So, why would the Ramen Guru study Japanese?
Well, as a Venezuelan born in the United States, my first language was Spanish. I learned English when I moved up north, and from there I began to improve both languages. Yet, my older cousin down in Miami was really interested in anime (Sailor Moon being her favorite), and as the influential little girl that I was, I grew to love anime, too.
My love, more than anything, went to Pokemon for the first six years. I played the games (as I still do), collected the cards, watched the shows, and I even bought the merchandise! I could never stop admiring the people whose brilliant minds had created this masterpiece!!
After that, my love swelled even more as I discovered my Achilles' heel: RAMEN. As an only child for sixteen years, I was often home alone right after school. My cooking skills were dismal, and after yeas of sandwiches, I need something else! I was introduced to this elixir of life, and that pushed me down the road to other ramen lovers, namely Naruto the protagonist of ナルト! As I read more and more manga, I really aspired to read these stories in their native creation, and so I here I am taking my first Japanese class at Columbia Univeristy!
I am so excited because I have been studying Japanese for many years on my own, but my skill only got me as far as reading and writing kana and kanji. My prowess for comprehension and oral skills is not all that great yet, and that is what makes this class difficult so far. I always need to ask for repeats (もういちどきいてください). Despite that, I study as best as I can, and I have already learned so much! I can not wait until I am a full-fledged Japanese speaker!
~Ramen Guru
