For my CIP, I chose to take private lessons in shodo (brush-style calligraphy). The first time I went over to sensei\u2019s house, I expected to simply talk about future lessons and figure out timings for class, etc. To my surprise, I soon found myself staring down at a piece of washi, brush in hand, with both my host mother and sensei looking on expectantly. I wasn\u2019t completely a stranger to the brush, but I\u2019d never done any sort of calligraphy before in my life. Realizing this, sensei showed me how to make a few basic strokes, and then I was on my own again.<\/p>\n
This set the tone for all future classes. I\u2019d come in with some kanji I wanted to practice, or sensei would let me pick a phrase from a massive book of kanji and then I\u2019d try to get my writing as close as possible to sensei\u2019s sample. Shodo is a pretty solitary activity \u2013 there isn\u2019t much hand-holding or even teaching, really; all your teacher can do is suggest improvements for next time, and then it\u2019s up to you. Which means that in a typical shodo class, there aren\u2019t too many opportunities for conversation.<\/p>\n
However, my shodo sensei wasn\u2019t running a formal class; she teaches shodo because she likes it, and likes teaching people. Because of the informal tone of the class, I didn\u2019t get to practice using keigo at all, but I like to think that I had several very interesting conversations with people from very different walks of life \u2013 from elementary school kids, to housewives, to even Buddhist monks! Despite being the new \u2018gaijin\u2019 in class, it didn\u2019t take me very long to feel very at home among everyone. One thing I noticed in particular was how quickly everyone dropped their formalities around me and began talking to me in casual speech, as they would to a friend.<\/p>\n
What did I learn about the Japanese language\/culture through my CIP? There are countless things I could talk about, but one aspect I found particularly interesting is the interplay between the usage of different levels of formality in speech. Using different levels comes easily to me, because my native languages (Bengali and Hindi) have a similar speech pattern (with informal, formal and honorific levels). It was interesting to me how similar the usage of these different levels is, comparing Japanese to say, Bengali. For example, in both languages, I\u2019ve noticed that little children can get away with using informal speech, no matter who they\u2019re talking to, but as they get older, it\u2019s no longer acceptable to, say, approach a stranger and begin talking to them at an informal level. Another thing I found particularly interesting is that sometimes, a means of expressing displeasure\/disappointment\/anger in these languages is to suddenly switch to a more formal way of speaking. My CIP was one of the things this semester that showed me how to use the knowledge I have about other languages, and channel that into learning yet another, just by virtue of understanding the basis behind the language.<\/p>\n
Aside from becoming somewhat decent with my brush, I\u2019ve also learnt so much just by being able to interact with people I normally wouldn\u2019t have the chance to meet. My sensei was one of the nicest and most encouraging people I\u2019ve met in Kyoto, and I appreciate how at home she made me feel. Shodo class was one of the highlights of my week through the semester, and I\u2019m so glad I chose to pursue it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For my CIP, I chose to take private lessons in shodo (brush-style calligraphy). The first time I went over to … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080