I had been doing very well at this while school was still in session but for the past 2 weeks or so, I’ve slacked off with Sophie and Will at home.

But I realized that I should also be keeping Sophie and Will up on their Japanese. The school sends home books and worksheets for students to work on in the summer along with all their unfinished workbooks so we often sit down on a lazy day and have “summer studies.” The books are pretty easy and the worksheets, too, and then I’ll often find something else in their workbooks and we’ve been doing spelling tests that also help practice handwriting, something Will desperately needs.

But why not add in Japanese in there!? Sophie can still read hiragana and understands a little of it but what Will learned in youchien, he has mostly forgot. Yesterday I found a website with lots of good activities and one where you match up the hiragana word with the picture. Then the word is pronounced and the character drawn in correct order so you can write it yourself. Working together, with Sophie knowing the hiragana and most of the meanings, they did so well on the game! It was amazing to watch Will really remembering those characters and then writing them!

I think it’s so important to learn other languages early in life. It’s obviously so easy for them and will be so beneficial in so many ways. But here in our country, I’m going to have to take those matters in my own hands if I want my kids to learn Japanese! 11 months ago

If I’m going to ever return to Japan for any reason, or just talk to Yukari san on Skype, then it only makes sense to keep studying the language. So I have been doing this, for about a week or so now. I started again at the beginning of the books and I only go over a page or two at a time, but I do every exercise…and I’m proud to say that as I read or conjugate, it seems easy. I can understand what I read and it seems natural to read it that way.
This is why I want to keep studying, so that Japanese stays a dialogue in my head… 15 months ago

I have studied Japanese on and off for about 4 years now. I aspire to some day teach English in Japan but only after I have finished college in the States. So, I have plenty of time to study independently and possibly in a class if I can ever afford/have the opportunity to take one (my 4 years have been purely self study and the help of penpals, books, etc)
SO! In order to force myself to study, I will try and write a little something here every day from now on in Japanese at least to get a little practice in and to drive myself to pick up my book and pencil and study even if I don’t feel like it. I know it is not necessarily a requirement to speak/write/read Japanese to teach English there but I don’t want to JUST teach English there. I want to interact and talk to the people and I want to have independence while I’m there thus wanting to read and write in Japanese. So, here it goes. My tidbit for today will be a simple intro (I’m a bit rusty…it’s been a couple months since I’ve last really studied :|)
今晩は、
私の名前はレイチェルです。
よろしくお願いします！
日本語と日本人がとても好きですよ。
一人で日本語を勉強します。
でも私は怠惰な。。。 21 months ago