Thursday, September 12, 2013

First Post Ever!!!

こんにちは

       I hope I typed that correctly! I was going for hello. Well, this is my first blog entry... ever. I'm very excited to practice using my new-found Japanese skills on this blog as my knowledge of Japanese vocabulary and grammar grows. For now though, I'll just have to type in English.
       Most wouldn't think my reason for wanting to learn Japanese is... well, valid. While signing up for the course, I wasn't thinking that Japanese would help me to become a neurosurgeon and communicate with my patients or help me gin any other practical way. Primarily, I was thinking "I'll be able to watch all the anime I want WITHOUT SUBTITLES!!!" Ever since I was 12 years old, I've gradually increased my consumption of anime. To date, I've watched more Japanese animated television series than I am comfortable admitting to. Nonetheless, with each new series I've watched, I have found that my fascination with Japanese language and culture has grown. I love the food, the sound of the words, the legends and lore... all of it!
       The prospect of having an entire conversation in Japanese is very exciting! By the end of this year, I want to be successful enough with Japanese so that I can do the two month Princeton in Oshikawa program where I can build on my skills with the language. I think that the idea of being immersed in a foreign land such as Japan would be an amazing experience.
       While I may be having a little trouble with learning the pronunciation of all of the new terms and phrases we are learning, I think I will get over that soon enough when we start learning the phonetic alphabets Hiragana and Katakana. Knowing the phonetic breakdown of the words we learn will be very helpful. 
       That's about it for now! じゃね (See ya!)

 オヒワリ(Ohiwerei)


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3 comments:

  1. eclipseOctober 7, 2013 at 11:23 PM

    ええ！そうですか。
    I love anime too! It will truly be exciting to understand it without subtitles! Also, I agree with the emerge program being amazing (I would love to do it and think that the learning that would take place while surrounded by the Japanese language and culture would be invaluable)!

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  2. AGreekInJapanOctober 7, 2013 at 11:33 PM

    こんばんは！

    I've also heard really great things about Princeton in Ishikawa and its awesome that it gives participants 2 months of full immersion in the language, without all the other academic year distractions around. Here's hoping it works out and we're both there next summer.

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  3. Matt SmithOctober 8, 2013 at 1:38 AM

    こんばんは！
    I know someone who did Princeton in Ishikawa last summer, and he said it was a great experience. He lived with a family that didn't speak English, and so I'm sure his speaking skills and fluency increased because of it. It sounded pretty cool. There's nothing like being immersed in the culture and language you're studying.
    じゃ、また！

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