I’ve been learning Japanese and Norwegian through the Duolingo app for the past few months.

Japanese because I lived in Japan for 3 years, about 2 decades ago, and want to sharpen my language skills so I can return one day.

Norwegian because my ancestry is Norwegian and my family line used to all speak Norwegian and English, until my grandfather passed away when my dad was 2. My dad never learned Norwegian, and so neither did I. The line was broken, but I’d like to start up that tradition again. Besides, my dad and I found living descendants of our ancestors in Norway and visited them about a decade ago. I’d love to visit them again and be able to speak in their native tongue this time instead of English.

I’d also like to learn French and German. I took 4 years of French in high school, but it didn’t stick very well, so I want to make a proper effort to learn it again. And I spent 2 years living in Germany and enjoyed the language, so I’d like to improve what little German I learned while I was there.

That sounds like a great pastime. Do you learn through self-study or are you taking a class?

I’m a native speaker, I’ll subscribe to that community and see if I can contribute anyhow 😁