～て初めて・～をはじめ: It wasn't until.../Such as...

Introduction

It wasn't until I started working out, that I realized how easy it is to rip your pants. And oh boy, have I been ripping through pants like crazy! It seems like every other day, I'll bend over, and whoops, there goes my jeans. I didn't think... I didn't think it would all go to my butt.

Today's lesson is all about "Not until doing X", and then we'll follow that up with an entirely unexpected second section. Let's get to it!

～て初はじめて: It wasn't until I started MaruMori that I realized how awesome I am

構成こうせい

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  て form verb (て) + 初はじめて
  Example:
  → 日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうして初はじめて、言語げんごの魅力みりょくを感かんじました。
  "It wasn't until I started studying Japanese that I felt the allure of language.”