A 10 yen penalty

Nico: When me and MJ started to date, we used half Japanese and half English. But as MJ's Japanese got better, we weren't using English much. Then, my English started getting worse. And MJ's Japanese got fluent. 

In the first place, I don't use English well in spite of studying hard for a long time. Hm, lots of Japanese write English better than speaking though. Even though lots of Japanese don't use English basically. Well, maybe you already noticed what I want to say. Yes, after I write these blogs, MJ checks my English and corrects as little as possible. 

When we started to live together in Japan, we decided to use Japanese and English every other day. Besides, we decided to pay 10 yen as a penalty for using English on a Japanese day or Japanese on a English day per sentence. Because when we had long distances between Australia and Japan, after MJ went back home finishing her study as an exchange student, we did same thing on skype everyday. But it didn't work. We couldn't continue it. There are lots of people who say `if you get foreign girlfriend/boyfriend, you'll become to be able to use her/his language'. I don't believe it. Because, human beings choose easy way over hard one.

Anyway, we started it again with penalty. 

At first, we did it well. Though we got lots of 10 yen coins in a piggy bank.

But again ! We realized that we couldn't continue it. MJ's Japanese got more fluent. She is working in Japan. So if we started to talk in English, it changed to Japanese without us noticing. We didn't realize we forgot to pay 10 yen for penalty.

I was worried about my English when MJ's mum and one of her mum's friends came to our apartment while their holidays from Australia. I couldn't talk much with them in English. I'm really glad they were so kind. They talked to me slowly, easily and had patience with my terrible English.

  

We started it again before meeting MJ's friends while on our Christmas holiday in Tokyo (they also stayed in Tokyo for their holiday). I know you already guessed it. I couldn't talk with them in English and I couldn't understand what MJ and they were talking about. So they changed to speak in Japanese later. Thank you!

Yesterday, me and MJ met MJ's friend, who she has known each other since they were children, and her fiance. I asked MJ to tell them my English is not so good. What kind friends MJ has! 

Now I am using only English. Me and MJ decided to talk in English only. In May, the other MJ's friends will come to Japan. I want to get my English better before then.

Besides, we sent contract to agent for helping to apply my immigration visa to Australia just before. I want to talk MJ's mum, family and friends in English fluently same as talking in Japanese. 

By the way, do you know people change their personality with what language they use? But maybe that's only for people who are truly fluent.