Why I'm Studying Japanese

I have chosen to study Japanese in college for a few different reasons!

In June 2007, I went out of the country for the first time.

The Experiment in International Living (EIL) was promoting a special scholarship program in Vermont. Some Asian corporation was attempting to strengthen its relationship with Vermont - why, I don't know! - and was sponsoring high school students to study abroad in Thailand, China, or Japan. While the program in Thailand was my first choice, my mother thought this country was too dangerous and forbade me to go! I then chose Japan, because it involved a homestay and language classes.

It turned out to be a great decision. I spent the summer in Okayama, Japan, and was able to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and the island of Shikoku. During this trip, I made many friends. I still keep in touch with my host family, and some of the fellow American students who also went with this program. I have unfortunately forgotten much of the Japanese I learned on the trip, and I would love to be able to write to my friends and host family in Japanese again soon.

While studying here at Columbia University, I have gotten interested in Film Studies and Environmental Archaeology. My particular interest in each subject led me to Japanese again!

There are many Japanese directors I have come to admire in the last couple years (such as Kurosawa, Suzuki Seijun, and Ozu Yasugiro) and it would be great to better understand the culture and social structure examined throughout their films.

To become an Archaeology major and prepare myself for Graduate studies, I am supposed to have a reading knowledge of two languages. Since I already know Spanish and some Italian, I decided it would be fun to pick a completely different language! So, feeling a little nostalgic for that trip to Okayama, I choose to study Japanese.

As far as this class goes, I am mostly worried that I will have terrible pronunciation. Oh, I'm actually more worried about having to learn Chinese characters! But even though I've missed a few classes and need to catch up on the material, I think this class has been a lot of fun so far. I especially loved when we heard "Sukiyaki" in class. :) My host-grandparents actually played that song for me once, so it brought back a good memory. I think that it was fate that the professor chose that song to play! It must mean I've made a good decision.

Maureen