Cheif Joseph Lynch
Hello! My name is Cheif Joseph Lynch (but I go by Joseph), and I am a sophomore student in Columbia College, just starting to learn Japanese. I decided to study Japanese for many reasons, but the biggest is that I'm half-Japanese. For various reasons, my mom, who is from Yokohama, never had time to teach it to my sisters and me, and it has been something I've always wanted to learn so that I can be closer to that side of my life. I have lived in Arizona since I was 4, and have never left the country, but I have a whole family in Japan, most of whom do not speak English, and it would be great if I could speak to them and finally be able to Skype them without sitting there and just listening while my mom just translates for us.
Aside from that, other reasons for learning Japanese include potentially traveling there someday, because Japan has always been somewhere I have wanted to go. It would be very useful for me to be able to read signs and talk to people, and maybe visit my family. I also consume a lot of Japanese media, ranging from movies to TV shows to music to books, so learning Japanese would make the experience of reading or watching those much more immersive rather than just reading subtitles and whatnot (especially for Studio Ghibli movies and Masaaki Yuasa movies).
Honestly, it would be really cool if I could watch a Japanese show with my mom and not need subtitles for once. Essentially, it is just something I've always wanted to learn and to be a part of my life, so that my own interaction with my heritage and my family and with the media I like is improved and made more useful.
Hello! My name is Cheif Joseph Lynch (but I go by Joseph), and I am a sophomore student in Columbia College, just starting to learn Japanese. I decided to study Japanese for many reasons, but the biggest is that I'm half-Japanese. For various reasons, my mom, who is from Yokohama, never had time to teach it to my sisters and me, and it has been something I've always wanted to learn so that I can be closer to that side of my life. I have lived in Arizona since I was 4, and have never left the country, but I have a whole family in Japan, most of whom do not speak English, and it would be great if I could speak to them and finally be able to Skype them without sitting there and just listening while my mom just translates for us.
Aside from that, other reasons for learning Japanese include potentially traveling there someday, because Japan has always been somewhere I have wanted to go. It would be very useful for me to be able to read signs and talk to people, and maybe visit my family. I also consume a lot of Japanese media, ranging from movies to TV shows to music to books, so learning Japanese would make the experience of reading or watching those much more immersive rather than just reading subtitles and whatnot (especially for Studio Ghibli movies and Masaaki Yuasa movies).
Honestly, it would be really cool if I could watch a Japanese show with my mom and not need subtitles for once. Essentially, it is just something I've always wanted to learn and to be a part of my life, so that my own interaction with my heritage and my family and with the media I like is improved and made more useful.
Wow! I didn't know that you are half Japanese. I think that your reason for studying Japanese is actually really nice of you, and your family is probably really happy that you want to learn. I also enjoy watching Ghibli films, and I hope you do well in Japanese!
ReplyDelete-Selena
DeleteYay we love validation and ghibli films :)))) I hope you do well too!
DeleteI really love Ghibli movies too! It would be great to be able to watch without focusing on the subtitles, it feels wrong not to pay attention to the incredible animation. -Viola
ReplyDeleteHonestly tho that is a big motivator for me because I am such a slow reader
DeleteI like Studio Ghibli movies as well, my favorite is Ponyo! I agree that it is a very rewarding thing to be able to watch something in Japanese without subtitles :)
ReplyDeleteOooh Ponyo is a cute one :D My favorite is either Princess Mononoke or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya :)
DeleteMy mom's side of the family is also Japanese, so I can relate. When my relatives from Japan come to visit, we usually go out to a restaurant to eat dinner, and I end up just sitting there not understanding what's going on. Thank you for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteOmg wow we love another Hapa!!! The struggle of not understanding the conversation and suddenly hearing your name is definitely a motivator
DeleteLearning the language of your family can be really rewarding. Before learning Japanese I spent seven years studying Italian. I can now skype with my relatives in Sicily and actually have a meaningful conversation. I hope you can do the same with your relatives!
ReplyDeleteZak
DeleteOoooh that's nice, that's definitely my goal:)
DeleteJoseph that I think that is very awesome that you have an entire family in Japan that you cannot yet converse with on your own. I know that you will use that as your inspiration to do well in this class. Good luck in the class and in your future classes.
ReplyDeleteThank you to whoever you are :)
DeleteJoseph, I think it would be a great opportunity for both you and your family that you are learning Japanese to have a conversation with them. They will love to see you speaking in Japanese! I think you have the best motivation to learn Japanese.
ReplyDeleteAwww thanks it is definitely a big motivator to finally be able to talk to them
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