Same Journey, New Pitstops!
Hello everyone! This is manda, sometimes known as powz. Previously, I held down my blogging fort over at Wordpress but some life changes have prompted me to try out a new service. If you’ve read my blog previously, welcome back! If not, welcome in!
I’ve been a Japanese language learner since the tender age of thirteen. I discovered the magic of anime ending songs and became enamored with Japanese music. Much time was spent on copying lyrics out in hiragana and katakana in order to learn some of the writing system, alone in my room listening to music. One day I’ll reflect harder on my early days, but I’m now in my thirties and have passed the JLPT N1 last December. A lot has happened since then and now, but the most important thing is that I stuck to it (eventually) and can now read anything I choose to read in Japanese! Is it mostly fantasy and isekai bullshit? Yes! :D
When it comes to learning Japanese, I still feel like I have a lot left to learn. And that’s not said in despair! I am extremely eager to continue to expand my knowledge of this language. Some of the ways I do this is by creating an immersion environment, utilizing SRS such as Anki and formerly JPDB, and by writing known sentences in a journal. My favorite immersion activities are almost exclusively reading-based, but I also enjoy video games!
Some days are sloppier than others, but that’s just life. If I only highlighted the good parts of the journey and all the little things that are involved in it, I think I may have a lot less to write about!
My monthly check-ins will continue over here on Substack, so if you are so inclined, please look forward to my September one coming soon! I will warn you now, it’s not been all sunshine and rainbows, but dammit I’m still trying!