03/25 Lecture Reflection

It was interesting to hear the perspective of someone who had achieved mastery over a second language despite not originally being from the culture of origination. As someone who has lived in the spectrum between two nationalities, I came into language learning with the belief that I'd be able to assimilate just as easily to the culture I was learning about; that it would not be so different from the experiences I had growing up and learning Korean and English. But I can see now that it will probably not be like that with Japanese. But, though I will never be fully fluent in the culture and language compared to that of my english and Korean, Dr. Angles brought up a good point that we don't NEED to assimilate to every culture on the planet. Our identities, and the traditions that helped raise us should be a source of pride and something that distinguishes us from all the others around us. It's a great philosophy that I've honestly been thinking a lot about the past few days, and I've begun to realize that I do not need to put so much stress into "perfecting" my skills enough to assimilate into Japanese culture. Language and identity are fluid, and through the lecture, I feel as if I am beginning to appreciate the things that make me unique more and more.