I'm always posting pictures and telling tales about my touristy adventures... but really, that is only part of my whole experience in China. There is so much more to it than just my hilarious but exciting adventures as a tourist here.
In my Speaking Class yesterday, our teacher asked each of us why we chose to study Chinese. Me? I started telling the story of how I have been learning Chinese for a very long time. I have had Chinese classes ever since I can remember. I have been exposed to Chinese ever since I was a teeny totter. I hated Chinese class when I was young, because I never really saw how useful it could be for my future. Now that I'm in the future, I do regret. Yeah Ma, you knew you'd hear these words some day. Haha. “我从小已经学了华语。可是小的时候，非常不喜欢学华语。马来西亚有很多华人，所以都常常听和说华语。现在我已经大了， 可是我的华语都不太好。 因为小的时候没有耐心学华语。所以现在有点后悔。” That was what my messed up answer was to the question.
Being here in China has really taught me so much. I realized how much I love experiencing new cultures, being in a new country, and being constantly amazed by new things every day. The few days before leaving for the United States, I was so excited. But when I got there, I felt scared a lot of the time. I did not have the time to enjoy and to soak in the new culture that I was in. I've learned a lot since then. And I'm glad that coming to Beijing has proven that. I am much more comfortable being a 'foreigner', doing my own thing, and instead of constantly feeling timid and shy... I am more willing to put myself out there to learn as much as I can. I no longer really think about what the people around me would think of me as a 'foreigner'. And I'm glad. If I don't understand, I just ask. I may look stupid asking because obviously people expect me to know Chinese... but it's okay. I learned that it's okay to not know what the measure word for dumplings are, it's okay to get the waiter to help me read out some names of dishes that I don't know, it's okay to tell a Chinese native 中国人 that he/she needs to speak slower for me to understand and most of all, that it's okay to have to act out/make sounds/use hand gestures to describe a Chinese word I do not know.
I learn something new here every day. And something exciting always happens to make my day. I make a new friend, strike up an interesting conversation with a taxi driver, get mistaken for a 中国人 native Chinese while bargaining for a lower price, tried a new flavor of Bubble Tea/Pearl Tea 珍珠奶茶 - Brandy 白兰地 flavor and loved it, found a dish in the cafeteria that is what my parents cook at home... or something as simple as recognizing a character on a signboard that was learned in class, or having the opportunity to actually use the vocab words that were learned in class out on the street with a native Chinese. You have no idea how much we have kicks out of it. When we actually get to use a vocab word in a conversation with a taxi driver, or a waiter... it's like we're on top of the world. When we are actually able to recognize a new character on a sign or an ad board, and is able to explain its meaning to everyone else... we feel like we're on top of the world.
It's great.
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