.:Kat's Thoughts and Ramblings:.

Hi! Of course most of you will already know me and what I’m doing, but I’ll fill you in incase you somehow forgot.

I’m Kat, a 20 year old Japanese studies student from Milton Keynes in England. I actually study at the University of Manchester… but for one year i’ll be a 留学生 (exchange student), studying at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS)… funnily enough in Tokyo.  I hope to have a really great experience out there along with some serious learning of the Japanese language on the side! I’ll be going through all this with my lovely Boyfriend, Ruben, and one of my best friends, Tom- both studying at the same university as me. So in a way it wont be as hard as it would if I was going alone! To have a few home comforts is definitely a plus I think. I also have some really great friends that I have made through the exchange program at the University of Manchester. I am so thankful to have met them all and I think they’ll really make my stay in Tokyo alot of fun! They’ll also be very helpful when it comes to forcing me to speak Japanese…I hope! However, I won’t tell you about them now- you’ll hear about them soon enough in the blog! I’ve already been promised plenty of food, guidance and fun…so actually thats me satisfied. I do like food.

I guess my interest in the Japanese language and Japan stemmed from my lovely life long friend Mariya. When I was young, her Mum, Masako would babysit me and my brother, and I learned odd words and phrases at her house..and gradually the hiragana script. Of course I grew up with a little bit of Japanese culture too! When me and Mariya would come home from school in winter, we’d sit under kotatsu – a table with a heater underneath (Its very simple but possibly one of the best inventions created by man) , we’d play games off of japanese game shows that we’d watch, and eat lovely lovely Japanese food (Masako is an excellent cook). I am hoping that when I return from my year abroad, I will be able to speak to Masako and Mariya without being hideously embarrassed and nervous.  Mariya and I always dreamed of being to speak to each other fluently in Japanese. It’ll happen Mariya- just give me a year and a bit!
I also think language is so important and that not enough English people can speak another language. Japanese is certainly a challenge- and not a language that many English people speak… so I suppose thats another reason why I chose to speak Japanese. I am trying to learn German as well, but Japanese does take up most my time, so my German only really gets practiced in the summer when I visit Ruben’s parents. After my degree though I think an intensive German course is in order!

But for the next year, I’ll concentrate on my Japanese and having an unforgettable experience in Japan. My blog will document how its all going, so if you’re interested, have a read!

Love,
Kat x