Ten years off and on…that’s how long I’ve spent studying Japanese. It’s a language that I never sought to study. Somehow, it found me. I taught in Japan for 2 years, had a Japanese ex-boyfriend, and a number of Japanese friends. So, at least for the few years of my language journey, I had a reason to speak the language. I also had the benefit of being a beginner. So, no one had high expectations of me, and I didn’t have them of myself. I was able to move along learning at