Dear, don't listen to that people! When you like learning a language, it stops being tough. When I started to learn Jap.language this summer, I thought that I would never learn kanji. But now I'm learning them gladly. So, just believe yourself and step by step you'll master this amazing language)) good luck!

If you want to learn it, then why do you care about what people are saying? When I started to learn Japanese, everyone said 'Do you think you'll be able to speak Japanese someday? That's impossible!' I've been learning Japanese by myself for a long time, but I'm not good at it yet. However, I enjoy learning it even if my progress is slow. So, it's up to you.

no, don't stop, start learning katakana

Haha, ignore them. The end result will be the same regardless of whether it is hard or not. I personally don't find it hard to understand Japanese grammar. It all depends on whether you persevere through the challenges or not. However, I will say that it is difficult to set up language exchanges with a 12-14 hour time difference. You will have to put aside time on your weekends and wake up at 3-5 a.m. Other than that, pretty easy.