If yes, how’s it going? What do you like about it? What don’t you like? What challenges are you encountering? How are you approaching it?
I ask because my partner and i both decided last year we would start doing a little language learning in our spare time, and it’s been quite nice to have that “back to school” feeling again after so many years.
For my partner it’s pretty simple: my native language is Romanian and we often visit Romania to see family. As for why Japanese, i think it’s the usual reason why many Westerners get into it: anime. Lol.
For me it’s essentially cultural affinity. I have long had a fascination with Russian culture and history and i want to understand Russia better. I would also like to take trips to Russia at some point, hopefully once things calm down and my government won’t treat me like a criminal for doing so anymore.
As for Chinese, now with China being the rising global power it’s clearly going to become more culturally relevant, and i am beginning to consume more Chinese media, and i would like to get immersed in the culture through the language. And visiting China is also definitely on my list, just like my partner wants to visit Japan.
Also, i think it’s just a fun challenge. The languages are so different that it’s almost like exercising completely different parts of my brain. They’re also in language families that i haven’t learned before and i thought that would be more interesting than learning yet another Romance or Germanic language, which i have done before.
I’m not expecting to become very proficient in either, just enough to get by as a tourist. In the meantime it gives me something constructive to do in my spare time. I find having that kind of routine is good for mental health.