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101 Goals, 1001 Days: Learning Japanese

I’ve been watching anime for a long time and with Netflix including more foreign programs, I’ve been watching more drama shows and reality series as well. Through watching that, I’ve learned some basic Japanese phrase, but it’s not nearly enough to survive a trip to Japan.

When I first met my brother’s girlfriend she was impressed with the phrases I knew. Most of what I know are the oneliners from anime and manga.

Ohayou, konbanwa, hajimemashite, aishiteru, oyasuminasai.

That’s nothing special, right? That’s why I’m slowly expanding my vocabulary with Duolingo. It’s become easier for me to recognize words in sentences, although the sentence structure is still hard to understand. Grammar (no matter what language) has always been my weak point.

I don’t think Duolingo is the perfect tool to learn Japanese. After the first basic lessons, you will learn harder words and phrases which use those words. But they don’t talk about the words used to connect nouns. So the one thing that I’m struggling with, they don’t explain.

Luckily, through my interest, I’ve already bought some books on learning Japanese. Combining these source has been a great way to increase my mastery of the language and I notice that when I’m watching Japanese series, it’s easier to recognize what they’re saying. I still need subtitles to confirm what they say, but I can look away for a second and know that I haven’t missed much.

I hope that by the time we go to Tokyo I will know how to ask my way, understand directions, know how to order food and read a menu.

101 Goals, 1001 Days: Follow on online course

What’s the easiest way to learn something? Through the internet, of course! In my opinion, nothing beats following on online course in your PJs with a pot of tea and cookies to keep those brains active. I’m also a person who learns from people talking to them. I loved following the not-so-interactive classes in university. I would take notes until my hands cramped or class ended.

Over the past years online courses have grown exponentialy. Universities offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for free, or just upload the recordings of real classes. Coursera is probably the most famous one, with classes from Ivy League schools ranging from science to the arts. Earn certificates in your own field or in a new discpline to widen your skill set. Check out MOOC List to find all the MOOCs available, even the ones not on Coursera.

I have a few goals on my list that could benefit from an online course. Learning Python for example. There are tons of ways to learn to program. Codeacademy is another example. I already use Duolingo to learn Japanese. That combined with my interest in anime and Japanese shows (thank you, Netflix, for providing them), and a Japanese sister-in-law, I know I’ll get there.

I have found an online course that I want to follow, even when it has nothing to do with the learning goals on my list, and I want to share it with you. I can’t remember how I found it, but I want to tell you about it, so you can share it with others.

I’m a writer, as you probably know, and I like to learn from other writers. I recently finished On Writing by Stephen King and I have View From The Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman, Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamotts lined up to read. So when I found the online writing course taught by Brandon Sanderson I knew I had to follow/watch it. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s educational. I hope you’ll enjoy it with me

Here is the full play list. Have Fun!

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