I first started trying to teach myself Japanese about 2 years ago using a neat website called Livemocha. I actually learned quite a bit, until things started getting busy for me work-wise. I just couldn’t dedicate a specific time each week to study. With that, months passed and I didn’t learn anything new.

I eventually enrolled in a physical language class in Beverly Hills. I’ve been taking classes since fall of 2011. We meet once a week. At the beginning, I was anxious and excited. I wanted to learn everything at once and all too quickly. I tried to jam all of the information in my head without really learning it. After a couple semesters, I started to approach the class in a different way. I was more relaxed about it. I began thinking of the class as more of a weekly meditation; a time for me to get away from the acting and the producing and just people in general. When I began doing that, I noticed that when the teacher asked me questions in class, I was able to answer them with more ease. I suddenly knew things I didn’t necessarily “study”.

I feel that when you are experiencing something new, such as learning a language, it’s important to let it soak in naturally and gradually. Everyone learns at their own pace. Sometimes it is better to learn half of a lesson fully than forcing the full lesson in one session. So my best advice for those of you trying to learn a foreign language is to take it easy and take it in as it comes to you.