Language Progress 1

  I have been using the website TextFugu.com so far.  They provide the first "Season" for free.  I will decide if I want to purchase further seasons after I finish this one or try another site or books.

  Right now I am learning the Hiragana alphabet.  I have learned to recognize and write the vowels and the ka column.  I can recognize the sa column but am having trouble remembering them.  I still have more work to do before I can move on.

  I finally realized that my issues with the sa column were due to me trying to learn them differently than the first two.  For the vowel and ka columns, I deviated from the curriculum and copied each column on a pad of paper repeatedly like we did in grade school learning the alphabet.  For the sa column I relied on the online flash cards. 

  I have found that flash cards are good practice, but they only really help after I have repeatedly copied the characters.  I can go through the flash cards and learn to recognize them there, but if I go back to a blank sheet of paper and write them down I might get 2 or 3 right.  Learning to recognize a pattern and being able to replicate it are two different things.  I am sure if I did enough repetition on the flash cards I would learn them eventually, but just 3 minutes spent copying the kana repeatedly on a piece of paper did more than 15 minutes with the flash cards. 
  Right now, my practice routine is to spend a few minutes copying the alphabet or using online flash cards when I take a break at work and while I'm watching TV at home.  My progress is slower than I would like, and seems slower than the curriculum allows for.  I think I'm supposed to be done with the alphabet by now and moving on to words.  This may be due to some residual neurological issues from something that happened to me when I was a kid.

  I am hoping to have the alphabet learned by Monday, (it's Thursday today) but that may not happen due to a business trip that just popped up.