はじめまして。ティーナと申します。Mucho gusto. Me llamo Teena.
Nice to meet you. My name is Teena.
I’ve wanted to speak another language for most of my life, and I recently decided get serious about making that a reality. This is where I chronicle my language learning journey.
If you’re here because you’re learning a new language too: ようこそ！Bienvenida! Welcome!
Featured Posts
Recent Posts
Staying Focused on My Actual Goal of Learning the Language, Not Earning a Degree
I enrolled in this school to study Japanese specifically because they offer an associate’s degree in Japanese. I thought, if I’m going to do the work of studying, I want something to show for it, even if a degree in a language doesn’t necessarily mean fluency. So last Monday, school started. On Tuesday, the teacher for the…
Keep reading
I Just Finished My First Year Studying Japanese in Community College—This is What I Needed to Hear as a New Student
When I first started on this journey to learning the Japanese language, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I was super eager and impatient to just be fluent already, and I did everything I possibly could to race to that perceived finish line. Welp, I’ve survived an academic year (3 quarters) of Japanese classes, and I…
Keep reading
Are College Classes Worth It to Learn Japanese?
I’ve made several attempts to learn Japanese over many years, and those attempts often started with formal classes through a local community college. I tried night classes, but they were after a day at the office and so late (ending around 9pm), that I couldn’t concentrate. In 2020, I made another attempt because the community…
Keep reading
My Favorite Tools for Learning Japanese and When to Use Them
I’ve been studying Japanese in earnest since September 2021, though I’ve made many attempts over the last 10+ years. In that time, I’ve tried dozens (maybe hundreds!) of tools, books, videos, and apps. The journey to learning a new language is not going to be the same for everyone. You have to figure out what…
Keep reading
Tips for Choosing a Tutor and How a Preply Tutor Transformed My Language Learning Experience
Language learners have so many excellent resources to make their journey to fluency as smooth as possible, and I’d say an online tutor might be the most important. Last year, I watched YouTube videos for tips on learning Japanese, and somewhat jp recommends finding a tutor in his how i learned Japanese, and how you…
Keep readingLoading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Below is a small gallery of photos taken during our trip to Japan in 2019. These help me stay motivated to keep learning so I can use my language skills to be more conversational with the locals next time we visit.
Teena Merlan 