Language Journal: November 25th 2020

 So, COVID wasn't the boon to my language learning I'd hoped it might be. But, then, I imagine just about everyone feels the same way about some goal they made progress on and the relapsed.

I haven't stopped by any means. But, my "extracurricular" activities have been hurting. Crunchyroll has had a very "not my style" kind of season and I haven't made much headway in my manga and LNs. But, I have kept up with the flash cards, and I'll call that a success.

I still browse some news articles in Japanese and have been checking out these random articles on obscure words and their readings. The words themselves can be rare or simply commonly used ones which rarely include the Kanji. I'm not reading the articles for the Kanji so much as the definition. If I can read what is essentially an excerpt from a Japanese dictionary on a regular basis I figure I'm not doing half bad.

But, without the anime and manga to measure myself against and to push, I feel like I've stagnated. It is hard to say if it is true or not. I'm not measuring.

I suppose this is another COVID casualty. Next year was supposed to be the year. Now, it will be at least another year. And maybe even more than that.

I will still go. Eventually. And, later may be better. I have a picky eater for a daughter and a yearning to experience at least a somewhat authentic Japanese experience.

But, the distance from that trip hurts my motivation to push further and harder.