Becoming Conversational

In December I flipped my sleep cycle to be on Japan time and started spending hours each day in VR in an attempt to Live Remotely. Thanks to you, my days were spent speaking with people in Japan and Mexico to simulate immersion. It may seem minor but introducing me to your friends allowed me to work on my conversational skills daily and I’m forever grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience travel during quarantine.

Learning languages often feels like such a slow process. Sometimes it feels like each new word replaces the last one I learned. Speaking daily helped me realize not only how much more I need to learn before I’m conversational but also how much I've already learned. It’s encouraging. This experience of Living Remotely completely reframed my attitude towards quarantine. Previously, I'd felt like COVID was an interruption I needed to wait out before I could continue with my project. I now realize that I can learn and engage with languages remotely and moving forward, my new goal is to learn as much as possible during quarantine so when it’s safe to travel again, I can take full advantage of the languages I've been learning.

I am now officially back on California time. It’s incredible to have daylight when I’m awake and darkness when I’m sleeping. This week was my first back in college. I've added Japanese and Spanish college courses to my strategy in addition to the tutoring and my independent studies. 

With Mixed Feelings,

Fox Nakai