Greetings,
One big reason I started this blog was to track my progress in learning Japanese. I’d like to introduce myself as well as my intentions with this section of the blog.
My Experience with Languages
My first experience with a foreign language was in the seventh grade. At my school, it was a requirement to take Spanish after sixth grade. Long story short, it did not stick. I had trouble translating, conjugating, pronouncing, etc. The fact that the teacher didn’t remember my name didn’t add a lot of incentive to get better.
Fast forward to high school. My options were Spanish, German, French, and Latin. To be completely honest, I chose Latin simply because there were no speaking/listening exams involved. I never expected to actually enjoy Latin, but after the first year, I was hooked. This year will be my sixth studying Latin (hopefully, explained below). I can say without a doubt that Latin is the reason I’m so interested in learning other languages now.
My interest in the Korean language also started in high school. My roommate was from Seoul, and I got to learn a lot about Korean food, culture, language, and, most importantly, food. During my sophomore year, I roomed with him and a Japanese student who was a year older than us. That year I decided I wanted to learn Korean as well as Japanese, while continuing my Latin studies. My junior year, a Korean student taught Elementary Korean classes. Sadly, I was the only student who really took the class very seriously, and as a result, the pacing was off and I didn’t learn as much as I could’ve.
Fast forward to last year. Latin knowledge advanced, Korean knowledge lower-intermediate, Japanese knowledge non-existent. I “decided” I would become a Classics major, perhaps a Latin/Greek double major. So I decided to take Greek 101 during the “Winter Term”, which is pretty much January. I continued taking Greek the next semester while taking Latin. At this point I was studying Korean independently, but actually learning a lot.
This year. I used this summer to do what I always wanted to do, learn Japanese. Now I’m hooked. I’m afraid I might have to stop taking formal Latin classes, but at this point, I can read independently. I plan on learning Japanese in school now, since self teaching does have its pitfalls. A portion of my blog will be dedicated to this new journey in language.
Why start a blog now?
Why not? This could be a place to discuss several languages, debate “hot issues”, share knowledge with others. The possibilities are many. Also, it would be cool to meet others who enjoy learning. Doesn’t have to be limited to languages, but that’s just how I got my start in truly appreciating learning.
In closing…
If you actually read all of that, thank you. If you just skimmed it, thank you. If you clicked on this blog by mistake, thank you. This is my first official step into the blogosphere, and I’m trying not to trip on the threshold.
