I was in the Parisian metro yesterday night and for the first time I felt that my japanese learning paid off !!
I met a group of japanese tourists who happened to be a bit lost (they printed the map on A4 papers and they had no sim card). I made the first move and greeted them and asked them if they are doing a Europe trip.
I got nihongo Jyouzu’ed which I answered with a mada mada desu ahahah.
After a bit of small talks about the best touristic spots to see in Paris I helped them to find their way to their hotel and also helped them with their luggage (an old lady was in the group so I took care of her luggage, parisian metro have no escalators/ elevators).
After wishing them a pleasant Paris trip in front of the door of their Hotel the old lady gave me an Omiyage from Hokkaido !! (shiroi Koibito langue de chat au chocolat blanc, soooo yummmmm).
I really wish that I helped them feel safe and welcome in my country/ city, Paris syndrome is a thing after all.
For the first time I felt that learning japanese really had a positive impact in my life (after dedicating 3 hours of my everydays for 2 years, what an investment). It really felt good to speak without hesitation with japanese people. And also it felt good to be able to interact with people from a different culture/ language. I could’nt speak a single word of japanese one year ago and today I’m finally confident enough to engage a conversation with strangers.
If you ever felt that the time you’ve spent learning japanese was pointless, trust me it’s not, keep pushing. Japanese language is humbling me on a daily basis but there will be that one day when you will feel great about the level you’ve reached.
I’m really looking forward for my november japan trip and I hope I can talk with a lot of locals in the countryside.
Thank you for reading me have a nice day !
