Language Classes
One of the reasons, I left the hustle bustle of the big city and came back to Seremban was the opportunity to study the Chinese (mandarin) language. When we were young, our parents sent us to an English medium school. When we were adults, they keep telling us to pick up the Chinese language. (Yeah right, learning languages is like breathing)
Yes, finally after 30 years or so, I finally enrolled in Chinese class. Yeah, now can cut down on my banana-ness (Yes, if you're Chinese and can't speak chinese, they call you a banana man. Don't ask me why; I can't visualize myself long, yellow and rich with potassium and vitamin C)
Ecks, but life has a funny way with things. About the same time, my church started free Vietnamese classes to cope with a new ministry. So yours truly enrolled as well. Two language lessons a week. Mandarin has 4 tones; Vietnamese has 6 tones; ah... the mental agony; and all that new vocabulary and phonetics... sweat sweat sweat... Thank God I'm not totally Mandarin illiterate.
You may think, why torture yourself? Personally, I think that, in life, you don't get much second chances. When an opportunity comes knocking, you better seize it and make time for it. People who always say, 'I'll do it next time' are usually bound for regret. I have no desire to spend my old age regretting things I really wanted to do but did not do when I had the chance.
Carpe diem!
Yes, finally after 30 years or so, I finally enrolled in Chinese class. Yeah, now can cut down on my banana-ness (Yes, if you're Chinese and can't speak chinese, they call you a banana man. Don't ask me why; I can't visualize myself long, yellow and rich with potassium and vitamin C)
Ecks, but life has a funny way with things. About the same time, my church started free Vietnamese classes to cope with a new ministry. So yours truly enrolled as well. Two language lessons a week. Mandarin has 4 tones; Vietnamese has 6 tones; ah... the mental agony; and all that new vocabulary and phonetics... sweat sweat sweat... Thank God I'm not totally Mandarin illiterate.
You may think, why torture yourself? Personally, I think that, in life, you don't get much second chances. When an opportunity comes knocking, you better seize it and make time for it. People who always say, 'I'll do it next time' are usually bound for regret. I have no desire to spend my old age regretting things I really wanted to do but did not do when I had the chance.
Carpe diem!
Comments
Asian languages (character based) is damn tough!!! I struggle with written chinese too, but spoken is ok. So I take the angmoh languages like German, Spanish. And people tell me Malay is easy, I suppose so... but I when I talk, people think I either Indonesian, or some academic speaking the baku style! :O