Today I had my final oral examination for Japanese language class. This test happened prior to the kanji, reading, listening, and grammar finals, but this is due to the oral examination being in a different format than the previous three times it was held. Before, we always had interview examinations, with just one teacher in a room and we'd be asked questions. This time, however, we all had to write a five minute speech discussing the theme of an emotional experience we've had during our lives. I wanted mine to relate to something I've done here in Japan, so I wrote about the struggles of learning polite speech, which I believe is a challenge for many students of Japanese language. I had my speech edited quite a few times, and then I practiced reading it over and over again to become comfortable with presenting the content. Some students had their speeches memorized, though, and everyone had very thoughtful, interesting experiences to talk about. Some topics that I remember that specifically related to this past year in Japan were visiting Japanese relatives even though it was only the student's second time meeting them, joining a club and being welcomed into the club and learning about Japanese culture through the club, and figuring out how to not be treated as a foreigner in a setting with only Japanese acquaintances.