"A few months ago, I started Japanese lessons with Nami-san over Skype. Before that, I had been learning Japanese for a while on my own, mostly through immersion and a little bit of studying on the side. I'm not at a very high level, but when I started lessons I already knew a fair amount of vocabulary and basic grammar and was already able to understand some of what I was hearing or reading when watching Japanese TV or movies, or listening to music, or reading manga so I wasn't a beginner to start with. What I couldn't do, however, was speak. Not because the words weren't there but because every time I'd try, I would just freeze up. Partially because of shyness, but the biggest problem was simply a terrible fear of making mistakes in Japanese. Not only has my Japanese understanding level improved a lot since I started lessons with Nami-san, it's also much easier to express myself now! I am still a somewhat shy person, but I am so happy to say that I don't freeze up in the same way anymore. Naturally, I still make lots of mistakes - and I've learned to be OK with that! It's a natural part of the learning process, and I have to thank Nami-san for helping me to realize that, and also for bringing me out of my shell by patiently encouraging me to express myself in Japanese! I really enjoy the lessons a lot! Thank you Nami-san!"
