にほんごを べんきょうします

Nihongo is just A M A Z I N G !!!  I love the Japanese language and culture, and that is primarily why I wish to study Japanese.  I decided that the best discipline I could have in terms of learning the language is to take Japanese in college as an undergraduate.  I do want to learn Japanese to the point that I one day become fluent in the language.  Furthermore, speaking in Japanese is a lot more fun than speaking in English.

Apart from my keen interest in the language, I decided to study Japanese because I thought it would help me in a practical manner, in terms of my career.  Technology is evolving at a fast pace in Japan, and I wouldn't mind working there one day.  Furthermore, I love anime and manga (although since school has started here in Columbia, I have not yet found the time to watch/read them anymore! =/) . . . learning the Japanese language would greatly heighten my enjoyment factor in watching anime or reading manga.  Lastly, in terms of studying abroad, Japan is my top choice!  My goal is to study abroad in Japan for at least a semester or summer.

I am excited about every class because the energy is always so high.  Sure, I am afraid to raise my hand sometimes or to make a mistake should Nazikian-sensei call on me, but I enjoy and look forward to that challenge.  Furthermore, I am hoping to find time in my schedule to fit-in as many hours as possible for studying Japanese.  The problem is that my other five courses are quite the heavy loads themselves.  I spent over 20 hours (sadly, I counted) of homework this past weekend, and I still didn't finish homework for a few classes.  Wow, I really have to get used to this college business.  Time management certainly is key.

Since I took Japanese for two semesters in high school, I do not find the writing or understanding portion of the Japanese course difficult.  For me, the hiragana writing is review, for example.  Nevertheless, we hardly practiced speaking Japanese in high school, so I am not doing too well in speaking Japanese at the moment.  As I learned in just my first week of class, speaking Japanese on a comfortable and daily basis is harder than it seems.  Despite this fact, I am sure that with enough practice, I will be able to build more confidence in my speaking abilities.

I am glad to be blogging with you, my local and international classmates!