わたしのたんじょうび （＾。＾）

きのうごぜんにじねました。With midterms, あさからばんまでべんきょうします！(at least, it seems that way...) I had so much to study、 そして I thought わたしのたんじょうびはたのしくないでした。

じゃありませんでした。

suiteのたもだちはsigned long pieces of paper towel and taped them over my door after I went to bed last night. ともだちにhugsをもらいました。ははにプレーゼントをもらいました。メイヤソンさんにカードとプレーゼントをもらいました。プレーゼントはスターバクスのカードです。すてきですね！

But now I have to go. いまラグビ（rugby)をします。それからごぜんまでべんきょうします！

At least I'm learning

まいあさわたしはしちじにおきます。まいばんごぜんさんじにねます。ｸﾗｽおよじおわります。かようびともくようびにあるばいとします。げつようびとすいようびにrugbyします。それからべんきょうします。This is a great formula for exhaustion! But sometimes, it's worth it.

せんしゅう にほんのｱｰﾄのせんせいはHeian Periodをtaught. Court life at that time was so fascinating! It was the rise of art and culture.

As Hirschさん talked about in her blog some time ago, Japanese is sexist. Women learned the kana alphabet (known as "women's hand") and men learned the more difficult kanji. The joke is that while men were struggling with kana, women became the scholars - they read and wrote the great classics, such as the Tale of Genji.

It was really cool when my professor talked about how "membership" in the courtesan lifestyle required cultural accomplishments, knowledge of literature and poetry, and also the ability to write in a beautiful hand. Everyday they conversed through the exchange of poetry! The smallest mistake - such as a badly chosen poem, or a note written on the wrong type of paper - could lead to the ruin of one's reputation and life at court.

Living in this period seems really interesting, but I'm not sure I would be able to deal with the pressure...