I'm Alison, and I am very excited to be taking Japanese for the first time this semester! I became interested in Japanese for many reasons. Even though many people don't realize it at first, I'm actually half Asian, and part of that is Japanese. I have always been really interested in my heritage - my Dad's side of the family descended from Asian immigrants who moved to Hawaii generations ago to work the sugar plantations. We go back there to visit family a lot, and it is a place where it is possible to experience a bit of many different Asian cultures. I learned to love Japanese food very fast, and I also became interested in the history and the culture, and of course the language. I've tried to study it independently before, but I know I will have much more success in a classroom setting! Another reason I chose to take Japanese is that I've studied Spanish all throughout middle school and high school, and while that has been absolutely fantastic to learn a whole new language and culture (I loved it a lot), it is so similar to my own language and culture that I am ready to explore something completely new and different. There's been so much focus on western civilization in school thus far, so I'm excited to start discovering the world outside of that realm. I can't wait to get started!