I began my journey in the Modern Languages and Literatures of Kenyon College in the Fall of 2018. I was a freshman, and I’d been taking French for nearly six years; despite this, I still had a pretty limited vocabulary, and I was just barely below the cut for the 300-level advanced French. However, there was no part of me that wanted to retake Intermediate French; I had the grammar, and I could talk, and I knew I could catch up. So, I went to speak to Professor Mortimer Guiney, who was teaching FREN 328 that semester. We chatted in French, and through my limited vocabulary, I expressed that despite my score on the placement exam, I was sure I could excel in his class. I suppose he believed me, because I soon found myself admitted to that class! I wasn’t yet aware that I would earn myself spots in (on paper) too-difficult language classes a few more times throughout my college career.

I began taking Introductory Japanese with Tashiro-sensei that semester; there, I met my dear friend Shanti. We began studying ahead on the material, and we both finished the first-year textbook by December. Then, we started the second-year textbook. Over the course of that spring semester and the following summer, we both studied the topics introduced in the intermediate class, and upon our return to campus our sophomore year, we took the Japanese placement exam to try and test into the 300-level. I was really nervous, and had barely practiced speaking all summer. I got my result from Xie-sensei, now the advisor for my honors project, soon after: “You did really well in the written exam, and based on that result, we decided to place you into 300-level. However, we do have reservations about your speaking.”

I was torn between elated and ashamed—I wanted to be perfect! There was no question of whether I would take the 300-level, but I was extremely nervous. Looking back, I kind of chuckle. I’ve come to understand myself and my skills in language a little better since then; I now know that speaking is the most difficult part for me, even when I practice everyday. I even have trouble expressing my thoughts out loud in English! Coming to understand this has greatly improved my relationship with myself and my “proficiency” in any given language. I’m an anxious person. I stumble over my words and get stumped on conjugations. I get frustrated when things sound weird, and it trips me up. Now that I know this, I’m better equipped to face things like oral exams, or just talking in class; I know that the best method of studying for me is listening, because listening doesn’t come as naturally to me as reading does. I know to slow down when I speak, and not to worry about saying it perfectly; the first step is just to say what I mean.

I continued taking French and Japanese, and in my junior year I began self-studying Mandarin Chinese. I used the app LingoDeer, which I would recommend to anyone (not sponsored), and I actually was doing fairly well with speaking and listening! I incorporated listening practice into my studies, and when it came to the placement exam for Intermediate Chinese, I felt ready, and I passed! I took Chinese 213 in the fall of my senior year, and I really enjoyed learning how to express myself. I wasn’t able to continue it for the spring semester, but I value the time I spent with Sun-laoshi and the other students in that class.

Also in senior year, I began taking Introductory Russian. I really love this language—it’s beautiful and fun to write, and my professor is a really cool dude. After a year in his class, I really feel like I have a solid foundation in Russian that I can take with me after college; I definitely plan to build some Russian study into my routine. It makes me happy.

I suppose that sums it all up—learning languages makes me happy. I have fun. I love to learn about the world and interact with people and cultures I wouldn’t know otherwise. I’m excited that this journey has brought me to my next phase in life: I’ll be living in Japan for the next couple years teaching English, and eventually I intend to work in translation. The class I took this spring with Professor Hedeen, Literary Translation, has really helped me define what I think of translation and what kind of translator I would like to be. I feel really excited for my career, and I owe it to the Modern Languages and Literatures Department at Kenyon College for where I am now.