Amazing

In all my time as a Japanese student, I don't think I've ever been as shocked and surprised as I was last week.


I mentioned Tokyo University in my last post, but in no way did I expect that I would receive a comment from a real live Todai student! Apparently this person is currently right here at UVA for graduate school, and apparently my Japanese made enough sense that he or she was able to figure it out - in fact, if I've read it correctly, he or she might've actually been somewhat surprised with my skill. A Todai student, surprised at me - how crazy is that? Even if I'm just flattering myself, it makes me feel good, and gives me a reason to work harder.

I suppose that the rest of this post is directed at that person - though since I wasn't able to decipher a name, I've been mentally referring to him or her as "Todai-san" to now. So, Todai-san, to answer your question: if I were to enter Tokyo University, I would of course continue to study Japanese - but more importantly, I'd like to earn a Master's or Doctorate degree from the Graduate School of Education there. It's always been a dream of mine to live and work in Japan as a teacher, and I think that getting a higher degree in Education from the best school in the country - one of the best schools in the world, even - is one of the keys to achieving that dream to the fullest. In the future, I don't just want to do my job well - I want to be the best. I think Tokyo University is the best school for someone with a philosophy like mine.

And even though I've never visited the school myself, all I need to do is look at pictures of the campus to realize it's a special place. That big clock tower almost seems magical to me - an opinion that may or may not be influenced by some manga that I've read. *laughs* So, I guess there's a romantic side to my aspirations as well. *grins slyly*

I hope Todai-san will read this post, too. Oh, and how's this for one last shock: I have an "A" in Japanese right now. Let's see how long I can make that last...