Konnichiwa!!

We are continuing our class and today, I think, the most exciting part was being taught some of the Japanese language. We learned basic words like hello, goodbye, thank you, and please (there are two!) We learned that the Japanese language only has 107 sounds where as the English language has over 2,000.  That's why they use "r" in the place of "l" because their language has no "l" sound, for example: "engrish" and "harroween". The language also has no "f" so Mt. Fuji is pronounced "Mt. huji".

We also learned that they use the Roman alphabet as well as their three alphabets. On signs, you can often see the Japanese and underneath the Roman spelling of their word. They spell by sounds using the Roman alphabet along with their pronunciation so Alan's name would be "Aran" (remember no "l") and my name would be "Kaeterin". We had fun trying to figure out how our names were spelled and then attempting to write it using Japanese!

This evening Alan made me dinner (well he fixed some for him too) and then we sat down to practice some of our newly acquired Japanese. While he was fixing dinner, I began working with our computer program to learn some more Japanese. I like learning it in class better because they tell you what each word means. The computer program just shows pictures and the picture words, but then turns the picture word into a sentence and I can figure out the meaning but not what each word means.

We hope that we can meet a couple or family who are native Japanese to become friends with. Everyone who has talked to us so far has said that the Japanese family they hooked up with has become some of their best friends! The natives love to come on base and receive American food and gifts. There is an association we can join where both Americans and Japanese come together and visit. The Japanese want to practice their English and will help you practice your Japanese.

I also had my first bite of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll today. Yum! It was glazed with a pecan sauce. I'm glad I just tasted and didn't buy my own! There is a Cinnabon in the food court on base along with a Taco Bell which is apparently a favorite among the native Japanese (and the American alike!)

Oyasumi nasai! (Goodnight)