I have become very discouraged with Japanese lately.
It’s not because it’s hard, honestly. It is hard, but it’s manageable. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to memorize, but it’s not beyond my abilities.
It’s really not because it’s time consuming either. It kind of is, but I can carve out the time.
I think it’s more because I don’t really see an end game to the whole thing. I started learning it because it interested me, and it still kinda does, but it is starting to feel like I’m learning it in a vacuum. I’m in that place where I know just enough to know that there are probably things I’m missing, and not enough to be able to hold conversations to learn those new things.
So I’m backing off a little. I’m still doing the Jalup reviews, but I signed up for a community college class starting in late August, and I do plan on taking that. I honestly don’t expect it to teach me much I don’t already know as far as hiragana, katakana, pronunciation, etc. I think I probably already know the meanings (but probably not the pronunciations) of about half the kanji they’ll teach. So I’ll be going in with a head start.
But the value is this: it will give me people to actually speak with. Maybe they won’t be at quite the same level I am. Maybe a couple will even be more advanced. But at least then I don’t have to be embarrassed to try. I probably will be anyway, but I don’t have to.
When I start those classes, I will start a series here, blogging about it. I don’t know much about them yet except the textbooks are expensive, they’re Fridays and Sundays at ACC, and the teacher’s name (which I won’t mention here, though you could find it on the syllabus if you really wanted). It’s been 20 years since I’ve taken any kind of class. I hope I don’t stuff this up.