Friday, August 28, 2009

First Week of the semester passed!

GTS, as usual, informed students of the retention statistics at the beginning and began moving forward! Still all the classes are full and I am glad to see quite a few in 2251 as well as 2201. 6 students from Hiroshima Jogakuin University, who assisted our students in Hiroshima during the study abroad program will visit us next week. JCC/GTS dinner will be on Friday 9/4 joined by them as well! 1101 students are surely struggling with memorizing Hiragana now but will get easier in class!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The fall semester is just arond the corner!

1101 classes are all filled and quite a few students want to get the registration permit to join. Yes, they can probably join the class since quite a few students will withdraw or disappear in a couple of weeks! 2201 has only 9 students as of today and a couple more students may join but it will be a small class since there were a few survivors in 1102 last spring!! First JCC dinner is coming up on Friday (9/4). GTS plans to bring Japanese students from Hiroshima to the dinner!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

GTS is back in Chicago! 1101s are CLOSED!

GTS made a presentation at the academic conference held at Ritsumeikan University on Sunday 8/9 and left Kyoto next day for Yokohama with Ema to get ready for taking off Narita! On Tuesday, a big earthquake hit Shizuoka stopped both Shinkansen and Main highway from Kyoto to Tokyo. We were lucky! 11-hour flight took us back to Chicago! Wow! Japanese 1101 classes have all been closed! JISABOKE (Jetlag)!!!!!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

9 seats left for 1101!!!

Only 9 seats left for Japanese 1101 in fall! Hurry up! It's too hot and humid in Kyoto now! GTS is preparing for Spring 2010 trip and summer program in 2010 as well! GTS and his daughter EMA will be getting to Lake Biwa tomorrow night for its fireworks festival!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Real Summer began in Kyoto!

90 degree day finally arrived here in Kyoto. GTS took Ema to kindergarten summer class in the water stream inside the Kyoto Imperial Garden! My god! It's too hot! Ema has another class tomorrow in the stream before going to Lake Biwa Fireworks Festival on 8/7! By the way, 1102 has only 11 seats left and morning classes have been closed!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Rain Continues in Kyoto!

Sudden rain continues here in Kyoto. I went to my chiropractor to fix my back before climbing up the Mountain Temple (Tanukidani Fudoin) tomorrow for my father's farewell ceremony! Last year the study abroad group went up there but not this year, so maybe next year! The weather in Japan this year has been very unusual and unpredictable as many students had experienced! The rainy season has not been officially ended and natural disasters including landslide and tornado continue in Japan. Yes, 11am 1101 has closed and 10am 1101 has onle one seat left!