I wanted to add that this "schedule" of mine has been going on for more than 15 years now. I have always tried to be active in the community I live in. I believe in volunteering for the community that I live in. I have coach Little League Baseball, coached ES and JHS boys and girls basketball teams, I am also involved in helping with the town festival and helping to make the rope for the annual tug of war that we have.

When I came back here I "needed" verbal skills more than reading or written, I had a choice of sinking or swimming, and I choose to swim. In comparison I may be the reverse of the average Japanese person that may be functionally literate in reading and writing English but nearly totally illiterate in spoken English.

I made a conscious effort to learn to communicate in Japanese, I always figured that I could learn the reading and writing part later. When I first got here there were no computers or "internet" to assist in learning the language, that came later. I had no need whatsoever to read or write the language as I had others available to do that for me if it was needed. All I needed to concentrate on was speaking the language, I had a family to look after and that took number one presidence.

I am not sorry that I did it in any other way. Maybe I could have found more time in the past but to continually look to mistakes in the past does me no good in preparing for me and my families future. It may take me until I am 100 to be "functionally fluent" in reading and written Japanese, that is a goal I still have. Notice please that I purposely did not write "dream" because it isn't a dream of mine it is a goal, that I work at, at my pace, every day. I just have too many other things on the platter right now to make it a priority.

I ask this question only, I open this question to any and all which would you choose....."If you had a choice of being able to fluently read and write a language or fluently speak the language which would you choose?"

I will as I always try too as well, respect everyones thoughts and opinions on this question. Thanks for "listening"

Actually I am going to start a new thread and poll asking people to respond to this. Thank you I am going to use this thread as a reference as well.