Yesterday marked another milestone as Rob & I drove the last time to the Chinese School in Las Palmas. It was our final exam for the school year. What started as a crazy idea slowly turned into a passion that took us by surprise!
Imagine us four years ago, utterly clueless about Chinese, stumbling through basic sounds like sheer beginners. Not only were we grappling with the tones, but we also struggled with those tricky consonants that felt like tongue-twisters in our mouths. But guess what? We’ve come a long way! We can now humbly say that we’ve reached a point where we can read, write, and handle around 1200 words and characters with a reasonable level of proficiency.
The exam was challenging as always. However, we both achieved excellent grades. It’s been a while since I felt such a wave of emotions after an exam, but yesterday was one of those rare moments. It was the day to bid goodbye to Gao Laoshi, our teacher for the year. Being the only two students at our level, we formed a special bond. Gao Laoshi’s classes were filled with energy and creativity. She had us singing Chinese songs to improve our pronunciation and introduced us to captivating idioms and expressions. Her dedication made this year unforgettable.
Looking back on the past four years, Rob and I are thrilled by this journey. From clueless beginners, we’ve blossomed into confident language learners, much like pandas navigating through bamboo forests. Chinese is not merely about mastering the art of eating with chopsticks; it’s also a thrilling challenge, one that proves age is no barrier to embarking on a new linguistic adventure.
Hold on tight because the adventure isn’t over yet! In September, we’ll be diving into an intensive Chinese course for nine months in Taiwan. Tainan here we come! 台南市，我們來了！
Waw, waw.
Congratulations and a big hug.
In that order!😍
Eddy – Steven.