Growing Up in Chinese

A lot of times here in China, I feel as though we are only as old as our language skills.


Chinese is a notoriously difficult language to learn. If you think the classroom sessions of guessing at tones, remembering obscure 12-stroke characters, and learning odd grammar structures which "don't really exist" in the language is challenging, then brace yourself for your first day in China. 


It happens again and again: you know how much you know, with all your vocabulary swimming in your head, ready to whip out and impress Chinese people with.


And then she speaks. 


You have no idea what monster just flung itself from inside her mouth. 


You stare blankly.


She stares blankly, back at you.  


The awkward turtle strikes again.


But one thing that really helps is to simply ask them to slow down a little. Also, never forget that you most likely can explain what you are trying say in other words, even if you don't know the direct word for it. For example: "That thing that's like a small car, that one person rides, which has two wheels and goes fast." If someone said that to you, you'd most likely understand that it's a bicycle. If not, don't teach English to foreigners.


While this roundabout way of explaining simple things is sometimes demeaning, we just have to remind ourselves are are still growing up in Chinese: most of us are just big toddlers in terms of our Chinese skills. Especially with my host mom, I feel as though sometimes there is no possible way she understands what I am babbling on about, but she plays along accordingly. Sometimes I think similar things happen with small children, but it's how they learn. 


I feel even more like a toddler in my inability to discuss deep topics, such as why North Korea scares a lot of Americans. 


What I want to say: "They want to build nuclear bombs and threaten to decimate the populations of other countries, or at least establish themselves as a credible threat to the US. They also may not fit into the supposedly safer mutually-assured-destruction theory world, as they may not hesitate to use the nukes where other leaders would consider the well-being and safety of their people."


What I say: "They want to hit a lot of people, and kill them. They want to make a thing which will go BOOM in other countries." (with dramatic hand gestures)




Sigh. So is growing up. I may have a college-level American brain, but my Chinese brain is still in Kindergarten. It's funny though, because I definitely feel the change since I've been here. Just talking with Chinese people on the street, I can feel myself becoming more comfortable with the language. It doesn't sound so awkward and clanky when I am chit-chatting with my host-mom on the couch, and at times I forget I'm using Chinese altogether. That's the coolest feeling. I would never have been able to learn this in a classroom, with rigid curriculum and a teacher waiting to judge your every word. Obviously, the classes help to learn new vocab, but it's the practice that makes the difference. I am continually astounded with how often something we learned that very day comes up in a conversation. Maybe it was there the whole time, but I just didn't see it there before? 




 I'm really starting to get in my groove here. I finally see why studying abroad is so beneficial to learning the language. Each day has new challenges, awkward moments, and even frustrating times, but I love it.