Since I was working full time, going back to college was a real challenge. Add to that the fact that I had to travel over an hour to the university and you begin to understand the difficulty. The program started in the summer, but it was a terribly challenging summer. We had classes for 8 hours a day, after my 1 hour and 15 minute drive. The classes were entirely in Japanese. I knew not one word of Japanese when I started. After class I would drive home and have 4-5 hours of homework every night. It was 6 weeks of intense study. Several people quit the program, but I persevered. I continued with this grueling program for the next year, while teaching full time. I also started a new job, in a new school.
I tell you all of this to show you that I remember what a challenge it can be to learn a new language from scratch. I also know that with effort and hard work, you can persevere. It may require you to learn new ways to study. It might be the first class for which you have ever had to study. But, I guarantee you one thing. If you put in the effort, the rewards are amazing.
Imagine being able to travel to Japan and experience the food, the glitter of Tokyo, the amazing historical of Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima and the splendor of Mt. Fuji. Imagine being able to converse with the Japanese through e-mail, texts, or social media. Imagine being able to work for a Japanese company as a translator, engineer, graphic designer or ***video game creator!**
Imagine standing in the place where the first atomic bomb exploded and understanding the reasons why this park is now called the "Peace Memorial Park." Imagine talking to descendents of "Hibakusha" (A-bomb survivors) Experience the emotion of hearing elementary students singing at the children's memorial as they present strands of paper cranes.
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