Language- I never get tired of learning it.

I bought them in Japan before coming back, in order to use up all the coins.

  I'm almost at the verge of tears when I realize I'm able to read them manga in Japanese, without too much pauses (of course still got a lot of word I don't know la! Its just that I understand better).

  They said all irritating things will turned out a bitter sweet memory in retrospect. Looking back at this April, I forced myself to do spelling test in order to memorize the Japanese alphabets (Hiragana and Katakana), trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when I speak to strangers, focus on how to make my sentence natural and absorb as much vocabulary as I could, it all worth while. All though I can only understand like only  30% to 50% of sentences in Japan, I'm motivated to learn more because once my very-baby-like-beginner Japanese level teacher, Mr. Lim said: "Nobody can stop you from learning."

   Probably most of y'all had heard this story, I plan to take JLPT N5 exam this year end, so I went to a relatively cheaper class in YMCA to learn how to write(ya don't need to waste so much on beginner level, I tell you.) and found out that it was just a conversational class. Everything was written in romaji (romanize Japanese) so I was like "NOPE. Never gonna be an illiterate." Whenever my classmates drop down notes in romaji, I write in kana. That's why my classmates couldn't borrow my notes, really paiseh, is not that I wanna be bossy la. Mr. Lim is kind enough to help me in my learning, but the one week once class just couldn't satisfy my hunger of knowledge in Japanese. I bought exam modules to drill my Japanese. My slow reading speed and those unfamiliar vocabulary killed me. KAO KAO. I have no choice but to stop doing exam module for a month.The short Japanese course ended absurdly, I went back to self study Japanese mode. Time to time, I feel insecure because I don't go to a formal school, so I collect as much study materials as I could.

I'm lucky and glad to know Akira, he's my first real life Japanese language exchange partner. We were introduced by my Jap course classmate Izura (another good thing to be present in a community), he was looking for someone to teach him English too so we could actually exploit each other hahahahahaha. I choose the language exchange partner method because I could speak to natives without the need of paying, and to make new friends too! Here is the pro and con of language exchange:

PRO: 

1. Improve your ability of speaking- 

Beginning of Bible in different language I found in Japan hotel.

 I stunned for like 5 seconds when I was required to speak Japanese for the first time in real life (online speaking is already hard enough!), then I wave my shivering hands and asked Akira to "say..... something first." in choppy Japanese. It's normal to feel dumb at the beginning, but sooner and later you will realize that you're ignorant of so much more things, then you'll get used of being "dumb" and making mistakes. Just OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND TALK. You don't get much chance to talk in a foreign language, remember that.

2. Learn the other side of the culture- 

The big-ass rice bowl

Talking to a normal acquaintance is very different from talking to teacher :) I could understand Japanese culture in a more lively way, in other words, more close to reality and more details. Language partner sometimes exchange not only language, but also feelings. Observing the culture difference is also a fun thing to do, like people don't wear flip-flops, like how my friend in Japan still hold the bowl up even though its ENORMOUS (the bowl size is like the Chinese big soup bowl, I stared at him with my jaws dropped) .

CON:

1. Inconsistency, not professional- 

Watching SAO (Anime, Sword Art Online) without subtitles, big challenge

Get use to people disappearing after only one or two skype- or maybe just one or two message.  Horny men everywhere, also some people don't treat you like a friend (they make you feel like you're just a tool for them to practice language)It's not your fault, some of them just couldn't understand you well or too busy with their life. Move on and find new people.Find as much people as you can. I agree that slang words could connect people better, however being too informal or making too much grammatical mistake would be irritating and not quite handy for work. Especially Japanese.  

2. It's not always a win-win situation- 

Santa wearing yukata, nice cross over  (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))

Everyone's level is different. Truth is the better you're in your partner's language, the less you could learn. You became the one who teach more than learning. But still, teaching people is not a bad feeling either.

  After being mentored by Akira, I gained a lot of confident (because we meet up regularly) and was thinking of taking a higher level instead of N5 that I've mentioned earlier. You can't only rely on language partner, you gotta drill yourself in various way.

  Last and the most important one, have passion in the language that you learn. You don't learn for the sake of work, for the sake of extra credits in University, you learn because you like it. I completely understand the love towards language, this is why I still took Mandarin in my pre-U, this is why I'm still typing in English now. Language is not just a tool, it's something that represents the depth of certain culture, the spirit of certain ethnicity. Life, emotion, knowledge. To reach out, to pass down. 

I love the lighten face I see whenever I speak in someone's mother tongue.