“What other Chinese songs do you guys want to hear?” I asked the class last Sunday. Earlier, I had let them listen to Deng Li Jun’s Tian Mi Mi because that seems to be one classic Chinese song that almost every Thai knows.
“How about Jao Pho Shang Hai (Godfathers of Shanghai = 上海滩)?”, someone ventured. And that got me started talking about Hong Kong movies with the students, as we all waxed lyrical about the heydays of Chinese movies back in the 80s and 90s.
One thing that I really love about teaching Chinese to adults is the cultural learning part. Unlike the teaching stint that I had with the Chinese enrichment centre (in which I had to teach Chinese to local English-sprouting kids who speak Mandarin by reading Hanyu Pinyin with weird accents), I find this current session particularly enjoyable as we often exchange bits of our lives.
Due to my familiarity with Thai culture, we can almost talk about anything under the sun. One student told me about his wife who is a first-generation Chinese living in Betong (a town in one of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand) and I enquired how she lives with all the violence. Another student came from the same province as mr;p in Udonthani but from different district. Sometimes, they like to offer suggestions on places to visit in Thailand; other times, they ask how I can speak and write Thai pretty well, but they would sometimes make fun of the way I pronounce certain words. :p
In return, I tell them about my life, my family, mr;p, interests, work, latest escapades in Thailand, viewpoints of Singaporeans towards certain issues, Olympics 2008, pandas (xiongmao vs maoxiong), Taiwan, etc… It’s really a two-way learning process for me and my students.
It still surprises me that how much Chinese culture has permeated into Southeast Asia (in terms of language, customs, beliefs). It pleases me to know that I can discuss Chinese popular culture with mr;p, who had watched many a Hong Kong movie in his childhood and teenage years, so he knows all about Chinese hopping vampires, Dong Fang Bu Bai, Shu Qi (guess how, haha) and Wu Jian Dao (the Thai translation of the movie title is fantastic!)
The more I learn about another language, the more I realise I need to be good at my own mother tongue. The more I love another culture, the more I realise it’s important to remember and embrace one’s identity.
4 responses so far ↓
aglassofwine // March 15, 2008 at 2:58 am |
Have to say, I really admire your mature view of holding on to your roots. Too many people seemingly don’t understand / under appreciate the importance of trying to retain one’s culture while immersing themselves in another. I’m a guilty party in this respect… my Mandarin – not to mention my Chinese writing/reading skills – has deteriorated to such a deplorable level that I quite hesitate to tell people that I once got distinctions in Chinese. Bleah. For a while, I’d toyed with the idea of picking up a third language, either Italian or Spanish, but then I decided that if I were to devote my time to another language, I should spend it on Chinese instead…
taroturnover // March 15, 2008 at 9:03 pm |
Hey gal, don’t be so hard for yourself. After all, I’m still home in SG with my family who speaks Mandarin, surrounded by Chinese newspapers and Taiwanese TV programmes, so it makes it easier for me to retain my Chinese roots. I’d imagine it to be a more uphill task for you in US! Learning a third language might not be a bad idea, in my opinion. In my case, learning Thai makes me appreciate the Chinese language even more. And I’m always impressed at how you are so receptive and willing to meet new people, culture and experiences. C’mon, we are Deming-kia after all, we can’t be that bad… *fingers crossed*
jetsetjunkie // March 18, 2008 at 1:36 pm |
Yes TPS I reckon you don’t have to beat yourself over it since you’re in the US! Even MY Mandarin has taken a shelling here in HK since I speak very little of it now, the lingua franca of choice being my once non-existent Cantonese!
There’s this huge Chinese language cultural divide – my HK colleagues and I listen to different music, sing different songs at karaoke, watch different telly shows and for chrissakes, there aren’t any Taiwanese variety shows here!!! Might as well be on another planet.
Anyway xin I reckon I’d be one of those 洋腔洋调 types that you write abt.. hiak hiak.. *guilty*
taroturnover // March 18, 2008 at 10:56 pm |
Hey jsj, I didn’t mean to come across as a Chinese chauvinist, I didn’t mean to criticise anyone because that would be like the pot calling the kettle black :p … I think I would probably be worse than you if I’m ever based in HK, I can’t even speak Cantonese beyond “dai ka hou” and the likes… haha… Hey, at least you are singing at karaoke, and that’s quite a cheena thing, isn’t it?