Why Japanese?

Growing up in Oklahoma City, the cultural epicenter of, um, Oklahoma (yeah, sorry Tulsa), meant that I was constantly exposed to all sorts of interesting people from around the globe  ...Texas. And people from Kansas who wanted to go to Texas. Yes, it is true; the Sooner state is a melting pot, demographically speaking.

 Am I being sarcastic?

...


Oh fo'sho.

No one comes to Oklahoma, not even those from other areas of the country (unless Uncle Sam tells them to). The global citizen has no business here - there is no international transportation hub, financial market, or Disneyland to spice up Oklahoma's lack of cultural diversity. And in a strange way I think I can attribute my interest in Japanese to growing up in a culturally *deprived environment. It's a cause and effect relationship I suppose. There is something interesting to me about the concept of foreign, defined by me as "different in a million-plus ways" from what I knew coming up in the homogenous Great Plains of America. Those who grew up in global cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York, may not be able to understand, but I am sure those from the Minot, North Dakotas of the country can relate.

But why specifically do I want to learn Japanese? Well, I do plan on visiting, so I hope that is a good specific reason. Also, when I was in the Air Force, there was always the potential I could actually live there which I hope is another justifiable reason. But honestly, I think my infatuation with Japan comes from a combination of things: my interest in its pop culture, my perception of the country as technologically prominent, and this: 

Oh and maybe this too:

Actually, that last photo brings up another point; I worked at a sushi bar for a few years and I was required to know the names of the menu items in Japanese. I guess you could say I had an unfair head start in Nihongo 101 amirite? Imagine walking around Japan knowing only how to say "salmon" or "yellowtail"? That might actually turn into a good time, I don't know. So while I don't have an awesome story to back up my interests in Japanese, I will say that I am excited to start learning the language. 

The hardest part for me so far, and something I hope to cope with going forward, is listening to and comprehending Japanese as it is being spoken (unless it is being spoken particularly slow). To work on this, I set Siri on my iPhone to speak in Japanese, which is helpful and convenient, because she doesn't mind repeating herself over and over and over (Sorry Siri-san, but sometimes I don't know WTF you're saying.). 

*I'm being a bit harsh. Oklahoma City isn't that culturally lopsided. It even has it's own asian district, which has primarily a Vietnamese population. So there.