Hello!

My name is Paul. I’m picking TextFugu back up. I got halfway through Season 2 about two years ago, but a lot came up. Things seem settled now and I’d like to, at the very least, get through this entire course.

I started a medication about 6 months ago due to extreme bouts of anxiety. Part of me posting this is to exercise the ‘don’t be socially anxious’ muscle. I don’t like doing things like this and publicly posting and I generally find some excuse to talk myself out of publicly doing anything. But it’s important to, even if it’s not heard or acted upon, to vent and air it out, to offer oneself to be part of a community they care about. I’m trying to get better at this.

The reason I’m learning Japanese is because I want to visit Japan and would like to be able to speak the language when I’m there, to enjoy it and learn about the country more. I’d like to learn the culture and history of an Eastern country (being from the United States, I haven’t learned much) and Japan has always fascinated me since I was a little kid. As I looked more into the nuance of the culture and language, I really wanted to truly understand it. I would love to be able to watch Japanese movies and TV and be able to discern the subtleties and undertones of it.

So, silly as it may be, that’s why I’m posting and that’s why I want to learn Japanese. Screw being scared about posting in a public forum. Living in fear is no way to live.