It’s surprising that six years have already passed since I started studying English again. I vividly remember my buried passion for English reemerging when I saw a YouTube video of a bilingual Japanese lady traveling around the world using English fluently and effortlessly.

Before I knew it, I was drawn in, and studying English quickly became part of my daily life.

In the first three years, I was obsessed with exploring all the new ways of studying that didn’t exist when I was a student, like taking online lessons, watching YouTube videos created by native speakers, and listening to podcasts.

There were days when I felt like I was really improving, but there were also days when I completely lost confidence. It was like an emotional roller coaster back then.

However, about four years into this journey, something changed. It felt like English was no longer something outside of me that I was trying to grasp. It started to feel like the language had been embedded in me.

I suddenly started to actually enjoy reading English books, and began learning more naturally rather than constantly seeking new learning methods. Now I don’t feel overwhelmed when I encounter new words or confusing phrases. I tend to get a thrill that there’s something new I can learn, and there is no shortage of these thrills!

Looking back, I feel like everything I’ve done was necessary, even though I felt I was not making any progress at that time.

Most importantly, the greatest treasure has been the unexpected gifts along the way, discovering what I love and meeting amazing people.

They mean even more to me than the language itself!