Greetings

[MrTotoro]

Hello JREF,
I have been studying Japanese on and off for a couple of years with very minimal success. I lived in Okinawa for 2 years and I recently married to my Japanese wife in October. I want to become more focused in my studies and this forum seemed both interesting and informative. I hope to learn many things from you all and I hope you can learn from me likewise. I'm an open book and once I find a website I like I usually stick with it.

 

[thomas]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Davey]

Welcome to the forum!

Are you planning on coming back to Japan? And how were your experiences in Okinawa?

 

[MrTotoro]

Honestly I loved Okinawa and it will always be apart of me. I did a great amount of community service while I was there. Once a week I would teach english to second graders and on Mondays we would have an adult class that was a forum for english discussion. I am in the US Marines so I don't have a huge say-so where I can go, but I will be trying as much as I can to return. I would love to be stationed in mainland Japan. I want to experience more aspects to their diverse and exotic culture. Also my wife is very attached to Okinawa and I know she will be happiest in Japan. If she is happy then I am happy.

 

[Mike Cash]

It stops being exotic after a while.

 

[MadRabbit]

You lived in Japan for two years and you learned the language 'with minimal success'? Wouldn't that only be if you tried hard to avoid learning? No offence, of course, I'm just curious. : )

Nice to meat you, of course!

 

[Mike Cash]

It is very easy to live here and learn almost nothing. There is a long history of it. Some people seem to take maintaining their state of profound ignorance almost as a matter of pride.

 

[MadRabbit]

But why people do that? Isn't it purpouseless - though maybe unconcious - creation of boundaries, differences? Or just laziness? People tend to do a lot of things that seem to be common, but make no sense to me...