Hi, My name is Franklin. I have been eying textfugu since Koichi said he was going to start it, but only now have paid the poor sap. Even then I only gave him $20, but he’ll get more when my pay comes in. I am studying Japanese for fun. I am a graduate student now working in ecology. I used to be a classics major. I have always had a love of language learning, but wanted to tackle a spoken language. I also believe that our thoughts are limited by language, and so by learning language we are able to think about things in new ways. This inspires me to tackle a language of a different origin. I am a casual learner and am doing this slowly for now. My other work consumes so much of me that I often push language learning aside for other activities. I will also occasionally do this if I have binged on the language learning for a while. Languages are fun, if it becomes a task that you begrudge you are doing it wrong. I don’t want this to happen with Japanese. I don’t necessarily aim for fluency, I just like having a hobby that I can put something into and out of which I can get something in return. I have not been to Japan. I am in love with Northern forests and tea. This has in turn led to an interest in Japan. When I finish my masters I plan to visit Hokkaido. That’s all I have for now. I am not a fish.