Nihongo (Japanese)
Her name is Masumi, and I'll probably never see her again.
Last summer I had a temporary job for a few weeks in West LA, very close to the Farmer's Market (FM). Everyday for lunch I ventured to the FM and tried a new cuisine. This brought me to Sushi-a-go-go, a quaint Japanese food stand. I placed my Crusty Crab Rolls order with a lovely young woman named Masumi, who appeared and sounded Japanese. My fascination with wanting to teach English overseas in Japan at the time prompted me to interact with her on a more personal level. She told me that she had just come from Japan and was studying English for the next year in America, while working part-time at the FM. When I told her about my aspirations she asked me if I knew Japanese. I thought long and hard and sincerely tried to remember if I indeed knew the language of Japanese or not. After about 15 short seconds or so, I came up with a great response and replied, "No, but I'm going to start learning it soon. Maybe even today. Hey, we should have a language exchange! I'll help you with English and you can help me with Japanese. What do you think?" She smiled, consented, and then I said, "Be right back!"
I was on my lunch break so time was stigh. I dashed to the nearby Barne's & Noble and picked up "The Everything Guide to Conversational Japanese." I paid for it in cash, which only happens when I purchase something I'm particularly proud of. I returned to Sushi-a-go-go and showed Masumi what I had just bought. She smiled, said that it was a good start, and then gave me her number. After work ended that day I dove into the book immediately. In three short days I learned how to count, introduce myself, and pronounce most of the basic Japanese phonetic sounds. I decided it was time to call Masumi and practice with her for the first time over the phone. She didn't pick up, so I left a message.
A week passed by: no return call. Another week later I called her again and left another message: no return call to this day.
Sometimes things only go as far as they go, and there's no explanation why they don't go any further. Because of Masumi I was able to launch my journey into the Japanese language. It started with learning how to speak and listen in Japanese and evolved into learning about Japanese history, applying to teach abroad programs, and learning how to read and write in Japanese. I've been in this preparation process for over 5 months now.
Thanks Masumi, I'll never forget what you've done for me.
(no subject) Blogging
This story is attributable to another girl, one I've known for almost two weeks now. I've thanked her on a couple of occasions already, but will say it once again, thanks Alex.
I used to have a daily blog. It eventually became a weekly blog, which then turned into a monthly blog. I continued curtailing the frequency of my blog to cater to my laziness until my blog no longer existed. But then, I met a girl who convinced me that I had a decent talent for writing. I only knew this girl for a few days; however, she was a newly acquired friend, so I took her compliment at face value. Her name is Alex, and her major is critical studies. After critically studying my blog she encouraged me to keep writing. We still talk.
I feel healthy writing everyday. It keeps my mind going. They say a blank mind is where the devil plays, or something stupid like that. I agree with that saying to some extent. Unoccupied minds get into mischief. As long as I continue to write my mind will always be stimulated.
I have no set goal in mind related to writing at the moment. I write only for the purpose of keeping my mind occupied, and my sanity bar filled. Despite what happens, I'm glad writing has returned to me.
~Anthans
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