Ugh, the assignment posts are pretty lame O.o I decided I will not subject the public to any more of those. Instead, I'm going to submit assignments separately and blog about things that I think people might actually be interested in.
Let's try this again:
I have been learning Japanese off and on for a few years now, and one question I often hear is "Why do you want to learn Japanese?" The short answer is "I dunno. I just like it," but most people aren't satisfied with that, so I've been thinking about it a lot and I've come up with some ideas about why I find Japan and Japanese so fascinating.
Many people I know started learning Japanese because they love anime (Japanese animation) or manga (Japanese comic books) or Japanese music (J-rock/J-pop). I like to watch anime, read manga, and listen to J-pop because I like Japan. I find the pop culture interesting, but it is not what got me started on my Japan-ventures. I think it started with a general interest in Asian cultures and how different they are from the U.S. First, I was fascinated by Japan's history and cultural traditions (Samurai! Kabuki! Tea! Geisha! Ninja!). Next, I got interested in Japanese pop-culture (Harajuku fashion! Hello Kitty!). And when I was able to minor in Japanese at Illinois State University, I couldn't resist.
After studying Japanese language and culture for some time, I began to realize that I identify a lot with them. A few examples:
~Japanese are generally very polite and modest. I feel uncomfortable at the thought of doing something bold and showy, and I don't like to get too much attention.
~Japanese are generally perfectionists. There is only one way to do pretty much anything from correct stroke order when writing to the correct way to hold chopsticks. I am not quite this particular, but I typically feel like there is a best way to do things, and if you're going to do something, you may as well do it right.
~The Japanese make everything into an art. Ikebana flower arranging, calligraphy, dance, martial arts, sushi... in pretty much any field, there are people who have dedicated their lives to perfecting that craft and attaining a certain aesthetic. I also believe that if you're going to do something, you may as well do it beautifully.
So this is kind of what I mean when I tell people "I wanna go to Japan 'cause, well, I just think it's awesome." This is also why I have decided to go back to school to try and make Japanese a career. I mean, hey, if I enjoy it so much, why not try to make money with it, too? Don't you think?
Anyway, I fly out in less than a month, which should mean that soon I'll have cool photos and fun stories and not just vaguely coherent ramblings...so you have that to look forward to ^-^
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