Let’s get this clear, yes, I’m a linguist, no I’m not a pro. And I know as a linguist I also have a lot of advantages. But that’s what I want to share with you so you can save time and stress. This is about efficient language acquisition, my friends.
My Japanese language journey started in middle school because I loved Sailor Moon way too much. I started with hiragana because I liked to draw and thought the curly shapes were cute. Don’t hate on me, I was 12. I went on from there to buy some travel books about Japan (you can read my story of how a travel book inspired 12-year-old me to become an expat here). I went on to study Japanese in high school only to be advanced enough to do independent study during class. I had free access to the teachers’ books and found my way to a book by a linguist who opened my eyes to the world I inhabit now.