WOO

Today I found out that I won't be considered as part of the "foreign student" group when I test for graduate school here. Because I will have (in theory) graduated from my current university with the full four years under my belt, I'll get herded in with the rest of the Japanese students.

You have no idea how happy I was to hear this. I just about cried right there on my boss/professor's couch in her office as she was on the phone with the head of the department, who just happens to have been my main professor for half a year, back when I was taking Korean.

But why should I be so excited for the lack of special treatment? Well... people in the foreign student bracket have to take this horrendous Japanese exam. I skimmed over one from a couple years ago, only to be horrified and turned completely off. But as I looked it over, I noticed that the time it said it was to be administered was the same as the time for a separate section of the exam. Anyway, that was all cleared up for me today. While the foreign students are put in a separate room to complete the Japanese language section of the exam, the Japanese students tear through an English section or two, as well as another world language section. Pretty much, it amounts to a lot of translation into Japanese. Even though I'm a native English speaker, I still get to take that version of the exam. It's not like it's going to be a cake walk, but you see why I would be so excited, yes?

So, maybe there is hope for me, after all. I still have to work my ass off until then, but it's not the first time I've been in such a situation. It's just been a few years since I've had any motivation.

After this realization, the three of us in the office started talking about how much work we could accomplish together. But, in order to even get that far, I have to get in, first. Oh, and graduate from sociology.