I especially enjoy watching the students progress, usually "from scratch," to being able to read and write not only hiragana and katakana, but about 100 kanji as well. Most students who decide to take Japanese bring an outside interest in Japan or the language. For example, many students from East Asia decide to study Japanese because they have cultural and linguistic ties to Japan. Some students, who don't have that kind of background, are interested in an aspect of popular culture, such as anime or computer games. No matter what the motivation is for students – it can be as varied as "my mother is Japanese" or "I love Sailor Moon" or "I think Japanese will help me in the business world" – they have something that they bring to studying Japanese. It's a hard language, so having something that keeps you going is important.
Did you know that Bethlehem has a sister city in Japan? Tondabayashi, near Osaka, is our sister city, and if you have a free afternoon some day, wander over the river to visit the Garden of Garden. There is a Japanese garden and tea house right next to Bethlehem's public library. Sit by the garden and take a break from your studies – better yet, take your homework and do it there. A bonus in April will be the cherry trees in bloom. The garden, tea house, and cherry trees are gifts from Tondabayashi, our sister city.