I never claimed to be perfect.

On Monday and Wednesday evening I have Japanese language class, which I look forward to all week.

I learned Spanish during a year long trip in Central America back in 2007 and then studied Hindi before traveling to India in 2009; but I haven’t done any language studies in almost eight years and parts of my brain are being worked I forgot existed. You see, two languages are spoken in the neighborhood where I live in Alaska; english and silence. I speak the latter more often than anything.

Because I am studying so much I have to sleep more than normal for my weak brain to recover. And I am eating like a soldier after a year away from home, taking long baths twice a week.

Dozens of Japanese films and cartoons line the windowsill. Flash cards in Hiragana are spread across the yoga mat on the floor. Checked out books from three different libraries are on tables in both bedrooms and the living room. I am an extreme person, so my friends have told me; and I am diving as deep into Japanese culture as I can.

I don’t have a big trip planned or a career route laid out in politics, international business or trade; I don’t want to graduate and move to Japan to teach english. I really don’t know why I am studying the language other than the fact that I have always admired the script and greatly respect Japanese people and traditions. I mean, c’mon! They invaded Alaska! They attacked us in Pearl Harbor! They could not be dominated so we dropped bombs on them! The warrior in me respects their grit, loyalty and tenacity. The artist in me respects their incredible talent. The movie watcher in me is blown away by their films. The simple minded Alaskan in me, who speaks more silence than any other language, loves their poetry and paintings. I do want to spend time in Japan, so I will continue to learn the language and admire the ancient culture.

The other day I was getting bored studying Hiragana notecards so I drew a picture for my mind to drift away somewhere else as I studied. (I am not a visual artist! But I do have fun!) That inspired me to go deeper…because like I said, I’m extreme. Sometimes good, other times bad.  So I went to Olyphant downtown and picked up some watercolors and a sweet little notebook to start painting.