So the first exam has come and gone, and I'm feeling pretty confident about it. Even the oral test, which involved an impromptu dialogue with the teacher went well (I've been notoriously bad with these in the past), and not once did I have to shamefacedly hide behind a mumbled, "Sumimasen, wakarimasen." (I'm sorry, I don't understand). I was able to muddle my way through the rest with minimal difficulty, only being completely stumped by one pair of questions. Given the gnawing ache of frustrated incomprehension that I usually have to deal with when taking Japanese exams, this was a welcome change.

In other, less pressing news, I think I've finally gotten used to sleeping on a futon. As I said oh so long ago, I had to fold the mattress and the comforter in half in order to get something even minimally comfortable. However, over the past couple weeks I've slowly been removing the layers, until now I'm using the futon the way it's supposed to be slept on. I'm even using that little bean neck pillow. Of course I still wake up a bit sore and stiff if I sleep for more than six hours at a stretch. Well, if nothing else it means I get up on time in the morning 'cause sleeping just ain't no fun at that point.

And right now I am very tired and so am going to cut this entry short. More to come tomorrow.