I've always been interested in learning Japanese and this is the first opportunity I've had to learn it. I'm fascinated with Japan's traditions, the pop culture, and I like anime/manga.Although I am taking the class for a required non-technical credit, I consider Elementary Japanese to be my fun class. I plan to take it in the Spring as well and I would like to continue learning the language after I graduate from Columbia.
I was actually fortunate enough to visit Japan this summer! The trip intensified my love for all things Japanese. (Perhaps I can write about my experiences in Japanese as we learn more sentence structures.) My boyfriend is in the JET program, so he is temporarily teaching English in Japan. Since he has been in Japan for about a year now, he knows his way around very well, and I went through minimal tourist issues. The luxury of having my own tour guide also meant that I didn't have to utilize my Elementary Japanese A skills. It was a little frustrating being unable to understand menus, signs, and people- a weird experience! There were familiar phrases here and there, but it became clear that I needed to learn more. I'm comfortable with writing and reading Japanese (at the pace we are learning...kanji will be another story...), but speaking has always been my weak spot.
After the first few weeks of class, I realize I need to review sentence structures and some vocabulary. I would also like to improve my conversation skills- especially speaking at a more natural speed. I'm excited to learn more Japanese to use if I get the chance to go back to Japan!
*Picture: Qoo, a tasty orange drink and one of my favorite cute Japanese products.
