Speaking Another Language in My Dreams

I had the strangest dream last night. I was trying to speak in Nihongo with Uncle Fumio. I was trying hard to use what I learned when I took basic Nihongo lessons back in 2018. I woke up because I felt my brain was being squeezed to remember all the verbs and sentences I learned. Haha. 

I decided to study Nihongo three years ago because I was working on the Japan market. I had a great sensei who was based in the UK. She was very patient with me and I learned a lot. I got to use what I learned whenever I went to Japan -- outside of work! Haha. Everyone spoke English at work so I used it more when I took a cab, bought food or asked directions. 

A colleague though told me it'll take me ten years to be fluent. I got sick and so didn't pursue more lessons, plus I was assigned to start another market. It was fun to learn another language. What really helped me aside from my lessons was the app Mem'rise. It helped me remember a lot of words and improved my pronounciation. My sensei said I pronounced words really well. It's probably because we read words by syllable also in Filipino. 

The beautiful view from the office. I miss Japan.

I just remembered the dream now. I'm actually surprised I still remember a lot of what I learned. It's probably just tucked in somewhere in my brain, ready to come out when needed. Haha. Have you experienced having similar dreams?

CB//*Yr2/36  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/63 #StayHome #BeKind   

Learning Japanese

Ohayou Gozaimasu! Two years ago I tried to learn Nihongo. I enrolled in an online class and did a 1:1 class with a sensei who was based in England. She was the most wonderful and patient teacher. I did make progress and was stringing sentences together already. I also learned a bit of hiragana which helped me a lot when I visit Japan.

Beautiful cherry blossoms in Tokyo.

Nihongo is a beautiful language although quite hard to learn. I did a trial for a Chinese class, but I really struggled with pronouncing syllables and that's why I elected to learn Nihongo instead. My sensei said I pronounced words very well and we attributed it to how similar it is to how we pronounce words in Filipino.

Elevator self-we with Japanese educators + my forehead haha.

In the beginning I was taking notes on a small notebook. I had a hard time taking notes and it made it hard for me to review. I realized I was doing things wrong! I decided to use two Chromebooks for my online classes. One was for the platform my teacher used to teach me and another one for notetaking.

My sensei said I improved a lot during that time. She asked me what did I do differently and I showed her my notes. I was completing my homework much faster as well. Me and my sensei had a great partnership because she taught me Nihongo and I taught her how to properly use Google tools for distance learning.

Akihabara at night.

We used Google Calendar to set up our Google Hangout calls and we used screenshare so I could follow where she was on the online workbook, then I used Google Spreadsheet for my notetaking. It was so easy and my sensei said it made it much easier for her to use the tools for her other students as well.

I miss my sensei. I ended up just completing one year because that was the time I was found to have PE. I could've enrolled again, but I'm now doing a different market. Learning a new language though was a great challenge for me and maybe I'll do it again someday. 

Learning Japanese

A year ago I thought I'd do something new. I decided to learn a new language. My choice was to either learn Chinese or Japanese. I was keen to learn Chinese, but after a sample class where I couldn't get the right pronunciation of syllables I realized it wasn't for me. So I ended up enrolling in Japanese language classes.

It's hard. Constructing sentences is very different from how you do it in English. My sensei though says I have very good pronunciation. It's mainly because how we read Filipino words is more or less the same.

It's been years since I've been in school and I realized the importance of studying. When we were in school we had to study a myriad of subjects. At work you do have to study, but it generally comes with the flow of things you regularly do. Well there are times we have some required modules we need to do, but it's only about 15-20 minutes of your time. Taking a class is really different.

I have the best sensei in the universe because she's very patient and understanding. I know it's going to take years before I really learn to be fluent in this language. It's allowed me to have better appreciation of Japan's culture and its people. I know I need to work harder so I can finally have the courage to speak a little Japanese when I'm there. :)