[Aug 04] 3. One Of The Things I Am Proud Of

What a day! I (again) almost forgot to write this. I was up until 5AM this morning doing god knows what, a mixture of project stuff, Photoshop and French, then had a few hours sleep, woke up at 10AM, did the laundry, went out for a BBQ, got back and "chilled" out. It is now 10PM and I have only just realised I haven't done this yet! Well, I suppose now is a good time as ever. Exhausted, so this may not be as colourful or interesting as my last entries. Though I say that, I do have a tendency to ramble on. We'll see how it goes.

Today's topic is...
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One Of The Things I Am Proud Of

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You probably already know what is coming... Japanese! I am proud of my ability to somewhat formulate a sentence in an exotic far eastern language. I have studied it for roughly 7 years, though I'm sure I'm entering my 8th year, I don't know, but it is around that time. Knowing a second language these days is probably not that much of a feat, but as for me, someone who feels as if they have never really achieved anything or had a certain talent, I am proud that I have managed to be at least somewhat proficient in a foreign language. In school, I was never good at maths. I was pretty decent at English (some of you may be reading this and thinking, "Ha, good one!") and with science, I got by. I took language classes in school and to be honest, like most British kids, I took zero notice. 

Which is surprising because I have had such a huge interest in languages since I was about 11. I think I took my first French class at that age. Though the difference is though, studying languages in my own time at home was fun - studying in a class with a very grumpy French teacher who insisted we called her "madame" (I have learned from my French studies that it is common in French, but when you are 12 years old and are being told to do that... you find it ridiculous), was not fun. At all. I used to be well-behaved in class and quite quiet, but when with friends, I was a chatterbox. I was especially so in French class. I think it is because I wasn't too fond of the teacher. I have no idea why, but I would always get in trouble in her classes. She would constantly move me from my friends because of too much talking. I should have been talking in French... wonder if she still would have moved me.

Any way, yes, in a country like Britain where nobody can really speak a second language as nobody thinks they have any real reason to, which they may not, yet these are the same people who say, "I wish I knew Mandarin, China is really moving up in the world", whom to I feel like saying, "Well learn it then!", knowing a second language does set you apart from the crowd in probably all the wrong ways. Either way, I am still proud of it.

I realise this has become a cynical rant about French teachers and Britain, and is probably my way of saying I am proud I overcame all this, stuck to my guns and learned Japanese. But I am also proud because I am not someone who is known for being consistent. I have probably said this before but I am one of those people who will start something and never finish it. I think with a thing like Japanese, the only reason I have kept at it for so long is because there is no finish... I have a constant drive. I am constantly chasing a finish which doesn't exist. 

And for that, I am proud. I know that studying this language is an endless journey but that only drives me further to continue it and to get better. 

The Language Itch

That familiar itch...

I've had that oh-so-familiar itch for a while now. Every time I went into a bookstore, I would find myself slowly gravitating towards the language section, my finger slowly hovering over the different titles. "Ooh, they have Russian!", I would say as I pick up a tiny dictionary about Russian and look up random words. I have no need to learn Russian nor any desire to. I just want to stop the itch. That oh-so-familiar language itch.

The language itch is basically when you just want to learn another language for nothing but the heck of it. I get this all the time. I have taught myself Japanese for 7 years, and over the course of those 7 years, I have tried nearly every language in the world. Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien), Thai, Vietnamese, German, Italian... the list goes on. Each time I tell myself I will stick with the language and actually learn it. But I never did. I get three pages into a textbook and lose all interest, or I spend a whole day enthusiastically ordering new books, making flashcards, bookmarking websites in that language; all the while telling myself I am going to become fluent in it, this is my third language, my journey with this new language begins here, then the next day I completely forget about it. I glance at all the books I ordered and wondered why I even did it. I have no desire to learn the language.

It sounds like a problem, and it probably is. I am addicted to language learning. I will be the first to admit that. I think what entices me most is being able to communicate with someone in their own language. Then I daydream about being able to buy books written in different languages, and being able to watch programs in that language. I get all motivated and excited from a few seconds of daydreaming. But then the next day reality hits me, and I realise I haven't the motivation or interest to actually pursue the language. Don't get me wrong, it is a dream of mine to be able to speak multiple languages, and I believe that one day I will be able to. I just need to pace myself and not going rushing off onto Amazon, buying every book I lay my eyes on as soon as I get hit with the tiniest bit of motivation.

Any way, as I was saying, these past few weeks I have had the itch but this time, for a different reason.

Translation. I have always been interested in translation. I have saw myself eventually, one way or another, getting into Japanese translation. Which I successfully managed, I am a sort of freelance translator at the moment, if you can even call it that. I do the odd job while I'm at University for some extra cash and for some experience. It's fun, I enjoy it and it is a great test of both my Japanese and English skills. But, the other day, I was looking on my University's website. They often post up jobs, a lot of them being translation jobs. There has been jobs posted up for Japanese (and unfortunately, I've missed every one) but I did notice that there was a magnitude of jobs for European languages being posted up. French, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch. Some job postings required you were native, while others just required you were proficient.

So it got me thinking.

I am at a pretty comfortable level in Japanese. I can understand most things I listen to and read. My writing and speaking lack, but if I put my mind to it I can say pretty much everything I want to say. With enough practice I will be at a very comfortable level. So much so I don't really have to sit down with a text book (although I intend to sit down with many textbooks in preparation for the JLPT) and study it. So, I thought, why don't I start studying a language which is a bit closer to home? Like an European language. I have been down the beaten track of language learning, I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I know exactly what works for me when it comes to learning a language, so I thought, if I set aim to be higher intermediate in an European language by this time next year (August 2014), I should be able to do it.

But what language?

I spent a lot of time mulling over this. I know I wanted to do an European language, something relatively easy and close to English. So, in my mind, that gave me...

• French
• Spanish
• German

French... I studied a tiny bit of this in middle school. Well, 2 years worth. With a teacher I couldn't stand. I spent a lot of my French lessons ignoring the teacher and talking with my friends. All I can remember from her lessons is "J'ai habite tu..." and even then I am not sure if that is correct.

Spanish... I did this in high school for 2 years, thoroughly enjoyed it! Teacher was great, but around this time I was studying Japanese so I took languages very seriously, and loved studying Spanish. Can still remember quite a bit.

German... I have no experience with this language other than when I used to watch my cousin do his German homework. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

I asked my boyfriend on what he thinks I should learn, and my ultimate goal is to get into video game translation, or at least do translation jobs like that on the side, and he recommended German because the video games market is huge there. Which it is. But, I think I already had my heart set on French. I ended up watching a few videos of people speaking French, and I think I realised today how much of a beautiful language it is. It has a certain charm to it. 

I also listened to some German videos and it sounds awesome. But French stole my heart. I did do a lot more research and a lot more thinking and I think French is a good place to start. German, we will be together one day!

The verdict

So as I wrote just up above there, I will be learning French! I am quite excited to start learning this beautiful language. And at last, the language itch has been scratched. I think it is only a matter of time though before it starts again... and if it does, German is next on my list.

I am motivated this time as I want to be fully functional in this language, so much so I can start translating in it. I also want to be able to play games in it, and there is so much French literature I want to read. I am really excited to start my new journey with français! 

If you are thinking about learning a second language

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I want out of it?
2. What is my end goal?
3. What interests me about it?

Learning a language can be costly and time consuming, so it is always good you go in there with a goal and know exactly what you want from it. I will be writing a blog post on how to get started in the near future so keep an eye out for that.

This has gotten ridiculous long and I apologise. In short, I'm learning French!

[Aug 02] 1. A Person I Admire

And thus, this kicks off the August 2013 blogging challenge I am taking part in! To be honest, this one took a lot of thinking...Who do I admire? I admire a lot of people, but when I thought about it I couldn't get any substantial reasons. Like, I do have my reasons, but they don't seem like proper reasons. But I eventually decided. So, without further ado...

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A Person I Admire

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...without a doubt has to be my mum. I know, you were probably waiting for a more exciting answer. But when I think about it, she is a great woman. I always used to joke (and still do) that she runs the house with an iron fist - but she really does! She is such a strong, determined and hardworking woman. Nothing stops her.

She has been through a lot these past few years and none of it stops her. She never sits down for five minutes, always on the go. She currently works as a nurse and works night shifts nearly every day of the week, sometimes leaving the house at 6PM and not returning until 10AM the next day. Even after a long night of work, she will still find the time to make food for everyone, see to my younger sisters and do the odd chores around the house. Even though, a lot of the family are always helping out, she still doesn't want to burden people, and just does it herself. It really is amazing, though we all wish she would just put her feet up for five minutes! Haha.

I really think that if it wasn't for my mum, I wouldn't be who I am today. Growing up with such a strong and motivated individual, it really inspired me. I want to be as hardworking and as motivated as her. She goes and does what needs to be done, she never complains, or wishes she had it better... she just does it. It is required of her so she will put in 110%. I just find that so amazing, and I really think I'm blessed to have such a mother. Over the years I may have called her unfair, cold, had our fall outs -- but now I live away from home I kind of see the bigger picture. I have came to respect and be thankful for everything she does for the family, and I have really come to admire her as a person. 

This is poorly written, mainly because it is really hard to explain what a woman she is. To put it short, she is a Sagittarius ;) That probably explains her a whole lot more than I can!

But she is my hardworking, motivated, driven, kind and awesome mother - and she is the person who I admire!

Hello, hello!

Hello, hello,

and welcome to hana to yume!

This is just a blog I created to mainly document my every day life, worries, achievements, passions and hobbies...

I will probably also post a lot of updates on my side projects, such as other blogs, translation, writing...

But for the most part it will be for me to go on about my life!

You could say this is a personal blog with an added flair, because I will probably end up writing about Japanese, and how to study it, or how I'm studying it, or how I'm studying other languages, or a couple of translation examples...

You get it the idea, right?

This is just basically my place to let free and write about whatever comes to mind!

So, with that said, I hope you enjoy it here... there is something for everyone, I guess! :)

Sorry the first post is all over the place... I never...ever...know what to write. In future, this will probably be made into an "About me" post...

Watch this space!

- Jade
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