i finally finished writing back to my japanese cousin's wife. (i only have 1 japanese cousin with a wife.) an actual handwritten letter. the last one i wrote was done on the computer. i get very excited when her letter arrives, even though i know so few kanji that i have to skip most of it. then i spend time using dictionaries to look up the kanji and words i don't know. then i write back. i really mean to write back immediately but i get tired of using the dictionary and i guess it takes me about 2 weeks in total to reply. so with mailing time into consideration, it's 1 letter per month at most. not too much of a burden but yet not enough writing to really help my japapanese improve. and yet, it has gotten my feet wet. at first it was a pain in the ass but then the kanji started coming back to me and the words were flowing out easier. i was happy with the progress since my last reply but it still frustrates me that my native english mind is a full adult but my japanese mind is a child. writing out sentences really helps. when you use a computer, it's a total crutch and your kanji doesn't improve at all. the computer is good for looking up the correct kanji but then you must write it by hand.

i also like to read her letters for sentence structure ideas. what is exceptable. what is eccentric. sometimes her sentences are a bit funny. it's not just me who thinks she. she made such a comment and i had my mom read a few lines to confirm it's not the usual way one speaks. though the more i learn about their lives, the more i feel a bit guilty about my own spoiled american life. i have made such comments in my letters because i cannot supress that. i don't want to show off but i don't want to pity them for their situation. things are what they are. she is just happy to write to me, that i answer her questions about life in another country, that i understand her lifestyle (macrobiotic) and lead a similar one (vegan), that i'm a bit strange cool (thank you), etc. i in turn appreciate her kindness, her ability to draw well (her letters of full of drawings), her marriage to my cousin (i'm glad he's mature and has found someone), etc. i know she will never read this but this is a small thank you to her as well as a little mark to note my brushing up on kanji. perhaps in one year's time i will look back at this and remark on my progress.