Blog: Reading an Unfamiliar Book

 Reflection:

Today was much different than other days in class because we finally started moving through larger chunks of unfamiliar texts for interpretation. The material included a informational book about types of sushi, ways to eat it, and the specifics about where it comes from and where it is popular. I especially enjoyed today's tasks, even though I found the sheer amount of information a bit overwhelming simply because I have had previous experience as a sushi chef and therefore have had some exposure to some of the terms we had to learn today. Since I could pull up past experience, it made the whole thing just a bit less scary, though no less daunting of a task.

Since I haven't had to really explore large blocks of unfamiliar texts since I was very young, it is really hard for me to compare the two ways I need to get through assignments like these. I don't really remember how I used to so I can only go off of how it is recommended I do it now: using Jisho and Weblio to help translate and understand words and then putting them together into a string of coherent material seems to be the easiest way, but I question if it is a longer term solution, because I seem to forget terms quickly after learning them.

I do acknowledge that they are wonderful tools, and I will continue to utilize them, but I am tempted to- when I have more time for experimentation- try something different and more customized to my current learning style (or how I tackle my harder medicine-focused classes). I might try trailing through the dictionary to get a better stretch of vocabulary or find a book this summer to take the time to translate and see what suits me best.