Why I'm Studying Japanese
In a completely unoriginal way I was introduced to Japanese language and culture through anime and manga in elementary school (I don't keep up with anime anymore but I gotta be honest about my roots). I grew a deep appreciation for the food, music (ask me for J-rock recs), environment, art history, and social culture of Japan. It inspired me to start taking Japanese in middle school with a weekly tutor, but I wasn't able to keep up with it. Japanese wasn't offered at my high school so I took French instead, which I hated. I found its grammar and pronunciation rules ridiculous and didn't care enough to actually learn it. I would always compare it to Japanese and how the language was so much more interesting to learn. I actually find that writing in hiragana makes homework more fun! I also really appreciate the sound, simplicity of the grammar, and the contextual nature of the language. It's essentially the antithesis of French.I have been lucky enough to travel to Japan twice with my family. Each visit was magical and I would love to go back with a greater understanding of the language and culture. I am studying astrophysics and there are great research programs in Japan so I hope to one day study or pursue a fellowship there. I just started kendo with the Columbia University Kendo Club and am having a lot of fun! It's different from anything I've ever done but I find it to be a good way to discipline and relax my mind and body (my posture has gotten much better). I'm looking forward to the next couple years of Japanese and possibly a future there!
