This week's classes

On Monday, I drove to and from work and felt very fat and lazy for it.  I decided to go for a walk around the village and stopped to have a look at the local notice board.  There was an advert for a new yoga class that was starting the next day. I decided to give it a go as my street dance class isn't running this term and I haven't been for a run since the race. I'm told yoga really complements running as it stretches out all the muscles and builds core and upper body strength.  The class was really fun (and turned out to be free for the first go) so I'm going to sign up for a block.  I've been feeling for a long time my arms are puny and my core is pretty puny too.  I managed to participate in the whole class though and didn't collapse under my own body weight in downward facing dog even though we must have formed that position a hundred times.

Last night I went to my second Japanese lesson of the year.  It was very exciting as we started off with talking about food and looking at pictures of food.  These included a speciality of hiroshima, sponge cakes in the shape of maple leaves.  Maple leaves change colour to a beautiful red in Autumn and form the focus of autumn leaf watching in Japan.  Hiroshima and Miyajima are supposed to be particularly good places for koyo watching and now I know how to ask for custard filled sponge instead of the standard red bean paste flavour.  I've eaten red bean paste before and although it wasn't unpleasant enough to stop me from finishing the brioche it was hiding in, it will be nice to have the choice. 

After discussing how dangerous it is to eat rice based sweets, we were introduced to some new verbs.  eating, drinking, watching, listening, working, studying, reading, jogging.  Jogging's a good one - jogingu o shimasu.

あさごはん　を　たべます
eating breakfast

ねます
going to sleep

わたし　は　ごご　じゅじはん　に　ねます
watshi wa gogo juji han ni nemasu
I go to bed at 10.30pm.

Shimasu means to do and can be added to other words:
しごと　を　します
べんきょお　を　します　
working and studying

わたし　は　にほんご　の　べんきょお　を　します
I study Japanese!

There was plenty of vocabulary to learn and I needed to revise times too so plenty of work to be done this week.  I made a homework chart and bought stickers to motivate everyone to study every day.  i felt a bit mean for harassing Helen-san last week so hopefully this made up for it.