안녕하십니까/こんばんは!

[megsky]

Hello, everyone! My name is Meghan. I'm a 23-year-old from Pennsylvania (U.S.)

Language learning is something that I'm...passively (?) passionate about; that is to say, I've always liked the idea of learning, and I've made many attempts in the past, but I always wind up losing motivation. It's a little difficult to find resources in this area, which isn't very culturally diverse, and I currently don't have the necessary funds to spend them all on expensive learning equipment. However! That doesn't mean I've given up entirely, as I've managed to save up enough for actual Genki textbooks for Japanese language learning, and spend a good deal of time surfing the web for helpful sites geared toward language learning, or blogs geared toward linguists who wish to apply their love of language to actually learning to language.

Yes; I'm guilty of reading more about language and language learning, than actually learning.

Anyway! I'm hoping to increase my skills in both Korean and Japanese, at least enough to be able to read and watch shows/movies/manga/books in their native language. While I hope to one day visit both South Korea and Japan, I'll be satisfied with just that much. My goal here at the forum is to learn and share tips with others who are also struggling with language learning, as well as (hopefully) make a few friends with the same interests!

[GingerCat]

Hi Meghan, I'm 23 too. Welcome to the forum. You are ambitious with wanting to learn Korean and Japanese!

I hope that you find it a good place to learn and socialize with others who are into language. I am finding it a fun place to hang out.

 

[megsky]

1 hour ago, GingerCat said:

Hi Meghan, I'm 23 too. Welcome to the forum. You are ambitious with wanting to learn Korean and Japanese!

I hope that you find it a good place to learn and socialize with others who are into language. I am finding it a fun place to hang out.

 

Hello, there; thanks for the kind welcome! 

I see that you're currently studying French? I took four years of French in high school, but I've forgotten over half of what I've learned, by now. I've always meant to brush up on my skills, but that motivation was swept under the rug when my current interests took hold, aha. Do you have any end goals for your language learning?

[GingerCat]

Meghan, I studied French in high school too. I enjoyed it and really paid attention, but I did not study it in college, so I too have lost a lot since then. I am now trying to brush up and improve. I would really like to become fluent eventually, but my next goal is to learn enough to feel that I could confidently get around Paris and really immerse myself in the culture. I feel that that would also help me to become fluent. My hope is that after I have studied some more here, I will have saved up enough money to go and live in Paris for a month or two.

[megsky]

I think everyone yearns for immediate fluency, but aiming to be able to comfortably converse in a native setting is a far more obtainable goal in a short amount of time. Even if your conversational skills are still a bit rusty, I'm sure most locals will appreciate your effort, anyway. Good luck, and have fun in Paris! I'd love to travel there one day myself, so I truly hope it's an enjoyable experience for you.