October 4th 2012 - Day 28

I don't know how but I have managed to make it through today without passing out onto my laptop keyboard and typing AAAAAAAA with my nose. Hows that for will power.

My morning was spent working on yet more translations and a pamphlet for a certain company promotion. They've also got me keeping a work journal - a bit like this blog here, but in Japanese and therefore less clever. Although it is a great way to practice the language. And another bonus of the day, I got my first ever business cards, how cool is that.

Lunch this time was a real change of pace, because the people I went with today were both English speakers (having spent time studying the language) but also because one of them was a pretty woman. This presented a problem because when it comes to talking to women in any language I have all the conversational skills and social suave of a brick dipped in glue, with thumbs to twiddle. But it was a very good time, and I managed to keep going in Japanese and talk to a woman at the same time (that's a real win in my book). 

Back at the office in the afternoon. For some reason I haven't been given an overly large amount of work today, and when I finished what I was doing before, I was told to go back to JLPT and keep practicing. I found out why later today - they plan on my taking the test later this year. They say apparently it is a good goal to strive for and an important way for them to measure my language skills. Now, the only way I have been able to converse with the office members so far is through repeating the same lines I have done to every Japanese person I've met, and then going into guessing what to say and mumbling 'I don't understand' after a while, and holding the important parts together with broken engrish. So when I was told I'd have to take a very important test in a matter of months in my head I was screaming 'run mellis run'. I hate tests in all forms, who doesn't, but this in particular sits ill with me. I had heard of this test before and had never intended to take it - to me I can tell that I've improved when I can hold an interesting conversation.

But after getting through the day I managed to slog back home, buy a bento for supper and pay the electricity bill before the thunderstorms hit. I love it when a plan comes together.