(20) Difficulties of the Japanese Language

Miyazaki, May 2, 1926
To Father Rinaldi Filippo

Always my dear and good daddy,

This month's topic is "Practice for a Good Death" [Serenity]. So... I'd like to give you a brief report.

１）

My health is good in every respect, my appetite is good, my sleep is good too.

２）

I am putting as much effort into my studies and work as I can, because it is my duty and I need to set a good example. But as you well know, this pumpkin head is still as hard as ever. Like an Italian loquat, it takes time to ripen! Now I am up to the third volume of my textbook. I have mastered the katakana used by the Japanese National Railways, and have now started to learn hiragana and the standard kanji. Every evening, we have conversations to memorize Japanese sentences and their structure. Sentence structure is really difficult. At lunch or dinner, we draw a kanji from the box, each of us writes a short sentence and presents it in front of everyone. I hope that towards the end of this month, it will be mandatory to speak Japanese in the cafeteria, at least for a short time. Language is an essential tool for the job... we all need to sharpen it... but it's harder than I thought. We should remember this for future generations. As for the children... I'll tell you later.（…） The Sunday school (oratorio) will likely become a daily school, not just on Sundays. Once we can speak the language, and once we can provide the space our teaching method requires, many young people from Miyazaki City will come. We have tried it and are convinced. But first, we need freedom of movement and... funds. Well, God is rich!（…）

Father, please say this to Mother in front of Mary in Turin on our behalf: "Though your children in Japan are not yet able to love you as others do because of their unavoidable circumstances, we want to love you with all our hearts on behalf of those who do not know you, and offer our hearts to you through my hands, becoming people with pure and beautiful hearts that burn with love."（…）

Through prayer, the hearts of our members are with me and with Father.

Yours, Father V. Cimatti