Jealousy

[Tinker Gnome]

Heh, I cant believe I am posting this here, but the lot here at EN world seems to be a wise bunch, so I will.

My dilemna is that in Japanese in school, my older brother took said subject before I did and he did very well at it and the teacher loved him. Now for me, I suck at it and forget everything minutes after I learn it and I get the feeling that the teacher thinks I am wasting my time. My brother has gone to Japan once ebefore and will probably go again this summer, and went with the help of some of the money from his teacher. Now I now she would not do that for me, and I am not going to go anyways, due to lack of money and I can not speak it worth anything. No matter how hard I try at sais subject. What makes it even worse is that he likes ot drop in at the high school to go see the teacher every once in a while, and this infuriaes me to no end. Everybody loves him, where as I seem to be ignored. In most cases I am quite content with this arrangement, but now it just irritates me. Arrrrrrgh.

Sorry, I just had to let that off.

 

[Turanil]

Choose Chinese instead.

 

[Krieg]

Your high school offers Japanese?!

Wow.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Your high school offers Japanese?!

Wow.

Ummm, yes. I almost wish it did not though, because I would not have this dilemna if it did not. But oh well, I still enjoy it, it is just the whole being in your brother's shadow thing.

Oniisan wa marude buta no you ni taberu.

 

[Angcuru]

A high school language course teaches you what you need to know to speak the language like first person shooters teach people how to survive in a combat situation.

They don't. So don't worry about it.

 

[s/LaSH]

Could you ask your brother for help on the subject? It might help (or it might not, but I figure you two will be more alike than two students chosen at random).

Also, how much subbed anime do you watch? Serious question. It's a good, quick source for the spoken language in many permutations. Studying a language isn't just about learning it in class, it's about living it. I did rather poorly in Japanese when I was taking it, and didn't follow it through to the end of high school (and subsequently forgot 90% of it), but I hadn't become an anime fan at that point. If I had been, who knows?

Also, how are your grades doing - not compared to your brother? I get the impression they're not too stellar, but if you can get help and improve, that may change. If you really are wasting your time, and have something better to learn, it might be best to switch, but you've just demonstrated more Japanese than I can interpret, so you're obviously making progress - and there's no guarantee of that in an unknown class. I think that, even if you do poorly, you'll come away with more knowledge than you had before, and that's always a good thing.

I do hope some of this has been helpful.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Could you ask your brother for help on the subject? It might help (or it might not, but I figure you two will be more alike than two students chosen at random).

Also, how much subbed anime do you watch? Serious question. It's a good, quick source for the spoken language in many permutations. Studying a language isn't just about learning it in class, it's about living it. I did rather poorly in Japanese when I was taking it, and didn't follow it through to the end of high school (and subsequently forgot 90% of it), but I hadn't become an anime fan at that point. If I had been, who knows?

Also, how are your grades doing - not compared to your brother? I get the impression they're not too stellar, but if you can get help and improve, that may change. If you really are wasting your time, and have something better to learn, it might be best to switch, but you've just demonstrated more Japanese than I can interpret, so you're obviously making progress - and there's no guarantee of that in an unknown class. I think that, even if you do poorly, you'll come away with more knowledge than you had before, and that's always a good thing.

I do hope some of this has been helpful.

Well, my brother has seemed to have forgotten a lot of it. So he is not much help, and he he has given me wrong advice once before. My teacher only likes him because he is very talkative(in English) and goofy. Where as I am silent and prefer not to talk, and even when I do, I am usually ignored.

I dont watch much subbed anime, I lack the money to buy any really. So I am not sure what to do about that.

I do not know what my grade is, but last I checked it was a 66, I have since talked to my teacher and she said I am not "technically" failing her class because I have done all my work, so that is good, I think.

One problem I have is that I tend to forget stuff very quickly, and I go blank on tests even though I am not nervous on them. Hell, I just forgot everything I have been reviewing for the past couple of hours, so now I have to start all over again.

Angcuru: Yeah, but most everyone else in the class can speak very well and I can not. Some of them have been to Japan before, which I will not get to do probably because of lack of money and because I would stay with a host family, and I feel VERY uncomfortable staying in other peoples homes. Not to mention I would not be able to speak a word of Japanese, because I would forget everything because I am a dummy.

EDIT:My brother made friends with the teacher, I tried, but I was ignored. So I just stopped trying. He went to a meeting about the Japan trip this summer, since he wants to be a chaperone and stay for a month. Hell, right now he is probably putting on that fake smile and fake liking people he doesnt like.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

heh, sorry for ressurecting this thread, but I have another Japanese related rant I havr to get out.

Well, I have to write a thousand character essay about myself an dmy family. i also need pictures to go along with it. I can not do this. I have been able to write one sentence so far in 30 minutes. I just can not think of anything to say. Not to mention I am not learnining anything from this essay. I am also somewhat annoyed with my teacher, in order for her to even listen to me I have to practically yell at her in an irritated voice to get my point across. I do not understand her explainations, even in English one bit. And she always wonder off and starts talking to someone else, while I am trying to get help.

Hmm, I hope this is anot any arrogance creeping in, but I feel that I do not neee a grade to tell me what I am good at and what I am bad at. I now feel fairly confident in my Japanese despite my grade off 55(SCHFIFTY FIVE!) in the class. Heh, I have finally realized that real-life is far from what school is like, and that in the end this class is inconsequential, and I KNOW I can speak casual and formal Japanese fine.

EDIT: Okay, so this essay is not so bad. Here is what I have got so far translated into English.

"I am really the Ninja overlord of the ENworld forums. All weekend I cut peoples heads off and devour their souls. I often eat babies. One day I shall rule the entire universe. I am the Lexx, I am the most powerful weapon of destrcution in the two universes. After nine years of pure awesomeness the smoke cleared and only the ninjas and pirates were left, but to kill Sigma they had to throw the moon at him. But the Gelatinous Cubes knew that that would not be enough, so they blew him up with the Death Star, but then the ninjas turned into fireballs, and volcanoes, and presidents. Then the SWAT team came and killed them all with their totally awesome laser swords with guns."

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

EDIT: Okay, so this essay is not so bad. Here is what I have got so far translated into English.

"I am really the Ninja overlord of the ENworld forums. All weekend I cut peoples heads off and devour their souls. I often eat babies. One day I shall rule the entire universe. I am the Lexx, I am the most powerful weapon of destrcution in the two universes. After nine years of pure awesomeness the smoke cleared and only the ninjas and pirates were left, but to kill Sigma they had to throw the moon at him. But the Gelatinous Cubes knew that that would not be enough, so they blew him up with the Death Star, but then the ninjas turned into fireballs, and volcanoes, and presidents. Then the SWAT team came and killed them all with their totally awesome laser swords with guns."

That is pretty funny, in the sense that I, and probably a lot of ENWorlders, will find it amusing, but I doubt your teacher will. It's quite nonsensical, and your teacher might not get that it's intentionally nonsensical, and thus evaluate that you can't build structured sentences. Also, this essay has nothing to do with you and/or your family, and you'll be hard pressed to find any matching photos

I'd try to go with simple stuff. Who are your parents, where do they come from, what do they do, what do they look like, what are their moral characteristics, your brother, your pets, your grandparents, etc.

Good luck

AR

 

[Tinker Gnome]

That is pretty funny, in the sense that I, and probably a lot of ENWorlders, will find it amusing, but I doubt your teacher will. It's quite nonsensical, and your teacher might not get that it's intentionally nonsensical, and thus evaluate that you can't build structured sentences. Also, this essay has nothing to do with you and/or your family, and you'll be hard pressed to find any matching photos

I'd try to go with simple stuff. Who are your parents, where do they come from, what do they do, what do they look like, what are their moral characteristics, your brother, your pets, your grandparents, etc.

Good luck

AR

Hehe, I did write something about my family, that was just a joke.