Part1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Even though I have a Hispanic mother, I did not learn Spanish from her.

My parents had somehow believed that talking to young children in different languages would confuse their minds, and therefore would be bad for their growth.

What nonsense, I told them a million years later 🦕

But, they were very encouraging about me studying English at a very young age.

This was the age of economic prosperity in Japan.

Most mothers didn’t have to go to work and stayed home as full-time moms and their children participated in many extracurricular activities after school; every type of sports, piano, Japanese calligraphy, soroban (abacus), etc.

Since they knew I was interested in English, they decided to put me into a local English Club for children.

I think I was in the second or third grade at that time.

Once a week, I went to the community center and learned basic English with drawings, games, and singing with a small group of kids.

I learned the English alphabet with the one and only “The ABC Song.”

Again, I loved singing English songs.

I don’t remember much but I remember singing “Ten Little Indian Boys” over and over again, basically teaching me how to count to ten.

One little, two little, three little Indians🎵

Then, there was a song I became obsessed with: “BINGO."

There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o🎵

B-I-N-G-O🎵

B-I-N-G-O🎵

B-I-N-G-O🎵

And Bingo was his name-o🎵

I don’t think I was able to sing it perfectly at that time but I loved singing it.

I could read my ABCs but I wasn't capable of reading actual words yet.

But, this experience certainly built my very basic ability for future learning.

To be continued...

(The picture is from the Yamaha website, the song list of songs in English for children)

✔Corrected