Debbie Wong |
I remember being completely puzzled, looking at my grandmother's facial expressions trying to decipher what she was trying to tell me. Was she saying how much I've grown? How nice my hair looked? How ugly my braces were? How she had bought a red sweater for an outrageous price of twenty dollars when she could have just knitted herself a better one? I had no idea! I just smiled and nodded, utterly oblivious. This seemed to be the case involving confrontation with any inquisitive, cheek-pinching elderly Chinese people. So, to prevent any more embarrassing incidences, I signed up for Chinese 101 at UVA. Learning the Mandarin language these past two semesters has been amazing. I attended Chinese school on Saturdays when I was very young, but the only things Chinese I remember were my fellow Chinese classmates playing football and eating animal crackers during snack time. Having class here at UVA everyday definitely helps me better retain the vocabulary. With the help of Tseng laoshi, I feel I have learned so much in such a short amount of time, having fun no matter what the lesson is on. I never find a dull moment in her class. She is definitely one of the best teachers I've ever had. Even though this program requires so much time and energy, the work is well worth the effort…all except those grueling hours stuck in the language lab. Perhaps the time required in lab can be reduced? In any case, it has been such a joy to be able to learn my family language, and I hope to improve more and more in each level. |