I got to use my (very limited) Japanese skills last week at work. Feels great!

I have been studying for 1 year now and for 8 months have been very inconsistent with it. I got serious about 4 months ago and started sticking to a regular study pattern.

I’m a nurse at one of the clinics in my area. I was seeing a sweet old man who was having trouble hearing and understanding me at times. He was beginning to get frustrated. I said his name to ask him a question and replied with “はい”. I asked him a question in Japanese and he perked up and I could tell there was a smile under that mask. I went through the rest of the medical questions in English then switched and made some small talk while we waited for the provider. He was all smiles by the time the provider came in.

I had been feeling discouraged in my studying with so many other things going on in my life. I felt I couldn’t get it or devote enough attention to it despite sticking to a study schedule. This was a major boost to my motivation to stick this out!

I don’t usually post on Reddit but I felt I needed to share this with others! Have a great day!