Hi, I’m Ietta - An American Living in Japan (Easy)

Hi, my name is Ietta!

I have studied a few different languages in my life.
When I was a child, I started to like learning other languages.
In elementary school, I learned American Sign Language (ASL). I often went to the library and looked for books about ASL. I wanted to learn simple words.
In middle school, I had to choose a foreign language class — French or Spanish. I chose French. This was the start of my language learning journey. I enjoyed learning French. It was sometimes difficult, but very fun. I studied French until I finished high school.

When I was in high school, I went on a 10-day trip to Japan with my classmates. I liked the sound of Japanese very much. After I came back home, I decided to study Japanese by myself.

When I was 16 years old, I met a family from South Korea. They wanted an English teacher for their 6-year-old son. I didn’t have any experience yet, but I said yes. Soon, I started teaching other Korean families, too. One of the parents taught me Korean once a week, so I began learning Korean for fun.
Later, I applied to a U.S. government language program. I wanted to study Korean for eight weeks, but the class was full. So I studied Chinese instead. I learned to read words and say simple sentences. For my project, I sang and translated one of my favorite Chinese songs.

I moved from Georgia to Tokyo when I was 18 years old. I went to Temple University Japan Campus. In university, I studied psychology and also studied Japanese. After I finished university, I wanted to become a better English teacher, so I got a master’s degree in teaching.

Now, I live in Japan. I have lived here for more than three years. I use Japanese every day, and sometimes I study French for fun.

Learning a new language is not easy. English and Japanese are very different. The grammar, writing, and pronunciation are all not the same. But one problem is the same for everyone: learning and remembering new words! Every language has many words and ways to say things.

In this blog, I will write about many topics. I hope my posts help you learn new words, grammar, and culture. I want to make learning English fun and useful for you. I hope you feel happy and confident when you use English.
Thank you for reading. Let’s enjoy learning English together!

Difficult Words

Middle school (n.) school for students about 11-14 years old
Foreign language (n.) a language from another country
Journey (n.) the story of learning something something for a long time
Difficult (adj.) not easy
By myself alone, without a teacher or help
Experience (n.) something that you do that teaches you something
To apply to (v.) to ark to join something (program or school)
To translate (v.) to change words from one language to another
Psychology (n.) the study of the mind and behavior
Master’s degree (n.) an advanced degree after finishing university
Pronunciation (n.) the way words are spoken 
To remember (v.) to keep something in your memory
Blog (n.) a website where someone writes short stories
Topics (n.) themes or ideas 
Confident (adj.) to be sure or feel positive about yourself and your ability

Question for you (write in the comments below :)
What languages can you speak?
Why do you want to learn English?