I’ve gotten to the point where it is now more difficult for me to speak English for long periods of time than it is for me to listen to simple Japanese. In fact, if I am able to just keep repeating what I know in Japanese, it’s probably easier for me to speak Japanese! That’s strange, right?

I also found that different types of conversations seem to work different parts of my brain. A conversation with a child, for instance, seems to activate different connections inside my brain than one with an adult. Switching back and forth between the two styles of speaking isn’t easy either.

Difficult in terms of holding your attention?

As an adult, I can regulate my attention with no problems. My short-term memory, though, was overtaxed and started to exhibit almost exponential decay. The first lesson I taught yesterday, I could begin and end almost symmetrically; by the last lesson, I was beginning to forget what I said in my previous sentence. It’s slightly scary.