大丈夫？

Part 1 | Part 2

Preliminary Greetings

Asking about the other person’s health 　☆ お元気(げんき)でいらっしゃいますか。 　　Have you been doing well? 　☆ いかがお過(す)ごしでいらっしゃいますか。 　　How have you been? 　☆ その後(あと)、お変(か)わりなくお過(す)ごしのことと存(ぞん)じます。 　　I trust you are doing well recently. 　☆ 皆様(みなさま)お健(すこ)やかにお過(す)ごしのことと存(ぞん)じます。 　　I trust that everyone is in good health.

Relating one’s own condition 　☆ 私(わたし)もおかげさまで元気(げんき)にしております。 　　Fortunately, I’m doing well. 　☆ おかげさまで元気(げんき)に暮(く)らしております。 　　Fortunately, I’m getting along fine. 　☆ 別段(べつだん)変(か)わりなく暮(く)らしております。 　　I’m getting along with no big changes. 　☆ 家族(かぞく)一同(いちどう)元気(げんき)にしております。 　　The whole family is doing well.

Writing a reply to a letter 　☆ お手紙(てがみ)ありがとうございました。 　　Thank you for your letter. 　☆ お手紙(てがみ)拝見(はいけん)したしました。 　　I’ve read your letter. 　☆ お便(たよ)りありがたく拝見(はいけん)いたしました。 　　I’ve gratefully read your letter.

Sending a letter after neglecting to write 　☆ ご無沙汰(ぶさた)しております。 　　I’m sorry I haven’t written for such a long time. 　☆ ご無沙汰(ぶさた)お許(ゆる)しください。 　　Forgive me for not writing for such a long time. 　☆ 長(なが)い間(あいだ)ご無沙汰(ぶさた)いたしておりまして申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございません。 　　I apologise for neglecting to write for such a long time. 　☆ 何(なに)かと雑用(ざつよう)にとりまぎれ、しばらくお便(たよ)りもでいないでおりました。 　　Various things kept me from writing for some time.

Examples

　☆ ご無沙汰しておりますが、お元気でいらっしゃいますか。 　　I’m sorry I haven’t written for such a long time, but have you been doing well? 　☆ その後お変わりなくお過ごしのことと存じます。私もおかげさまで元気に暮らしております。 　　I trust that you have been doing well recently. Fortunately I have been getting along fine. 　☆ お手紙拝見いたしました。長い間ご無沙汰いたしておりまして申し訳ございません。 　　I’ve read your letter. I apologise for neglecting to write for such a long time. 　☆ すっかり秋らしくなって参りましたが、いかがお過ごしでいらっしゃいますか。 　　It has become very autumn-like; how are you doing?

Final Greetings

After making a request 　☆ どうかよろしくお願(ねが)いいたします。 　　Kindly look into this matter for me. 　☆ まずはお願(ねが)いまで。 　　(Forgive me for not writing more), but I wanted to make this request of you. 　☆ 今後(こんご)もよろしくご指導(しどう)ください。 　　Please continue to favour me with your guidance.　(Usually used with letters to a teacher)

Greetings to one’s family 　☆ 奥様(おくさま)/ご主人様(しゅじんさま)によろしくお伝(つた)えください。 　　Please give my regards to your wife/husband. 　☆ 末筆(まっぴつ)ながら皆様(みなさま)にもよろしくお伝(つた)えください。 　　Finally, please give my regards to your family. 　☆ ○○様(さま)にくれぐれもよろしくお伝(つた)えください。 　　Please be sure to give my regards to ______.

Wishing good health 　☆ お寒(さむ)さの折(おり)からお体(からだ)をお大切(たいせつ)に。 　　Please take care of yourself since it is so cold. 　☆ ご自愛(じあい)のほどをお祈(いの)り申(もう)し上(あ)げます。 　　I hope you take good care of yourself. 　☆ ご健康(けんこう)を心(こころ)よりお祈(いの)り申(もう)し上(あ)げます。 　　I wish you good health. 　☆ ご多幸(たこう)をお祈(いの)り申(もう)し上(あ)げます。 　　I wish you much happiness.　(Very formal)

Requesting a reply 　☆ お返事(へんじ)お待(ま)ちしております。 　　I look forward to hearing from you. 　☆ ご多忙中(たぼうちゅう)恐縮(きょうしゅく)ですが、お返事(へんじ)いただければ幸(さいわ)いです。 　　I regret bothering you when you are so busy, but I would really appreciate your response. 　☆ 至急(しきゅう)ご返事(へんじ)お願(ねが)いいたします。 　　Please reply as soon as possible.

hello studyblr community!!!

a quick intro: hi my name is maxine, i just started my senior year of high school, and im based in the philippines! after a long time literally years of lurking on the studyblr community, ive finally decided to make my own blog! im an ib diploma candidate in year two (wahoooo!) and im hoping to go to college in california next fall~

over the next ten months or so, my studyblr will be mostly focused on studying for ib exams, doing college applications, self-care, and just generally being more productive. ill also be doing semi-langblr stuff as im learning chinese right now :D 

one: pay attention to the music you’re relating to. sometimes it’s a clear indicator that something is wrong. other times, it’s an indicator that something is very, very right. when the latter happens, pay extra close attention.

two: true control is subtle, not obsessive. you may not even know that you have it when you do. people who are in control do not question it. they just are.

three: never pass up the opportunity to stick the tips of your fingers out the window of a moving car. feel the wind carry you to the sound of your favorite songs. this is a reminder that you’re alive.

four: thoughts don’t have to mean anything. you can just let them be there.

five: notice when you’re struggling and allow yourself some leeway when you do. however, learn the difference between giving yourself leeway and enabling your struggle. 

six: you cannot build self-love from a foundation of self-hatred. first, work toward self-acceptance. love will follow.

seven: do not love others simply because they love you back. do not expend your love on people who won’t love you back. 

eight: don’t forget to stop and look around. take a moment a day to stop doing and just be. the mindfulness hype isn’t overrated. there’s a reason for it.

nine: setting limits and saying no will not end any relationship worth keeping. 

ten: friendships built on moments of competitive misery are not healthy. if you find that you’re having the urge to constantly showcase your misery around someone, take that as a red flag. sadness is not a competition you want to win.

eleven: recovery is not about being happy. some days you will feel bored and flat. but these days are still better than those you built around destroying yourself. these days are still victories. recovery is about being alive.

twelve: when you’ve built an identity around being sad, the concept of happiness may scare you. giving that sadness up will strip you of most everything and leave you feeling empty. embrace this emptiness and fill it up with exploration. you’ll find that it’s worth it.

A lot of people study abroad or want to do it, and for good reason. It’s a fantastic experience! You meet new people, live in a different country, and for some, it’s their first experience being really independent. But I feel like there are some things, both good and bad, that are more rarely addressed.

It can be really lonely. In the rush to extol how great studying abroad is (again, it really is great; I’ve studied abroad twice), there’s a tendency to forget how lonely it can be. You leave all your friends and family behind for months, sometimes a whole year (sometimes even more!); you’re in a totally strange place and maybe you don’t even speak the language. As a result, it’s incredibly easy to feel very alone and homesick. One solution is to be aggressively outgoing. Say hi to every other exchange student in your dorm and class; they’re going through the same, most likely. Introduce yourself to some local students, too. Ask if they want to sit on campus or at the library and study together some time, or go out drinking or to a movie. Do not let yourself be swallowed by loneliness. It is, by far, the easiest way to make your stay suck.

It can be scary. Normal adult things may now be frightening to carry out. You may need to get some official paperwork sorted at the local municipal office by yourself, or pay rent in a local bank, maybe you have visa problems, or you’ll do another familiar thing in an unfamiliar scenario in which, once again, you may not speak the language that well. The prospect of getting something really important wrong is, at least for me, pretty terrifying. Ask for help at your host education institute. They definitely have a department related to their exchange students, and they will be able to point you in the right direction or maybe even find someone to go with you to get your business sorted out.

It is expensive. Yes, everyone knows this, but I’ve heard of a lot of people who’ve had nasty surprises with hidden fees in the middle of their stay. You should also be prepared to pay for books at your host institution, as well as make sure you have emergency money for a ticket home if you realize this studying abroad thing really isn’t going to work out for you. Budget, budget, and double check your budget and expenses before you go. Studying abroad already costs a lot, you really do need that extra financial space in case something goes wrong.

You can’t rely on a lot of things you take for granted at home. The label on the food you buy may not be as detailed as the one you’re used to, leaving you at risk for consuming something you do not want to. The medicine you need might be harder or a lot more expensive to get. Some basic necessities may be entirely different (see: Asian deodorants that do not protect against odor to the same degree Western ones do). There’s not a whole lot to do here except prepare by studying. Make sure that if you have allergens, dietary restrictions, medical issues or anything where getting something wrong is dangerous or unpleasant for you, you know enough of the language in your host country to be able to figure out if something is suitable for you. Asking older exchange students who went to your host country, or, if your home educational institution is hosting a student from the country you’re going to, ask them if they can help you prepare.

Reverse culture shock is harder than regular culture shock. Culture shock is often addressed before you go, and yes, you’re probably totally aware that the country you’ll be going to is different than your home country. But a lot of the time, nobody is really prepared for reverse culture shock, and it is not fun. It sneaks up on you. When you come home, there’s a fairly high chance you feel really restless or like everything is going slow, or you realize suddenly that your family and friends have experienced lots of things without you; memories you can now never be a part of. You might feel lonely or like you no longer have a definite purpose. You might even become depressed. This is all a totally normal reaction to coming home after having basically flipped your life upside down. Talk to people, this is the most important bit. Tell your family and friends how you feel, but most importantly, talk to other exchange students about it, too. They can understand your feelings better than someone who has not studied abroad themselves. Even if you do not know any exchange students you feel comfortable with, it’s really important that you share your feelings with someone. The solution to dealing with reverse culture shock is much the same as dealing with loneliness in a new country - you really can’t sit alone with it. It becomes much easier to deal with if you open up.

hello hello everyone! this blog’s been dead for a while and some things have changed so i thought i’d reintroduce myself.

about me:

my name is jess

i co-own this blog with my friend lily who is currently on hiatus from this blog for the foreseeable future

i’m turning 17 in a week so just consider me 17 tbh

i live in australia

i’m in year 11 (grade 11 or a junior in high school for you weirdos who don’t live here)

subjects i’m taking:

double maths (yes, i take two classes of maths)

chemistry

biology

english literature

other stuff i enjoy:

i’m a huge kpop fan

bts, got7, seventeen, blackpink mainly but i’m still down to talk about nct, astro, twice, red velvet and exo

i’m a geek for personality omg

i’m an infp, 4w3, ravenclaw, virgo if anyone’s wondering lmao

and aaaaall the books, though admittedly my reading time is a bit limited currently

goals:

do well in school (i.e. finish college with a 90+ ATAR so i can get into health science at uni)

exercise more/be healthier

learn to ditch the “all or nothing” mindset

idk enjoy life more and be more active on here

yeah, hopefully that’s everything. i’m probably not going to post as many notes as before just because time is of the essence and my exams are next week and i really need to get on that. i’m planning to just stick to study spots and real-life study notes that i actually use.

can gracefully convince street salespeople you dont speak a lick of their language (or english). never have to talk to anyone you dont want to ever again!

more countries you can move to when you need to fake your death

more languages = more places to relocate to when you need to fake your own death again

free brownie-points with native speakers of your target language (remember to exchange for actual brownies at your local embassy)

can convince strangers at parties you’re actually an exotic foreigner instead of a broke student

embrace your destiny of local weirdo/video game protagonist by pretending to have amnesia and not speak your first language anymore

more memes available

the “privilege” of being able to scoff at mistranslated subtitles. impress everyone near you with a more correct version that they never asked for. guaranteed to make you Popular

writing notes and messages in more than one language simultaneously. who cares if this sentence is in danish, english, and japanese? not me. im the only one who can make any sense of this horrific mess

Vernal Equinox day　春分の日　「しゅんぶんのひ」

Vernal equinox　春分　「しゅんぶん」

Autumnal equinox day　秋分の日　「しゅんぶんのひ」

Autumnal equinox　秋分　「しゅうぶん」

Night　夜　「よる」

Day　昼　「ひる」

Approximately ほぼ

Equal　等しい　「ひとしい」

To become equal　等しくなる　「ひとしくなる」

Ancestors　祖先　「そせん」

Honor, Reverence　敬い　「うやまい」

To remember, to reminisce　偲ぶ　「しのぶ」　

Grave-site　墓　「はか」

Grave visit　墓参り　「はかまいり」

Incense　線香　「せんこう」

To light (something)　火をつける　「ひをつける」

Equinoctial Week (Buddhism)　彼岸　「ひがん」

procrastinate

turn things in late

copy homework

cheat

get stressed

memorize information simply to pass a test

hate a subject/topic

dislike school

don’t do homework if we know it won’t be checked

don’t read the textbook

skip on making notes

don’t pay attention in class

get bad grades

skip schoolwork to hangout with friends

put school second

find ways around doing the homework

look for answers online         

coffee: constantly writing notes, passionate discussions in class, drumming your fingers against a desk, pens over pencils, patterned blouses, the exhilaration when you get a good grade

tea: unapologetic femininity, proving judgemental people wrong, lipstick kisses, obsessing over new markers, intimidating people with intelligence, strong opinions, endless love in your heart

water: the pressure to be perfect, thick curly hair, warm smiles and infinite freckles, rigorous studying, a quick wit, warm hugs, re-writing papers, raising your hand when you don’t know the answer

soda: loose t-shirts, reformed troublemakers, aiming for the stars, spelling bee champion, the perfect flush of straight a’s, college sweatshirts, foreign languages, wrinkling noses and loud laughter

juice: eclectic wardrobe, extra credit, colorful notes, waking up early, traveling around the world, multilingual, millions of glitter pens, perky grins, passion for learning, was a gifted kid

energy drink: technology whiz, dyed hair, rapid problem solving, casual sarcasm, fighting for equality, political science, typing at the speed of light, music while studying, black nail polish, casual gender non-conformity

The idea of using flashcards – or some kind of spaced repetition system – to study Japanese vocabulary words is probably common knowledge to you. However, most people don’t know the next step: using flashcards to study Japanese sentences.

Even if you’re already studying Japanese sentence flashcards, there’s a lot you can do to make it more effective, including patterns of study, where to find the best sentences, and more.

Who Should Study with Japanese Sentences?

Beginner Students and Japanese Sentences

Intermediate Students and Japanese Sentences

Advanced Students and Japanese Sentences

How to Study with Japanese Sentences

Defining a “Correct Answer”

“Learning” the Sentence

Japanese-to-English Sentences

English-to-Japanese Sentences

Where to Find Japanese Sentences to Study With

Sentences with Translations

Sentences You’ll Need to Translate

You Should Study With Japanese Sentences

I want to share my love for kanjis with you all, so I decided to make a little quiz for you. Think of it as a short break from your stacked-up flashcards and a way to become (once again) amazed by the complexity of the Japanese language. 

The quiz will contain 4 levels. Each level contain 4 kanji or kanji compound words that are considered hard to read (some even by the native speakers!). If you get two of them correct, you can proceed further!

Have fun and improve your Kanji knowledge. Leave a message about how far have you gone in the game!

Disclaimer: Don’t scroll to fast. I tried my best to make it hard to see the answers outright, but you can spoil the game by scrolling! Don’t use Rikai-kun/chan!

Level 1 -  (around JLPT N2)

①  掌 

② 刹那

③ 時雨

④ 黄昏

Answers: 

① てのひら - palm of one’s hand; can also be written as 手のひら（て。）

②せつな -  moment, instant. A Buddhist term -  kshana - duration of a single mental event, the shortest possible time interval. 

③しぐれ (also じう, as far as I know, it’s not used anymore) - rain shower, drizzle.

④ たそがれ・ こうこん (rarely used) - dusk, twilight; melancholia 

Fasten your seatbelts. It’s gonna get a lot harder!

Level 2 - (around JLPT N1 and up)

①  小豆

② 陽炎

③ 玉響

④ 虜

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

Answers:

① あずき - azuki beans (food).

② かげろう・ようえん (used not quite as often) -  heat haze; the shimmer of hot air.

③ たまゆら -  short time; fleeting moment; the sound two magatamas make when they touch each other; A word used to describe fleetingness of the world. 

④ とりこ - captive; prisoner; victim; slave.

Ready for level 3? 

Level 3 - (Kanji Kentei 3 Kyuu - 漢字検定三・二級)

① 灯籠

② 掌中

③ 暫時

④ 督促

☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻

Answers:

① とうろう -  garden lantern; a hanging lantern

② しょうちゅう - in the hand, easily manipulated

③ ざんじ - a short while

④ とくそく-  urge, demand

Please, don’t look at me like that. 

Finally the last level!

Level 4 -  (Kanji Kentei 2 ・Jun-1 Kyuu - 漢字検定二・準一級)

① 亞細亞

② 里約熱内盧      

③ 間隙

④ 命辛辛

Hint for ① and ②: Katakana is your best friend!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Answers:

① アジア - Asia 

② リオデジャネイロ - Rio de Janeiro

③ かんげき (a tricky one. Bet some of you answered  隙間（すきま), but as you can see, the kanjis are reverted). - a gap

④ いのちからがら -  barely escaping alive

Hope the quiz and the words will come in handy! Congratulations to those who have cleared all the levels! 

Frankenstein: The great outdoors, half-read books, unorthodox ideas, pencil sketches, easily frightened, contemplates existence a lot, dislikes winter

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Old bookshelves, bold fashion choice, loud laughs, philosophical conversations, kisses on the hand, can be a dick sometimes, loves new languages but never commits

Dracula: Red lipstick stains, white billowy dresses, always cold to the touch, flickering candles, has eye circles, wants to believe in ghosts, only likes religion for the aesthetic

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: Filled notebooks, foggy evenings, afraid of failure, oversized clothing, secretive whispers, stays up too late, bottles up emotions

Hey guys! I have decided to try and incorporate the new vocabulary I encounter at Uni into my blog. It is usually vaguely related to one topic, so I will mention that. (It is also great revision for me!)

出馬 (しゅつば) - running (for election) 集団的自衛権　(しゅうだんじえいけん) - right to collective defence 軍隊  vs  自衛隊　(ぐんたい)  vs  (じえいたい) - armed forces/military  vs  self-defence force 再稼働　(さいかどう) - restarting (eg. a nuclear power plant) 二極化　(にきょくか) - bipolarisation 移動　(いどう) - transfer