Honestly it was alright for a while, horrible in the middle but also depended on how many credits I was taking. Some terms I had 12 credits, some 17. Eventually burning items alleviates it to an extent. I still have a lot to go because of some procrastination, but having Tsurukame on my phone makes it a lot easier, and I feel better about items now than I did before, so I can go faster, I guess. I don’t know how long it’s been around, but I really appreciate the Extra Study widget. Became aware of it midway through when it popped up on my dash as I was having problems with the Self-Study scripts not behaving properly, and it’s been a lifesaver!
Thank you all for your hard work and this wonderful resource!
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Thank you! As much as it hurts to look back on it and think about “what ifs” (just turned 23 in April), I’ve finally started recognizing how much work I’ve done & become a little prouder of myself. Thank y’all level 60s for being inspirations.
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Grats, it’s the start of a new journey.
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- I feel the same way about studying Russian. I want to just get Japanese out of the way, somehow, and move on to a language that really excites me. 2. It is interesting about LDS and JapanJapanese. In San Diego we lived just around and across the block from the LDS temple. we knew a pair of missionaries married to Japanese women. I was introduced to the various texts of LDS through their friendship and I respected their accomplishments. But honestly, the whole structure, at least seen from the outside is quite difficult to believe, in my opinion. However, as you know in Japan there are beaucoups of Buddist schools of thought/belief. Maybe like ice cream flavors you will find one you enjoy.
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I’d like to share my experience in solidarity to let you know that you are seen, supported, and understood. (I’m definitely not trying to equate our experiences, or minimize yours in any way whatsoever.)
Being raised as an orthodox Jew, I can definitely understand what a difficult childhood you must have had, as well as how difficult it must have been to break away from it. We were actively discouraged from (and sometimes even punished for) pursuing anything secular—especially going to college. I remember many nights locked in the bathroom so my mother wouldn’t berate me for reading and hiding my books from her so she wouldn’t hide them from me first. I was expelled from the Yeshiva (Jewish school) I had attended for 10th and 11th grades because the rabbis did NOT like the way I was so excited about going to college and were “worried about the influence it could have on the other students”. (Kind of worked out in my favor as I was able to just go straight to college after that.) It’s a miracle the rabbis didn’t find out I was gay, that would have been a complete and total nightmare. Though it sure presented its own set of challenges within my family.
This accomplishment is huge and you should be EXTREMELY proud of yourself. You’ve done amazing work, and having done it under the conditions you described…not many people have the mental fortitude for that. That in itself is worth celebrating.
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Wow!! congrats! your pace is amazing!! I spend a half a month on each lesson XD maybe I need to learn to work like you do!!!
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I have the same feeling. I ended up coming out as bi after leaving but I’m glad they don’t know that bc the looks from others anytime I came back for a special family event (like this past weekend) would kill. I actually had a pretty similar experience in seminary bc of the way I’d challenge them on topics but they didn’t consider expelling me as far as I know 
. Thank you!
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Hearty congratulations on reaching L 60 @fuguranto san 
Kudos to you for overcoming your troubles and making your dreams come true 
Good luck 
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I’m assuming by “Mormon” you are intending to say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which i am a member of and had no such “cult” or “hell” experience. I don’t know where you grew up, because that may have a big play in the culture you were around, but as a child we had several Japanese exchange students, my parents untroduced us to many cultural food, languages, practices, etc. I’ve lived in 4 countries from Europe, the middle east, Africa and Japan and 6 different states and overwhelmingly the people I’ve met from this church are friendly and kind loving people. I even have several gay cousins and it has zero effect in our affections for each other in my family. Sorry to hear you feel so negatively about your childhood, and even our Jewish friend. Your experience surprises me as well, as, culturally, i always thought jews valued education highly, which is why they are overwhelmingly represented in colleges and as nobel prize winners. However, childhood is a very small portion of your lives and as an adult you get to make you own decisions and find your own way. I did want to provide a counterview to the one portrayed about a worldwide church with millions of members as i feel the experience described is very unusual and specific to your family and that they are not behaviors or practices endorsed by the religion itself.
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As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mormon is just an antiquated nickname, I can tell you that there is nothing in the Church that goes against learning other languages or going to other countries. Those are things that maybe overzealous patriotic Americans might preach but that isn’t affiliated with the Church. The principles of family, responsibility, and a solid moral framework are key principles of the Church and these values transcend nationality. I have friends in Chile, Japan, Brazil, and a host of other countries that all view the the Church as a blessing in their lives. I’m sorry that the poster had a bad family situation growing up but that’s not the purpose or aim of the Church. Myself, I do love much of America but like every other country it has its problems, what matters so much more are individual people rather than the nation as a whole. According to my faith, we are all children of God and thus all of inherent eternal value regardless of nationality.
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Thanks for sharing your experience as well!
It really depends so much on the sect and/or community one is a part of. In some communities, usually the reform and conservative communities, and to an extent, the modern orthodox community, education IS valued. In others—and I’m thinking mainly of the various insular orthodox and Hassidic communities—it’s not. Or rather secular education is not. In fact, young men are encouraged to spend their lives learning Torah and many are paid stipends to do so. However, secularism is discouraged.
Growing up I often met other children (mostly Hassidic) who knew nothing of the world outside their communities. They thought the world was limited to New York City, Florida, and Israel. That show on Netflix, Unorthodox, (about a Hasidic Jewish woman flees an arranged marriage in Brooklyn)…that kind of thing is not made up. It really happens, and the Hassidic community in Brooklyn really IS as depicted in the show, no exaggeration. Homogenization is very important in these communities. Anyone who dares to be different or stand out in any way is shunned.
There ARE “kosher” phones which have all of the internet functions stripped out so that all you can do is talk or text, because they don’t want people exposed to pornography or other bad influences. Sex education often does not happen until the wedding night. The pages in my biology textbook in elementary school discussing human reproduction were ripped out. When I found out (in the fifth grade, from another boy) where babies came from, my mother’s main concern was “where did you hear that” and she went down to the school and complained about the boy. (Of course, all THAT did was get me beaten up even more than I was already.)
Boys and girls are kept separate as much as possible. My (female) cousin used to get in trouble all the time because people who did not know us would report to her school that she was “hanging out with boys”. For something as innocent as going to the mall or the movies together.
I definitely 100% agree that childhood is a small part of one’s life and once it is over, we get to find our own way. I’m glad I was able to do so. I was lucky. Or determined. Or both. Not everyone in these communities feels that they can just pick up and leave everything—the support network (however problematic) they’ve known their whole lives—behind. Many spend their entire lives unable to do so, feeling trapped and miserable. It can be really difficult to go against everything you’ve ever known and go out into the world all alone.
I also want to thank you for sharing your own experience. It’s a very important reminder that the bad apples are not the only facet of any given religion—they just happen to get more attention for their bad behavior: there are plenty of lovely and caring religious folks out there who use the tenets of their religion to better the lives of the people around them.
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Thank you, well said.
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I am proud of how you pushed through circumstances that didn’t allow you to pursue Japanese or anything else you wanted. You have amazing consistency. I want to know how you did this! Besides the Extra Study script you mentioned, what other sources did you use to keep everything you learned in your head? Any other source/practice that helped you? I’d love to learn about them to help my own learning 
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