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你好！我叫阮爱丽，我十三岁。我上 STEM中学八年级。As someone who merely
speaks English and has an extremely limited experience with foreign
language preceding my time at STEM, I came to Liang laoshi’s Chinese
class in seventh grade panicked, unprepared, and petrified by the
idea of learning to speak a new language, specifically one as
complex and intricate as Chinese, whether it be simplified or
traditional, Cantonese or Mandarin.
As we continued through the year, we noticed how much more we
enjoyed learning in a format that welcomed, accepted and required
failing; it soon became evident that the more Chinese classes we
had, the more we all wanted to learn and make Liang laoshi proud.
Now, I am able to talk about my favorite colors and foods in 中文
(Chinese), read posters in 中国人 (Chinese) restaurants, introduce
myself, 我的家 (my family), and 我的中学 (my school) through characters,
and have a formal discussion about what I’ve learned thus far
through multiple types of writing and typing. I know that
饺子(dumpling), 橘子 (tangerines), 鱼 (fish), and 春卷 (spring rolls) are
foods with great meaning in 中国 (China), the tale of the 中国人新年
(Chinese New Year) 生肖(zodiacs) and the number 四 (4) and the color 白色
(white) are extremely unlucky due to their connection to death.
Further into this year, I participated in working on a project in
which my class made traditional Chinese meals and shared them with
our fellow students in which we cooked 橘子鸡 (orange chicken) and 炒饭
(fried rice), and even got to try my classmates foods, which
consisted of 酸甜鸡 (sweet and sour chicken), 饺子 (dumplings), 春卷
(spring rolls) and more! Later on, we performed for a second year at
our Chinese New Year celebration, learning to do a Taiji dance,
umbrella dance, fashion show, and square dance, along with singing
songs such as “对不起 (I’m Sorry),” and “新年好 (Happy New Year) .”
Having to participate in a foreign language class always seemed like
a terrifying idea to me before I began attending middle school;
however, instead of failing, I was given a wonderful chance to learn
and grow in ways I never could have known before. Learning to speak
Chinese has enriched me as a human being, taught me new ways to
learn, and educated me about worldly culture and life in ways I
never would have had if I had not been a part of this astounding
class.阮爱丽 |
