Hello!
It seems that I should have said these greetings earlier, but contrary to what I hear about people in general, I appear to be the type that becomes shy and self-conscious in the Internet. Particularly in here, as I'm not a native speaker of neither English and Japanese, and I'm always falling behind in online networks, forums and stuff. Therefore, in advance I say sorry for any inconvenience that I may cause (or have already caused) here.
I'm Brazilian, and currently I'm studying philosophy at university. My interest in Japanese language started as a curiosity born with anime and manga in my childhood, but now I'm really into their culture as I began to practice brush calligraphy (shodou).
The city where I live and was born, São Paulo, concentrate the largest number of Japanese outside Japan, so we have a very traditional way of teaching the language here, which attracts many people who are not descendants as well. However, I believe that as this tradition did not born to meet the needs of foreigners, but to students that grow up speaking the language at home, the barrier between such different languages is not overcame yet. I feel from the materials available in schools, and even among those who study Japanese at university, that something very serious hinders us non-Japanese in this road of learning. I have almost 5 years of study already; the same amount of regular students of Japanese Language at university, and we struggle to keep up a conversation about any serious matter, or to write a good text.
Then, looking for help in the Internet, I found out Renshuu.org, and here I am, truly happier. I find these tools very good for studying, and to know the site is getting even better fills me with hopes. I've been asked to participate in the upgrading of the small details that users can do, and I could not refuse, as I'm very grateful for having this to add to my studies. Even so that I'm not good with these interfaces, neither with the lots of info in the site and forums (in which I fear a lot to raise questions already raised - even in a three-years past), let alone handle all this on my own deficiencies of both English and Japanese languages.
Finally, after this long presentation, I want to thank you all again for this wonderous thing, and though I might be a low profile guy, I look forward for the future in here with you all =)
