CSS - "Creeping Schoolboy Syndrome"

Good grief! Start of the new term here (but in Japan not 'academic year' - that starts in April) and the hearts of all good men and true must turn towards Japanese language classes again. What is that line from "As you Like It" ...

"And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school"

I don't know about the shining face in the morning, 'grey' would be a better description of mine, but Shakespeare certainly captures my mood with the "creeping ... unwillingly to school" part.

I'm not a success with Japanese. Why is that? Dumbness? Lack of talent? Laziness? Yes, all of those for sure ... and yet ... somehow each year - and a tad magnificently I like to think, like Landseer's 'Stag at Bay' - I screw up the nerve to thrust my fingers back into that flame once more. Is there no end to my naked courage?

Last term my 'partner in crime' in study and I just got completely lost in our allocated group. Back-squadded yet again and made to stand in the corner in our dunces caps, we finally just lost the plot somewhere between 'nagara' and 'doko kade'. Sad, sad,sad. Renshu shimashou?? We looked ahead willingly enough like the trusty beasts of burden we are but there was no spoor to be seen in the long grass, no vestige of a trail ahead. Just a limitless and featureless horizon and the worried questioning gazes of our teachers and fellow students. We glanced at each other and muttered "We are going outside ... we may be some time ..."

So wish us luck over the next few weeks as we head once more into that oh! so familiar breach ...