Greetings everyone,

I got my membership up and running this morning (yay) so I wanted to drop in and say hello!

I’ve toyed around with the idea of Learning Japanese for some time. But I always ignored the desire, telling myself it was impractical and not possible. Then about two years ago I became acquainted with an amazing young man in Brazil who is now a fast friend. He is fluent in several languages and has been a source of inspiration to me when it comes to learning, language and the value of having a deeper understanding of other people and cultures.

Lately I have been thinking about some of the things I want to accomplish in life. And it suddenly hit me. What am I waiting for? There will never be a better time or place to pursue my goals.

So…..here I am. And these are my reasons for learning Japanese:
1. I have had an interest in Japan for many years. It’s people, history, culture, art etc. I feel like the time has come to stop the casual dabbling and actually take the time to learn about Japan. Learning the language seems like perhaps the best way to start.
2. I hope to travel to Japan with a good friend (mentioned above) in another 4 or 5 years from now. It seems to me, that gives me a very good reason to study the language.
3. One of my life goals is to become fluent in a foreign language. Considering my interests. Why not learn Japanese?

I am just an ordinary guy, living in Southern Idaho! I operate a Landscape Management company (did I mention I am super interested in Japanese Gardens?) which keeps me somewhat busy in the summer time. In my time off I enjoy playing video games, reading books and starting alot of pencil drawings I never finish.

I’m looking forward to getting to know you all, and being part of the TextFugu community.

Cheers!
Matthew