Reflecting on my experience with Japanese

For my last full day in Japan, I think it's appropriate to spend some time reflecting on what a long road it has been.

My fascination with Japan began in the 1980s. Back then, Japan used to occupy a much bigger space in the American psyche than it does today, and I remember watching movies like Gung Ho, Mr. Baseball, and Rising Sun. Japan's Hollywood image wasn't always flattering, but it left me with a lingering fascination. Plus, my grandfather told me that he spent some time convalescing in Japan during the Korean War.

I took Japanese 101 during my first semester at the College of Lake County. I took six classes in fall 1993, totaling 18 credit hours (I do not recommend this). Taking that many classes was a bad idea, and I didn't do particularly well -- I got a B -- but it was a valuable experience. I learned that Studying Japanese is not the same as studying French, and as part of the class I got to try sushi for the first time. I didn't take any more Japanese classes at CLC after that, but it was there that I developed the dream that would lead me to the University of Hawaii -- I wanted to get paid to travel to foreign countries, and learning Japanese was going to help me do that.

I succedded in transferring to the UH system (the Hilo campus) for the fall 1995 semester. Unfortunaely, class availability was horrible, and I was stuck taking classes that I didn't really need or had already taken. Since it had been been two years since I took Japanese 101, I decided to retake it. When I then transferred to the Manoa campus for spring 1996, got a job as a waiter in Waikiki (where I could practice), and continued with Japanese 102.
I had a hard time with Japanese at UHM, for several reasons. First, they had a different curriculum than UHH, and -- as a transfer student -- I didn't understand their system. Second, I was busy, and without any measurable value to the listening exercises, I never went to the listening lab. Should I have? In retrospect, yes, but in the moment I always prioritized the tangible over the intangible. Again, I got a B.

I took Japanese 201 in the fall 1996 semester, and -- again -- didn't do very well. I got a C. By that point, though, I had run out of money, and I had to take a break from college. UH raised tuition by 40% in a single year, and as an out-of-state student I just couldn't afford it. I spent all of 1997 working full time (and part time) to establish Hawaii residency. When I resumed in the spring of 1998, I retook Japanese 201 on a credit-no credit basis, and then Took Japanese 202 during the summer. I remember the summer course was particularly brutal -- two hours a day, five days a week, for six weeks. Every day there was a 20-kanji quiz, and this was while I was both working in Waikiki AND working for the school newspaper AND being a part of the church community. Again, I got a B in Japanese class, but this time I considered that a victory.

After I graduated in May 1999, I considered becoming an English teacher in Japan through the JET program, but shelved that idea in favor of becoming a diplomat. Later, in August 2003, I chose instead to teach English in Korea. Fun fact, though -- I spent a day in Osaka getting my E-2 visa, and was able to use my Japanese to ask for directions.

In 2005, I received a scholarship from Fujitsu for the China-focused MBA program at the University of Hawaii (again). The graduation ceremony took place in Tokyo in December 2006, and there was a moment that I feel particularly proud of. While I was walking through a train station, a couple came up to me to ask for directions in English. Thinking it strange that someone kinda Japanese-lookin' would ask *me* for directions, I asked if they were Korean (in Korean). When they said yes, I grabbed the nearest Japanese guy I could find and then ended up translating between Japanese and Korean (albeit poorly). Still, I'll never forget it.

I ended up teaching English in Korea again in 2007 (t0 my great embarrassment), and then joined the Army in 2008. In an effort to qualify for Foreign Language Proficiency Pay (FLPP), I started brushing up on my Japanese with Rosetta Stone, and took the Defense Language Proficiency Test in 2012. I got a 1+/1+ in Listening and Reading -- not enough to get paid, but it might have been useful if I were selected to be a Foreign Area Officer (FAO).

In June 2014, my wife and I vacation to Osaka, and the possibility of getting assigned to Japan came up in late 2015. However, that didn't work out, and instead we were assigned to Hawaii (not that Hawaii was bad). It was there that I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which put an end to my hope of being assigned to Japan as a FAO.

Yet it was through retirement from active duty that I got an opportunity to work in Japan as a federal civilian employee. After 25+ years of hoping and dreaming, I got a job working for the Army in Japan in January 2020.

It was fantastic timing, too -- the COVID19 outbreak followed less than two months later, and I can honestly say Japan was one of the safest places to be.

So I am sad about leaving Japan -- my two-and-a-half years here represent the fulfillment of a decades-long goal. But it is a chapter in my life that is now over, and it is now time to move on.