Language Skills

Learning Japanese is a slow process because 1) the written language is ridiculously complex, and 2) I haven't been studying enough - I've been too busy doing and living and asking people what different Kanji characters mean. So while comprehension is a priority, studying a book has not been. And when I'm surrounded by fluent speakers, I feel that I know nothing.

But yesterday that changed a little bit. Hattori Sensei, the librarian and tea ceremony manager, asked to show me something in her office. It was a children's book about being grateful for the little things in life. Hattori Sensei bought the book for her grandchildren but thought I could read it, too. The illustrations were adorable, and I looked up from the cover to smile at her with pity. I could just imagine her disappointment when I'd sit down to read and wouldn't understand a thing.

But I pretended everything was fine and sat down with her anyway. I cracked the cover, admired the pictures, and stumbled through the foreign syllables. Reading outloud was a slow process. Slow like the ice in my chest that melted and the joy that grew up in its place when I realized I could understand the book. I tip-toed through Hiragana and said thank you to the sun, the flowers, kitty cats, moms and dads, zoo animals, and the night sky...and I was so grateful to Hattori Sensei for simply showing me that I could do it.

After that small milestone she suggested I start a journal in Japanese. She offered to correct my mistakes and teach me new verbs and phrases. "Is she crazy?" I thought. "I don't know enough to write a journal." But again I smiled and told her I would do it. Her offers to help me were really generous so I didn't turn her down. I still thought it was impossible though.

Today I bought a small notebook and wrote my first entry in Japanese. I'm sure it's riddled with mistakes, but the message was solid, and once again I was surprised -- I could say more than I thought:

Today I'm excited because my friend is coming from America. He is a friend from my university. Now he lives in New Jersey.

Yesterday Iizuka Sensei gave me a small speech about how instant soup is bad for your health. This is disappointing, because instant soup is good and cheap, and I eat it almost everyday.

Not bad, eh? Then I decided to keep up my French while I'm at it, so I flipped the page over and wrote the same thing in French, with a little elaboration. I think this will be great practice and a great way for me to learn. Thank you, Hattori Sensei.