Next year I'm going to Japan for about 3 weeks. I don't aim to be fluent, I don't want to pass exams, I won't be reading anything other than street signs and I have very realistic expectations about how much I can learn during just one year.
I'm currently probably around N4-N3 level for listening and N10 for speaking. I'm doing lots of input from varied content, reviewing Anki almost every day and doing some dedicated grammar study. It's coming along rather nicely and I'll be feeling very comfortable after a year of doing that.
My main problem is speaking, which I don't do yet. Krashen said to delay speaking and that it should come naturally but what does he know, right? So I thought of a plan prepare me for this trip: start shadowing 9 months before the trip and then for the last 3 months add a native speaking partner/teacher. I figure this way will maximize my results while also lowering my anxiety and pressure to speak a language that I don't feel comfortable in.
What do you guys think? Am I crazy or is this going to work?
by 2hurd