Inspiration – What inspired you to learn Japanese?

I wanted to learn Japanese because Japan is the country I will most likely travel to if given the opportunity. Another reason is that when we were choosing electives, Japanese sounded more appealing to me than Spanish did. Lastly, it was always my life goal to become a Filipino-Canadian that doesn’t speak Tagalog, but does speak Japanese.

Goal – What do you hope to do with your new language skills?

As I said in the inspiration paragraph, I hope to put my Japanese to use if I ever go to Japan. I want to be able to use basic sentences and questions to help navigate Japan’s diverse landscape. I’m also hoping to one day understand a form of Japanese media without needing a translation. For example, listening to Japanese music or watching anime without subtitles. On a smaller scale, I want to use my Japanese skills to bug my parents/siblings.

Motivation – How will you keep yourself motivated throughout this course? What will you do if you are struggling?

I would be pretty disappointed with myself if I failed a class in my grade 9 year, so I will try my hardest not to. The most important thing I can do if I am struggling, is to simply ask for help. I tend to overthink a lot, and I feel like asking for help whenever I need it will lead to an easier time in and out of class.