[twoquestions]

I took Japanese in college, and the worst thing wasn't the writing system, vocabulary or grammar. They were hard mind you, but far from impossible, nothing flash cards couldn't fix.

What was (and is) very hard for me is how (in general) the bulk of Japanese communication happens in what is unsaid. Even trying to work through patio11's Stockfighter course, I found it very hard to 'read between the lines' in what he was saying to find out what I was supposed to do. I also have zero low-level programming experience, so that probably didn't help.

I hope Duolingo mentions this and has training for "what do they really mean", as trusting what they say at face value seems like a good way to cause an incident. This may also be useful in understanding American Southerners or cop dramas, where direct communication is strictly verboten.

[Cerium]

I met my wife because sometimes I "can't read the air". We were pen pals and she wanted to tell me about a graduation trip she was going on across the country. I didn't know it at the time, but just to be polite she invited me on the trip with her, expecting that I would understand and decline. I didn't, instead I accepted! We went on an amazing trip and fell in love.