For me, there are certain moments I've experienced that have changed my life irrevocably. Most of them I can count on my fingers, and almost none of them are moments I ever thought would impact my life so much. We all experience these moments. They may be split-second decisions, brief moments, or even a few weeks. Regardless, they'll change you forever.
Signing up for Chinese classes was one of those moments for me. Like with most public school systems, two semesters of language are required if you want to go on to a four year college, so I had to choose a language class my sophomore year. At the time, I didn't have much interest in Spanish, so I ruled it out quickly and figured French would be the choice for me. Still a Romance language, challenging but not too far of a stretch, and offered as an online class so I wouldn't have to interact with others. Score. What can I say? Early-high-school me was the worst combination of cripplingly shy along with judgmental of everyone. Not pretty.
Unfortunately for me, the online French classes were taken out of our school budget, but fortunately for me, PCHS had decided to introduce their new Mandarin Chinese program that year. The program is a partnership, bringing over a different teacher each year to teach Mandarin as a cultural exchange between China and America. At first I was extremely nervous. What exactly had I gotten myself into? How difficult would this be? I panicked a bit. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since our teacher had never been to America.
Well, I shouldn't have been worried. Not in the least, because the decision to take Chinese in high school was one of the best I've ever made. I'm not exaggerating. Choosing to study such a challenging language has opened so many doors for me, and I couldn't be more thankful. As I said before, I was extremely shy in high school, but because of the nature of the class, I was able to branch out and find a family away from home. All of my fellow classmates, in my high school as well as my college Chinese class, respect and like each other. I've never been in such a nurturing, pleasant classroom environment. Even better, without Chinese, I wouldn't be friends with two of the greatest people I know. I don't know what I would do without them. In their separate ways, they both ground me, and we'll always share the memories we made in class together.
When it comes to learning a language, there are many hurdles and barriers to overcome, especially with Mandarin. If anyone ever tells you it's an easy language to learn, please give them a skeptical look from me. The first few months are hellish. With the pinyin system, characters, and tones -- that's three different skills to learn, not even including actually speaking it. Because of the complete disconnect between the written and the spoken parts of the language, it's really more like learning two languages. With that being said, I'm not trying to scare anyone. Learning Chinese, or any language that is extremely different from English, is a rewarding challenge that will expand your views on the world and your mind. Learning a language from a young age, in my mind, should be mandatory. Sure, the basic classes we're required to take are essential, and I've learned a lot from them. But learning about the world around you? Connecting with people you otherwise never would have been able to? Being able to fluently speak a language? I would choose these life skills in a heartbeat, and I'm hoping to learn many more languages within my lifetime.
Going back, I would pat my younger self on the back. She may not have known it, but taking Chinese? It's made me into the person I am today in multiple ways. Best split-second decision I've ever made. Thanks, 15-year-old me. 谢谢。
