Showing posts with label learning Chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning Chinese. Show all posts
January 15, 2007
Top 10 Reasons To Learn Chinese
Why learning Chinese is important:
http://whylearnchinese.1monthchinese.com/
What do you think? And if you're already learning, what was your reason?
December 17, 2006
How To Improve My Chinese?
Freezing cold these days! I miss the tropical heat of South Asia. I finally called my mom to asks how she might be spending Christmas this year. Hope she comes to China. She asked about my brothers, whom I haven't heard from either, and so I told her that her guess was as good as mine. Then she asked if my little brother is finally in a class to learn Mandarin Chinese. I told her that I wasn’t sure, last I heard he wasn’t, but that was a few weeks ago. After more talk about hoping to see her come to Beijing one day, we said good-bye and hung up the phone. I was suddenly overcome with a strange feeling of guilt. This time, it wasn’t over making a call I was worried my mom wasn’t going to get, but over my own Chinese skills. After all, I’m the one in Beijing, where they “speak it right.” It’s finally happening, my fears of excess expectation, but instead of my dad, it’s coming from me.
Now that my oral Chinese is better, I get a persistent feeling of the need to improve on it, and I still keep asking myself, “how to learn Chinese?” How to study Chinese in such a way that will take me even further without having to join another Chinese language course.
I’ve heard of schools using Chinese learning software as a modern teaching technique. But which kinds of Chinese learning materials really work, and how do you know which ones work best for you? I think there are too many Chinese schools in Beijing! Not only are there Chinese learning institutions but even universities in Beijing alone offer Chinese language learning programs. Normally people choose schools they hear more about, but lately it’s becoming more evident that not all schools you hear about are great; they just happen to spend more time doing their marketing. So who and how do you know which to trust? I want to improve my Chinese, but am I better off self-studying?
Another part of me is thinking, maybe I should try to learn a different language. Like Spanish! When I told my dad about Spain and my plan, he wasn’t as excited (at all) and said that everyone is doing business in China, and that I must learn Chinese in Beijing, where they spoke the "real" Putonghua (Mandarin)! Well now, I can speak Mandarin, but I still sure can’t speak any business Chinese.
Right now, my baby brother is probably the only one in my family who hasn’t had official Chinese language training in China (like me, he had a useless one outside the country), and so my grandfather, who doesn’t speak Mandarin himself, would constantly tell him to join a Chinese language course to make him learn to speak mandarin. But my brother has actually had his own Chinese crash course lesson whenever he was out flirting and playing with the local Chinese down where we lived. I envy that he seems to be soak up the language faster than I did in the beginning.
Now that my oral Chinese is better, I get a persistent feeling of the need to improve on it, and I still keep asking myself, “how to learn Chinese?” How to study Chinese in such a way that will take me even further without having to join another Chinese language course.
I’ve heard of schools using Chinese learning software as a modern teaching technique. But which kinds of Chinese learning materials really work, and how do you know which ones work best for you? I think there are too many Chinese schools in Beijing! Not only are there Chinese learning institutions but even universities in Beijing alone offer Chinese language learning programs. Normally people choose schools they hear more about, but lately it’s becoming more evident that not all schools you hear about are great; they just happen to spend more time doing their marketing. So who and how do you know which to trust? I want to improve my Chinese, but am I better off self-studying?
Another part of me is thinking, maybe I should try to learn a different language. Like Spanish! When I told my dad about Spain and my plan, he wasn’t as excited (at all) and said that everyone is doing business in China, and that I must learn Chinese in Beijing, where they spoke the "real" Putonghua (Mandarin)! Well now, I can speak Mandarin, but I still sure can’t speak any business Chinese.
Right now, my baby brother is probably the only one in my family who hasn’t had official Chinese language training in China (like me, he had a useless one outside the country), and so my grandfather, who doesn’t speak Mandarin himself, would constantly tell him to join a Chinese language course to make him learn to speak mandarin. But my brother has actually had his own Chinese crash course lesson whenever he was out flirting and playing with the local Chinese down where we lived. I envy that he seems to be soak up the language faster than I did in the beginning.
December 3, 2006
Learning Chinese continuation... (part 3)
I was already attending first Year College in the Philippines then, and although I sort of enjoyed the idea of being somewhere new and far away, I was also a bit skeptical. I knew Beijing meant studying in China, which would mean learning to speak Mandarin once again, and I was really sick of it. I also knew going there to get my degree meant, higher standard Chinese, how in the world could I learn Chinese in one year, when I couldn't in the two years I did before that, and get in college or university! And say I couldn't, then I would've wasted another year, when right then I could've just finished my college degree and try to learn Chinese after I graduated. What to do?! My school was actually good, but my life in Manila just wasn't satisfying, I felt I didn't have enough freedom, and aside from going back and forth to school to my house, I felt like I wasn't learning much about life itself. I could finish school alright, but I knew there were more important things school just wasn't going to teach me about. I guess I was beginning to feel dumb.
Oh, the self-doubt! The fear of not knowing if this decision was right! What if I can't learn enough Chinese to get in school?! For some reason I had this idea that failure meant not being able to go back home, I really honestly felt I had nowhere to go back to if I chose to really do this and failed. I really wished someone would take the decision from my hands and just tell me what to do! This way, if anything went wrong, at least I wouldn't completely hate myself, this way I had someone else to blame my failure on. But nobody came to my rescue! My dad just kept giving me a choice. And others just gave me more doubts, and questions like, “do you think you can do it?” in a tone that said they didn't. I just answered with fear and honesty, “I don't know, I've never tried it.” So scared was I and couldn't even show it. When people doubt you, it's natural to become defensive about the subject. So instead of saying, “no, maybe I shouldn't go,” or “I change my mind, I don't think I can do this alone.” I tried to come up with sentence structures where, the other person is able to take the responsibility of deciding for me not to go, because as the day grew closer for me to move, I got bolder in thinking I shouldn't go. But my pride wouldn’t let me admit it. I wanted someone else to say, “don't go!” and me just agreeing. So one last time, I asked my dad, and explained the burden it might be to have me go, I even gave him options to just have me go to the nearby school that would cost less, and would be more convenient for everyone, that is, if he thought me going to Beijing wasn't the best idea. He said, “it's up to you.” :S My brothers said not to go, they were right, I knew that by going, I would increase expectation and pressure on myself in the future. I was “the one” who went to Beijing, my Chinese should be better than everyone else in the family, that kind of mentality might arise in the future, which would destroy the freedom I so longed for! With a heavy heart I chose to go to Beijing anyway.
In Beijing
It’s funny how you worry most about the little things you normally don’t notice when you’re super duper scared. I remember, my number one problem was figuring out how to get my heavy luggage up to my room alone. Seems stupid now, but I was WORRIED, I knew there was no way I could do it alone, and I had no idea how I was going to get someone to help me nor if I could even find anyone to help out. About a day or so before my departure, my dad asks if I wanted him to come with me (of course I did! The luggage! The luggage!). I said no. Oh dad, why must you ask all the time! Why didn’t you just come with me! Apparently we are more alike than it may seem; we’ve got pride the size of mount Olympus.
Beijing Now
Fast forward to the present. I’ve graduated recently from a Chinese university, and my family wants me to go back home but I don’t. Through the years, there were new challenges, and obstacles to be hurdled while living here in Beijing, but then I would find myself sitting alone in a public bus and silently reflect on everything. And everything just feeling so right. I’m glad I was forced by circumstances to make a decision, and I’m glad I didn’t let fear let me choose against coming to Beijing. I’ve met a lot of interesting and wonderful people. People who make you think maybe you came to meet them. Most of all, I got to know myself in ways that surprise even me. I sometimes wonder how my life would be, and what kind of a person I would be now, if I hadn’t chosen to come.
Another thing, learning Chinese in China, especially in Beijing, was a completely different experience for me than learning Chinese in other countries. I guess I’m one of those people who learn more in terms of being in the actual environment with people who constantly and only speak to you in their native language.
Oh, the self-doubt! The fear of not knowing if this decision was right! What if I can't learn enough Chinese to get in school?! For some reason I had this idea that failure meant not being able to go back home, I really honestly felt I had nowhere to go back to if I chose to really do this and failed. I really wished someone would take the decision from my hands and just tell me what to do! This way, if anything went wrong, at least I wouldn't completely hate myself, this way I had someone else to blame my failure on. But nobody came to my rescue! My dad just kept giving me a choice. And others just gave me more doubts, and questions like, “do you think you can do it?” in a tone that said they didn't. I just answered with fear and honesty, “I don't know, I've never tried it.” So scared was I and couldn't even show it. When people doubt you, it's natural to become defensive about the subject. So instead of saying, “no, maybe I shouldn't go,” or “I change my mind, I don't think I can do this alone.” I tried to come up with sentence structures where, the other person is able to take the responsibility of deciding for me not to go, because as the day grew closer for me to move, I got bolder in thinking I shouldn't go. But my pride wouldn’t let me admit it. I wanted someone else to say, “don't go!” and me just agreeing. So one last time, I asked my dad, and explained the burden it might be to have me go, I even gave him options to just have me go to the nearby school that would cost less, and would be more convenient for everyone, that is, if he thought me going to Beijing wasn't the best idea. He said, “it's up to you.” :S My brothers said not to go, they were right, I knew that by going, I would increase expectation and pressure on myself in the future. I was “the one” who went to Beijing, my Chinese should be better than everyone else in the family, that kind of mentality might arise in the future, which would destroy the freedom I so longed for! With a heavy heart I chose to go to Beijing anyway.
In Beijing
It’s funny how you worry most about the little things you normally don’t notice when you’re super duper scared. I remember, my number one problem was figuring out how to get my heavy luggage up to my room alone. Seems stupid now, but I was WORRIED, I knew there was no way I could do it alone, and I had no idea how I was going to get someone to help me nor if I could even find anyone to help out. About a day or so before my departure, my dad asks if I wanted him to come with me (of course I did! The luggage! The luggage!). I said no. Oh dad, why must you ask all the time! Why didn’t you just come with me! Apparently we are more alike than it may seem; we’ve got pride the size of mount Olympus.
Beijing Now
Fast forward to the present. I’ve graduated recently from a Chinese university, and my family wants me to go back home but I don’t. Through the years, there were new challenges, and obstacles to be hurdled while living here in Beijing, but then I would find myself sitting alone in a public bus and silently reflect on everything. And everything just feeling so right. I’m glad I was forced by circumstances to make a decision, and I’m glad I didn’t let fear let me choose against coming to Beijing. I’ve met a lot of interesting and wonderful people. People who make you think maybe you came to meet them. Most of all, I got to know myself in ways that surprise even me. I sometimes wonder how my life would be, and what kind of a person I would be now, if I hadn’t chosen to come.
Another thing, learning Chinese in China, especially in Beijing, was a completely different experience for me than learning Chinese in other countries. I guess I’m one of those people who learn more in terms of being in the actual environment with people who constantly and only speak to you in their native language.
November 29, 2006
Language Confusion/Tough Decisions/Coming To Beijing
The Chinese language isn't one of my favourite subjects to talk about, but I guess at some point you just have to face it, after all it's what got me here in Beijing. Having parents of Chinese descent, not to mention business-minded that they are, my parents thought their children should know how to speak this language despite not using the language themselves, not that they can't, but there are hundreds or even thousands of other dialects in China, and most overseas-Chinese especially the ones living in Southern countries in Asia like Indonesia and the Philippines, speak the Min-Nang dialect and not the national language, Mandarin (PuTongHua). Where am I getting at? Nowhere and I'm not trying to, just wanted to share my experience, that's all. So! Having Chinese blood but born and raised in another country, my parents I guess felt obligated to pass down culture and language to the young ones. My brothers and I attended a Chinese Christian School my mom used to attend when she was little. Mornings consisted of learning English, which is the Philippines’ second (not first!) language, and afternoons are for Chinese lessons.
At home we spoke Tagalog, heard Min-Nang dialect converse between my parents, some English on tv that at that time I didn't understand but didn't seem to matter because kids who watch cartoons don't actually listen, we take notice of the colours and actions and can actually tell what is going on in the story, watched Cantonese martial arts movies, and saw my dad watching some Chinese Mandarin, take note, I saw my dad, not the show, and nor did any of us had any interest in trying to watch it with him. This was a time when I couldn't tell the difference between Min-Nang dialect, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese, and the only other countries I knew existed besides the Philippines was Japan (because of Disney Land) and America, heard it was far, and told my dad I wanted to go there someday. If I sound ignorant and immature, I will warn you that as this story goes on, it will only continue to sound that way, so first let me mention that I was at least 5 years of age, or at most 7 yrs. old, so forgive me if I sound annoying, because I was entitled to be.
Back to school, unlike in China, and I didn't even know this then, we were learning traditional Chinese, and not with Pinyin but with a whole different alphabetical system that is also used in Taiwan.
More on Chinese Lessons as a Kid
Classes mainly consisted of memorization. During class hours I remember repeating vocabulary words after the teacher, she would say, “blah blah” and the rest of the class repeated, “blah blah,” I had no idea what I was saying as long as it sounded similar to what the teacher was saying. There was a confusion going on that even I wasn’t aware until much later, I will explain this later. Aside from repeating after the teacher, I also remember her using her arms to draw imaginary strokes in the air to teach us how to write Chinese characters, and each stroke had a name I can't recall now.
The worst and most useless form of teaching was making us memorize some Chinese paragraphs. Then have us stand one at a time beside the teacher and recite it back to her. Forget about knowing what you are actually saying, the important thing is you remembered what you were supposed to say regardless of knowing the meaning and all. Well, I had bad memory even back then, add the nervousness of standing in front of your whole class, I was lucky if I even remembered a sentence to recite. What happened if you couldn't remember? You got whacked with a ruler, and not just any ruler, but the gigantic wooden types schools (in those days, in the Phil.) used to have to draw lines on the blackboard. Oh the piles of homework! From Chinese classes in the afternoon and English classes in the morning, kids had to carry strollers to carry their bags to and from school, and that was in kindergartens and elementary!
Years Later - After Isolating Myself From The Chinese Language
It was only a decade and a few more years later, when I was learning Mandarin Chinese in China, that I realized back then when I was trying to memorize words, no I should just call them“sounds," that we were actually learning two languages at the same time! No wonder it was so confusing! I don't remember having a discussion or the teacher explaining this, maybe they just assumed we knew. One of the things I remembered repeating after the teacher was, "ren xi lang," "ren" is in mandarin, meaning person, and “lang” is person in Min-Nang dialect! I didn't speak Min-Nang dialect, and not a word of Mandarin (or so I thought), so I didn't know which was which, and that the lesson was being explained in Min-Nang dialect, because “xi” is “is” in the dialect, so the teacher all along was saying, “person” is "person”!!!
All those Chinese lessons years ago did was convince me that I couldn't learn the language! I lost interest and motivation in learning Chinese. So how you might ask, did I end up in Beijing, learning Mandarin Chinese years later? How did I find my way back? Did an angel visit me in my dreams? Did my parents threaten or force me? Did I just suddenly wake up one day and just simply want to? Do you want to know?
Stay tuned for the next episode. Will rest now.
At home we spoke Tagalog, heard Min-Nang dialect converse between my parents, some English on tv that at that time I didn't understand but didn't seem to matter because kids who watch cartoons don't actually listen, we take notice of the colours and actions and can actually tell what is going on in the story, watched Cantonese martial arts movies, and saw my dad watching some Chinese Mandarin, take note, I saw my dad, not the show, and nor did any of us had any interest in trying to watch it with him. This was a time when I couldn't tell the difference between Min-Nang dialect, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese, and the only other countries I knew existed besides the Philippines was Japan (because of Disney Land) and America, heard it was far, and told my dad I wanted to go there someday. If I sound ignorant and immature, I will warn you that as this story goes on, it will only continue to sound that way, so first let me mention that I was at least 5 years of age, or at most 7 yrs. old, so forgive me if I sound annoying, because I was entitled to be.
Back to school, unlike in China, and I didn't even know this then, we were learning traditional Chinese, and not with Pinyin but with a whole different alphabetical system that is also used in Taiwan.
More on Chinese Lessons as a Kid
Classes mainly consisted of memorization. During class hours I remember repeating vocabulary words after the teacher, she would say, “blah blah” and the rest of the class repeated, “blah blah,” I had no idea what I was saying as long as it sounded similar to what the teacher was saying. There was a confusion going on that even I wasn’t aware until much later, I will explain this later. Aside from repeating after the teacher, I also remember her using her arms to draw imaginary strokes in the air to teach us how to write Chinese characters, and each stroke had a name I can't recall now.
The worst and most useless form of teaching was making us memorize some Chinese paragraphs. Then have us stand one at a time beside the teacher and recite it back to her. Forget about knowing what you are actually saying, the important thing is you remembered what you were supposed to say regardless of knowing the meaning and all. Well, I had bad memory even back then, add the nervousness of standing in front of your whole class, I was lucky if I even remembered a sentence to recite. What happened if you couldn't remember? You got whacked with a ruler, and not just any ruler, but the gigantic wooden types schools (in those days, in the Phil.) used to have to draw lines on the blackboard. Oh the piles of homework! From Chinese classes in the afternoon and English classes in the morning, kids had to carry strollers to carry their bags to and from school, and that was in kindergartens and elementary!
Years Later - After Isolating Myself From The Chinese Language
It was only a decade and a few more years later, when I was learning Mandarin Chinese in China, that I realized back then when I was trying to memorize words, no I should just call them“sounds," that we were actually learning two languages at the same time! No wonder it was so confusing! I don't remember having a discussion or the teacher explaining this, maybe they just assumed we knew. One of the things I remembered repeating after the teacher was, "ren xi lang," "ren" is in mandarin, meaning person, and “lang” is person in Min-Nang dialect! I didn't speak Min-Nang dialect, and not a word of Mandarin (or so I thought), so I didn't know which was which, and that the lesson was being explained in Min-Nang dialect, because “xi” is “is” in the dialect, so the teacher all along was saying, “person” is "person”!!!
All those Chinese lessons years ago did was convince me that I couldn't learn the language! I lost interest and motivation in learning Chinese. So how you might ask, did I end up in Beijing, learning Mandarin Chinese years later? How did I find my way back? Did an angel visit me in my dreams? Did my parents threaten or force me? Did I just suddenly wake up one day and just simply want to? Do you want to know?
Stay tuned for the next episode. Will rest now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
