And of course older building have very thin walls so you can hear others very well. Residence U, was an excellant choice. The combi was so close and there is a 99enshop down 386 that have delicious cheap food. Mos Burger is also nearby and is a real lifesaver when you don’t feel like cooking during exam weeks. Good times!
My all time best teacher at Yamasa is ( I can say it now, since I am not there anymore) : Nagaki-sensei. That summer 2006 M class was great. Kudos to Kurita-sensei who left the school, he was really patient with the black sheeps. I hope Nose-sensei is all right in whichever country she is no, I liked her style too. My Hiragana teacher was also great. A very nice elective to choose. Some others too were not bad too.
I did not made a lot of friends, but I believe they were the bests.
As a final review of Yamasa, let those be my final words on that subject: make your mind yourself. Just Go! Its not all good as on the website, but it is fair and I am convinced it is better than studying Japanese in Tokyo. Okazaki, is boring, but also cheap. Some teacher are working their ass very hard, and they should receive a raise.
And finally, get out of your apartment, get out of the school. I was very lucky that I could make friends with a lot of Japanese people.
I MUST ask, how did you pay for your stay? I currently am not enrolled at a university and I’m low-income so it’s hard for me to save money. And, since Yamasa is a non-degree granting language school, it’s almost like it’s impossible to find financial support for it.