Why I chose Japanese

I have chosen to study Japanese because of my family. My grandmother on my father's side was Japanese, and we have always used Japanese phrases around the house. I studied the language when I was younger, but discontinued it and forgot it all. I would like to travel again to Japan, and to actually be able to communicate with the people there in their own language, as well as speak with my family there.
I expected to remember the Japanese that I learned when I was younger immediately; this has not happened, for the most part. I also studied Chinese, and find myself reaching for Chinese words instead of Japanese words; this has been difficult, especially with the kanji in the textbook. However, I have enjoyed the first few weeks of class and am looking forward to the rest of the semester.