開始（かいし）

こんにちは！

はじめまして。ホワンです。よねんせいです。どうぞよろしく。

Those words, with the slightest tinge of regret, marked the beginning of my official foray into the world of Japanese language and culture. Regret, at not having done so earlier; regret, at the semesters of Japanese I could have experienced and, hopefully, absorbed. As they say, however, better late than never, and so here I am. You may have noticed I used the word "official"...let's just say I have a substantial interest in manga (Monster), animes (Eureka Seven, Code Geass, Death Note), Japanese cuisine (sashimi, udon, sukiyaki), and Japanese culture as a whole. I was born and partly raised in Taipei, Taiwan which, as some of you may know, has fairly close ties and cultural connections to 日本（にっぽん）. I speak, read, write Mandarin Chinese fluently, and I can understand and (somewhat) speak Taiwanese, affording me some degree of familiarity with the Japanese language. My family and I have visited Japan on several occasions to Tokyo, Hokkaido, and various other places which I cannot recall at the moment. Suffice to say, the visits impressed me enough that Japan is the first location I recommend to people asking about places to visit.

It is with this level of enthusiasm and respect for the culture that I venture forth on this journey to learn 日本語（にほんご）, with the full realization that this considerable feat may not be completed to any appreciable degree in my remaining two semesters here at the 大学（だいがく）. That said, I fully intend on continuing this learning process post-graduation, and would welcome the opportunity to work abroad, if that is an opportunity I come across along my career.

And with that, I bid you farewell for now. Here's to drowning the hint of regret in waves of progress!

さようなら。

～黄（ホワン）