I solidified my decision to study Japanese after the summer I spent living with a host family in Tokyo. During my stay, I was able to immerse myself in the first stages of the language and was constantly exposed to many aspects of Japanese culture. The mixture of these influences, plus my relationship with my host family enamored me and helped me understand that learning Japanese and returning to Japan were a must do.
As with any new language, there are always going to be a few bumps in the road, and Japanese is no exception to this rule. At this point, I would say that keeping up with the growing vocabulary list along with the intricate tense changes are my biggest challenges. However, I’m sure that both of these areas will grow easier as I become better acclimated to the language.
Looking towards the future, my current goal is to be able to write my host family without the aid of google translate or English words. As I head into the rest of the semester, I'm excited for the learning to come and what I image to be the smiling faces of my host family as they read my first letter in all Japanese.
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ReplyDeleteIt's was really brave of you to go to Japan when you were still at the beginning of your language study! I've heard that there are not a lot of people who know English very well in Japan, so I wonder how you got around. It's really nice that you have a personal tie to Japan now through your host family. That will definitely be a huge motivation booster when you are struggling with the more complicated aspects of the language.
ReplyDeleteHey Rafael, Thanks for asking about my trip. As difficult as some of the communication was, those moment when you finally get you point across were some of the most rewarding. When it came to getting around, the most important thing was understanding Tokyo's subway system. It is definitely the most extensive train system I've seen and once you get the hank of it the whole city is at your fingertips.
ReplyDeleteThe vocabulary we've been learning the past few weeks seems like it will really help you achieve your goal of writing a letter to your host family entirely in Japanese. がんばって！
ReplyDeleteI know! Right on time. I'm also surprised by how much closer I am to my goal after only studying for a few months.
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