When I used to be a Weeaboo

From 17 through 22, Daniel made Japan and Japanese fluency his identity, consuming anime daily and studying with intense discipline. He idealised an anime-like future in Japan, including romantic fantasies about a Japanese homestay student; reality brought awkwardness and disappointment. After living in Japan, the imagined magic faded, leaving him wary of investing years in skills that may lose meaning.

Former Japan idealisation became disillusionment, while memories of intense discipline highlight his current motivational decline.