I have really enjoyed reading everyone's answers to this post!
It really is very satisfying to find oneself able to read and understand things that used to look utterly incomprehensible.
As a language teacher, learning Japanese has also made me much more empathetic with my own students. I now understand how easy it can be to always mix up the same two words or make the same mistake over and over again.
I'm also very glad to have discovered so many amazing communities and resources (like renshuu, which is truly the best thing since sliced bread) and to have met so many amazing and fascinating people, like teachers and other students.