はじめまして。コレマんです。どおぞよろしく。ぼくは ノトルダムだいがくのがくせいです。さねんせいです。せんこうは ビジナスです。じゃまた!
Well, that first bit of typing Japanese was a bit of a struggle. I'm still working through learning to switch between Hiragana and Katakana and not letting it convert to kanji every time! I bet it will improve in short time.
Why did I choose to take Japanese this year? Well, I will be attending Sophia in Tokyo for a semester in the spring, and it seemed like it would be helpful to pick up as much of the language as possible before I went. While this seemed pretty daunting at first, the knowledge that I will be able to use what I have learned in only a few months makes it much easier to work harder at.
I have always been interested in Japanese culture. Growing up, my family would host students for a few weeks over the summer. I loved Pokemon up through fifth and sixth grade, and Dragonball through seventh. Once I started watching films more seriously, I was exposed to Ozu. And in the last couple of years I have started reading some Haruki Murakami novels. All of these led to my decision to apply for the Tokyo program.
I'd have to say so far things are going alright in Japanese. It is definitely difficult, but the amount I feel that I am learning every day makes it worth it. I'm sure it will only get harder in content, but I also feel that learning it will become easier.