Monday, November 9, 2009

Interesting thing about language acquisition.

So, obviously, I've been working on my Japanese since I got here, and there's been definite improvement.  I've noticed, though, that most of the foreigners who speak solid conversational Japanese have either spent a minimum of a 3-4 years in Tokyo or work in a field that requires them to use Japanese almost constantly.  Part of the reason why I'm here is, indeed, to develop a solid command of the Japanese language, but I hadn't really fully considered the amount of time that it will take.  I thought maybe a year or two would do the trick, but I've realized that, in fact, it'd take a year or two of nearly constant study to achieve fluency in that amount of time.  I study, but not constantly.  I have to at least maintain the thin illusion that I'm working, and it's just not possible.

Anyway, I'm learning.  I don't know where I'll be in the year and a half or so that I have left here, but I'll be working on it.  We'll see.  Who knows, maybe the States will explode in a further shitstorm of economic meltdown and I'm forced to stay longer.  Anything is possible, right?

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