The second week was more difficult for a few reasons. The first unfortunate point was I found myself without the abundance of motivation that had carried me through the first week. Homework dragged further and further into the night as I procrastinated, occasionally creeping up to the midnight deadline. I also had grown more comfortable with my host family, which was certainly a good thing, but feeling at home, I didn’t focus as much on behaving “correctly.” I left the fan on one day, and left the window open on a rainy morning later that week. Now, it didn’t help that I was waking up at 7:00 and leaving the house at 7:30 to catch my bus, but that was no excuse to absentmindedly waste electricity and let rain into the house. I was gently reminded to take care (気をつけてくださいね), which I’m glad happened in my second week with plenty of time left than in the third or fourth.
Despite the difficulties, my Japanese was becoming a lot better. While talking with my host family was very difficult the first few days, we started to have (what felt like!) conversations during dinner the second week. The sentences I was using weren’t complicated, and mimicry of things I had heard proved to be the best way to express myself. I grew more comfortable in our lessons, and a few friends and I kept our conversations in Japanese during lunch after class.
As a part of HIF, we have to complete an independent study. While some students decided to do serious research into the Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊) or the Japanese health system, I chose to do my project on Hakodate’s jazz cafes. (So far this has been a very enjoyable decision.) On Friday, I headed to a small performance space just a few blocks from the hotel I’d initially stayed at and listened to about an hour and a half of a piano/bass duo. The pianist was especially fantastic, and I was so glad that I was able to do this sort of thing as part of my independent study. I took quite a few videos and photos, and I’m sure I’ll be back.