I’d like to admit. Though I know or know of only a handful of you. My teachers and one student whom is on his way to Nihon.(Good luck) I think I will enjoy posting here. I had just about given up on social networking. I do not have a facebook and that is a story for another time. Once upon a time though I blogged frequently on the internet. Then abruptly stopped. But I posted anything from dreams to recent art or poetry I created or how much I despise the New York Yankees. 🙂 GO GIANTS! 🙂

And so now I have found a home again, Nagaya, for where others may or may not read. But I am here. Here is where I will document my journey on learning Japanese. and perhaps other moments in my life as well. I’d like to take the time to thank you for having me here.

So. What this is about. Penelope vs. The Japanese Language. As I left class today. I walked with a slightly diffrent stride. Something felt different. Was I anxious to ride? Was I satisfied with what I had just learned? No and Yes. I am never anxious to ride. I love it. I was satisfied because my class is more than a class for me. And I am really starting to see how it works. Language is not mathematics. Though I feel my progress is not where I want it to be. I know more than I did the day before. And each day I learn. I know more than I did they day before. It is not as fast as I want it to be, But I must remember life’s a journey. Not a destination.

And this how Penelope came to be pitted against the Japanese Language. OH! Penelope is the name of my bike, my 2009 supotsu suta.

As I was walking to my bike to ride home. I thought. I don’t think I’ve been this challanged by anything in life except for learning to ride. So I started running through comparisons in my mind.

Learning to ride. The only thing I had to conquer was the fear. The fear that 30mph felt like 60mph. That I am not protected, that I could fall. It is the fear that also drives me when I ride and makes it exciting. The technique to riding believe it or not is the easy part. The hardest part is getting over your fear.

With Japanese, There is no fear. And Technique isn’t everything. Through my teachers I am learning I must also have a personality when I speak. Not just reading a piece of paper. In a way. I am trying to find who I am all over again. And it is difficult to compare which is more exciting. The first time I rode on the freeway and broke 60mph? Or to discover parts of you never knew before.

I can say this. I don’t think I’ve ever took up anything in life that has been this much fun and challenging at the same time.

And because I have a small belief. It’s one I applied when I would draw. You set many small goals forself and they snowball into a large one.

A small goal I have is to post here exclusively in Japanese. This will eventually lead to my larger goals. 🙂

Thank you again all for reading if you took the time.