Placement Exam... Ohhh boy

So today was the first actual day of work, I guess - it was EXTREMELY rough. For starters, we had to catch an obscenely early flight (6:30), which required us to get up around 4:30 and meet in the lobby by 5:15. Of course, we ended up getting delayed, so we cut it pretty close with the flight. Anyway, I started cramming on the plane, realizing how little Japanese I actually know. Plus, it seems like most of the kids here have done about 2 years of study, so I'm feeling pretty inferior already. So after we arrived in Hakodate, dropped our stuff off at the hotel (which, by the way, is totally sweet), and got to the HIF center, we had to go straight into the placement exam, which was a total nightmare. I had the oral section first, where the lady (who was really nice, but intimidating at the same time) asked me to introduce myself. Of course, I got off to a great start by not knowing the word she used for "introduction." I think it kinda set the tone for the whole interview - me not knowing words to explain myself. She asked me about my hobbies, to which I replied "本 をよく 読みます" (I frequently read books). Good start. Now, she moves on to the followup questions: What are some of your favorite books? I mention Michael Crichton and the book Next. So she asks me to describe the plot. Soo... I don't know if this was just a day of class I missed or something, but I don't know how to say anything about genetic research in Japanese. I started making up some stuff, trying to explain genetic engineering, which just kinda made it sound like a virus. So anyway, after she got the idea of "virus," she asked me about swine flu protection procedures in America vs. Japan, for which I was completely at a loss. Gah. Anyway, the written part was prett bad too.. didn't know a lot of kanji, didn't get a whole lot of voacb, etc.
But afterwards, we had our brief little orientation thinger (with the program director, who is perhaps the most adorable old man ever), where they talked to us about swine flu before giving us our money and taking us back to the hotel. Me, my roommate, and two of our friends went out for dinner at this really cool Japanese hamburger place. I got a shrimp burger for $4 - it was sooo delicious. Plus, the restaurant itself was just awesome - they had swings for seats, and the whole atmosphere was just very 50s (they were playing Elvis, it was like a really old school burger joint with milkshakes and stuff). It was a great time. After that, we just walked around Hakodate for a while (such a beautiful city - it's unbelievable how peaceful and quiet everything is) and talked, getting to know each other a little bit better. And now comes the weekend! Yay! I'm excited to have full days without plans, being able to just go places for fun and such. More to follow!