Sally Giltinan |
Do you remember the mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety you had when first heading off to college? Now imagine you have chosen to study one of the most difficult languages - Chinese. Moreover, you take on this challenge after being out of school nearly 30 years! This was my situation last September. I had met so many Chinese people now living in Charlottesville. I had a real desire to learn to speak Chinese and better understand the culture. So my husband, daughter and I enrolled in the Elementary Chinese course at UVA. I hoped this keen desire would offset my feelings of intimidation. On Day 1 we showed up for Elementary Chinese with Professor Shen. The three of us in a room of all Asian students and the professor speaking only Chinese! The course description had not said this was designed for students from Chinese-speaking families who wanted to learn Hanzi and improve speaking. Professor Shen suggested we go to Chinese 101 taught by Professor Tseng. So with our bruised egos we went to Professor Tseng's class, wondering if she would take in these refugees. Take us in she did. Tseng laoshi warmly welcomed all her students to her class. She assured us that we would be working hard, but we would get a good foundation and have fun. The course was very intense. You had to be prepared and stay alert, never knowing when her finger would point at you for a quick answer. We had language labs, tutorials, and hours of homework. Trying to make sense of the Hanzi, and remembering the pinyin was challenging. But by far the most daunting task for me was, and still is, distinguishing the spoken tones of Chinese. I am very disappointed in my listening comprehension. Years of effort or total immersion would be the solution. Still, when I look back on how much we have learned in a relatively short time I am amazed. We have appreciated the support and encouragement of our classmates. The comraderie and laughter we shared will always be a wonderful memory. The one with the most difficult task was Tseng laoshi. She was trying to not just teach us, but to inspire us. Pushing us to meet her expectations while warmly encouraging us when it seemed too much. Listening to over 60 people daily trying to get those tones right! This 'bruised ego' will always be grateful that I found refuge in her class. |