"well, we are going to talk about the patriot act..."

i started classes last week.

• intro to japanese law
• international securities regulation
• international commercial transactions
• east/west negotions
• international taxation
• japanese for busy people [sic]

i was concerned [and to some extent, relieved] that the classes were going to be either boring or easy or both. while i continue to hope that they are in fact easy [and don't require any effort outside of class], i don't think they'll be boring [with the exception of intro to japanese law, surprisingly enough]. my professors so far are amazing: one is general counsel for citigroup japan (and ex sullivan & cromwell talent), one is general counsel for citigroup japan's asset management group, and one is general counsel for apple japan.

the professor for int'l sec regulation (1) didn't prepare for class (at all) (2) spent 2 hours (!) on "introductions" (listening to us introduce ourselves) and (3) wrote the syllabus in pencil while he was talking to us, after asking us what we'd "like to learn." [one girl said she signed up for the class because she thought it was about "international security, you know, like homeland security and the war on terrorism." the rest of the class, of course, delighted in this admission, but the girl was cool about it.] [i actually laughed harder when another kid said he signed up for it because he thought it would help him on the bar exam -- "international securities regulation" is not covered on any state bar exam.]

"japanese for busy people," taught by sensei okada, is the bomb. except for the fact that we have to learn all the hirogana characters by friday. and that the book is written entirely in kana (no romanizations -- so until i learn to read and write kana, the book is of no use to me). yesterday i learned to say "no, i am not ann, i am john. how are you doing?" "ann-desu dewa arimasen. watashi-wa john-desu. hajimemashite."

sayonara.