So it's no secret that I have spent a good part of about three years now learning the japanese language. I know it should have only taken a few months but when you're off and on homeless in that time and your stuff is in and out of storage including your japanese language book, you only have memory to work from.
But I have it back now, and somehow without the aid of my magic daily medication or coffee (while I do need it, I'm trying not to let it become a crutch), I have by some miracle memorized how to tell time and ask for a pencil on the other side of the room, among other things.
A side effect of my obses-- I mean interest in Japanese language and Japan as a whole, is the folklore. And it is awesome! I used to have a collection of japanese folk stories from the library and I read the crap out of it even ones memorized! I remember my favorites being the Tongue Cut Sparrow and Momotarou the Peach Boy, and to this day I am reading stuff about different yokai.
Sometimes when I'm not taking notes on new kanji I'm learning, I'll write a short story using what I learned so far. Somehow Sophia (little sister) and Maddog are able to know what it's talking about even without knowing what it says...
A few of my "classics" I wrote back then include "The Rice Maker's Burden", "A Short Walk To The Far Away Town"... There were others but they got lost in the notebooks I wrote them in.
I love it. It's relaxing and takes my mind off the day, though sometimes I can feel my brain gears stalling trying to figure out certain translations.
But I have it back now, and somehow without the aid of my magic daily medication or coffee (while I do need it, I'm trying not to let it become a crutch), I have by some miracle memorized how to tell time and ask for a pencil on the other side of the room, among other things.
A side effect of my obses-- I mean interest in Japanese language and Japan as a whole, is the folklore. And it is awesome! I used to have a collection of japanese folk stories from the library and I read the crap out of it even ones memorized! I remember my favorites being the Tongue Cut Sparrow and Momotarou the Peach Boy, and to this day I am reading stuff about different yokai.
Sometimes when I'm not taking notes on new kanji I'm learning, I'll write a short story using what I learned so far. Somehow Sophia (little sister) and Maddog are able to know what it's talking about even without knowing what it says...
A few of my "classics" I wrote back then include "The Rice Maker's Burden", "A Short Walk To The Far Away Town"... There were others but they got lost in the notebooks I wrote them in.
I love it. It's relaxing and takes my mind off the day, though sometimes I can feel my brain gears stalling trying to figure out certain translations.
