Ever since we moved to Japan i wanted to give japanese a try, simply because i love the way it sounds. I knew it would be complicated. For one they use symbols instead of letters, but also because they have 3 alphabets, 2 sets of numbers, and their grammar/sentence structure is completely the opposite of english. I quickly learned simple phrases like Hello, Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, Thank You, You’re Welcome, Excuse Me, Please, among a few others and they do help me feel like i’m being polite but i wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to learn more, but the thing is i’m not disciplined enough to learn on my own. My japanese co-worker started teaching us little things when we weren’t busy, like the days of the week, the numbers, and little words here and there. It quickly became my favorite part of work days.
Soon after i had heard people talking about a Japanese class at the USO and when a friend mentioned she was on the waiting list, i quickly told her to sign me up when a class became available. A month later there i was taking a 40minute japanese class every Monday. I’ve only taken 5 classes so far but i am so in love with it! It’s really fun learning a new language. I’ve even started learning Hiragana (the first alphabet) on my own, slowly but surely, and i especially love practicing by spotting the symbols when i’m driving. Also, now that we’ll be staying in Japan longer it’s going to make everything easier! Like reading menus, ordering at restaurants, asking questions in stores, etc.
Q: Is there a language you’ve always wanted to learn? Which one and why? If there is one i say go for it because it’s totally worth it, even if it’s for fun!