I love learning languages. I speak Mandarin Chinese as my native tongue, English as my second language, and I picked up a little Cantonese while I worked in Hong Kong this summer. Different languages enabled me to communicate and make friends with people from various cultures, and the different perspectives and ways of thinking that came along with languages are what I am truly grateful for. Therefore, I really wanted to learn a third language in my college years. I chose Japanese because I am interested in Japan's history, philosophy, and economic development. Growing up in China, I found it fascinating how Japanese culture shares a lot in common with my culture but also differs from it in many ways. By learning Japanese, I hope to more critically examine Japan as a nation as well as East Asian cultures as a whole. Besides, I went to Japan last summer and this summer, and made many Japanese friends - hopefully the next time I meet them, I will be able to converse in their langua...