Why I learn Japanese

There are many reasons I chose to learn Japanese (at Columbia University).
Since I was very young, I have always wanted to be able to watch Japanese movies and animations without subtitles, especially those by Miyazaki Hayao. So, when I first learned--taught myself--Japanese, I would watch series of animations and movies in Japanese and would mimic any conversation in them. However, because I did not have many chances to meet and talk to Japanese people, I stopped improving and started forgetting Japanese. So, when I started to take a Japanese course at Columbia, I was not able to speak, understand, write and read in Japanese. Yet, I still had the desire to be able to speak in Japanese.
Also, I wanted to take a fun class in my senior year.