surroundings...except that there wont be a lot of comprehending going on. What if there's a big ad that says "CONCERT TONIGHT!" or "SALES" (I'm a girl who can't help, but shop :D) and I miss it because of a stupid language barrier?
It's a fact. You can't enjoy a country to the fullest if you can't comprehend a fair bit of their language. Last May, before my trip to Barcelona,Spain with my father and brother, I got to learn a bit of Spanish. I thought it might prove to be useful and BOY was it useful! I was the one who did all the talking in situations where English did not do any good. We walk into a restaurant and I'm the one translating the menu and doing all the ordering. After a nice visit to a shop, I can ask how much is something and actually understand when the clerk responds with a number in Spanish. A little bit of comprehension can go a long way into making a trip easier and more enjoyable! Thus, I have arrived to a definite conclusion. I must learn a bit of Japanese. However, learning Spanish wasn't a big deal, cause after all, they do use the same set of alphabets. Learning Japanese on the other hand will be a feat. I will need to become familiar with the Japanese Hirigana, Katakana (Although that might not be as important) and Kanji to comprehend some written signs or ads.
Along with that, I'll have to learn some phrases and sentences in Japanese. It'll be tedious, but fun!
So, I've decided to give myself a crash course in Japanese. I'll be dividing the first 46 Hirigana syllables onto two weeks. Of course, I'll only be able to start by next week when my finals for this term are over. So next week, I'll be memorizing the first 23 syllables!
If anyone wants to join, notify me in the comments section and we can start cheering for each other!!
Here is the first Hirigana chart! Ganbatte Kudasai!
No comments:
Post a Comment