Living in Japan- Why I've Started to Study Japanese Whole- Heartedly

In this article I'll talk about what sparked my interest to study Japanese again, regularly.

The Truth

If I'm being completely honest, the coronavirus is what made me want or NEED to study Japanese again. My husband and I were thinking about moving somewhere, ANYWHERE that was outside of Japan lol. No, but really, we wanted to move to an English-speaking country. We wanted to have a better life. We wanted better working conditions, and I personally wanted to start my healthcare career again.
Well, everything happens for a reason I suppose. If I were working in healthcare at this time, it would be pretty much be a battle every day I assume. Anyway, we wanted to leave Japan. But now, seeing as how most flights are cancelled, or even if they aren't cancelled, this isn't exactly a good time to travel let alone move. So, therefore we are... not stuck in Japan, but we will be here for the unforeseeable future. That's only my opinion of course.
We’ve decided to stay in Japan for at least three more years. It may be more depending. If nothing else, I hope that we can get back to the city. You know, Tokyo. A little more English is allowed in Tokyo, but still not enough for me to have a healthcare career.

My Studies

Since I know I will be in Japan for quite a long time, I feel that I NEED to study Japanese. I really don't know if I could ever go home or not. I don't know what will be left of the US after this is said and done. My favorite candidate Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the presidential race…again. Now, Joe Biden is the forerunner of the Democratic Party. I really don’t know if he has a chance against Donald Trump. Even though Donald Trump is an elitist. I feel like all hope is gone. So, either way, I really don’t know if I will return to the US.
BUT, I'm in Japan NOW, and I don't know what will happen. I'm worried we may lose communication with other countries. I'm a conspiracy theorist. Anyway, I'm here so I should study. I don't know how long I can keep working in a nursery. Plus, with the virus, I don’t truly know how long my school will stay open. I want to learn Japanese so that I have some chance of working from home.

What I'm Using to Study

I'm trying to take a different approach this time around. I'm continuing to study on Duolingo. Which I will continue to recommend. It forced me to start studying Kanji, and sentence structure. I have, however, added an N5 textbook to learn new Kanji, and to see what will be on the test. My husband will make a Kanji test, which I'm looking forward to. I've also started to watch child animes on Netflix. I can catch most of the words and read some of the Kanji already. Sometimes I can listen for the word and learn new Kanji. And sometimes I can read the Kanji if I don’t yet know the word. I put the speed at 0.75 so it's not impossible for me to hear and read LOL.

I do hope that this time I can continue to study. I want to be able to do everyday things alone. I want to go to the doctor alone. I want to volunteer at a hospital, I want to be able to go shopping and ask questions. It's the little things that truly matter.
Plus, like I said, I want to work online. Ever since I moved to Japan, I have disliked working as a teacher. Preschool has been a little better for me. But it’s truthfully not the job itself, but more the people I have encountered at these jobs. I think it's a Japanese thing, but eventually if you are not Japanese, that type of environment starts to wear on you. In my opinion, its best to stick with the foreign staff.

Good luck on your Japanese studies. If you're quarantined it could be something to help you pass the time. Have fun!