For about three hours I studied, wrote out, and flash-card-ed(?) the "ka ki ku ke ko" of Hiragana and the "a i u e o" of Katakana. I've decided that it's best if I stick with Hiragana for the time being, so as to not confuse myself (even more so). It makes sense to do this because Katakana is just for foreign words. Baby steps.

For kicks, by looking at the Katakana chart, I was able to figure out how to spell and pronounce my name. I double checked with a website, and I was right! "エバン ホワイト,"or in it's romanji, "e-ba-n ho-wa-i-to."

I also watched a couple of youtube videos on Japanese pronunciation, just to make sure I was as spot-on as a beginner could be, and all these years of pretending to speak engrish have definitely paid off. I also downloaded an English-Japanese DS application from Japan, which seems incredibly intuitive. However, I don't want to get ahead of myself and my limits, and I need to make sure I have learned and memorized both of the symbol sets before going any further.

I came to terms with the fact that even after I learn the Hiragana and Katakana symbols, I'll still have no idea what I'm saying. There are tons of symbols beyond the Hiragana and Katakana groupings... let's not even get to grammar and all the different rules of the language! It's daunting, but a challenge I've accepted heartily. It's been incredibly rewarding, and I really don't know why I haven't started teaching myself sooner. However, I need to maintain this optimism, and study/practice every single day. Even for just a little bit, every day. Leaving off where I did last night, then hanging out with Alex today, then starting my Japanese practice at 6:30 showed me that I can definitely have a life while studying, but I need to set aside time every single day.

Evan, you can do this, and even if nobody else believes in you, I do.