I've learned Latin language for five years in high school and was determined to learn a spoken language that I could use in the world rather than an academic one like Latin or Greek. Finishing high school, I did not have yet a clue of which language that I'd pursue in college and was in search for which culture I was most interested in. Then, during the summer following high school, I visited a friend that lived in Kyoto for two weeks, getting to eat some of the most traditional Japanese food and visiting several ancient temples and castles. Although the city wasn't modern like where I came from, Kyoto had a very special attraction in its old-fashioned and peaceful atmosphere. That's when I decided that I would learn Japanese in Columbia. Now I enjoy it more than ever as my younger brother is also learning Japanese by himself, having a particular interest in Japanese animations.