Getting to know you
Throughout the year, I have felt sad at times that I do not speak Chinese. My students do not know how to express themselves and their personalities, their likes and dislikes in English, and so many stay silent. These same kids become animated, chattering, vibrant kids the moment they break into Chinese though, and I’ve continually wished I could get to know them better. Alas, language barriers being what they are, this isn’t really possible.
I got a small glimpse at who they are as individuals last semester when we talked about what they wanted to be when they got older (lawyers, judges, computer hackers, taxi drivers, doctors, scientists, pilots, teachers and more), and when they talked about what they could do (as in what they’re good at). That exercise had me a little nervous at first because I wondered if I would get a litany of academic successes. The Taiwanese school system/general academic climate is not known for being nuturing or condusive to extracurriculars in the way American society is (though we go overboard in America, I think). But I was suprised. I had artists, singers, dancers, erhu players, computer gamers, and a whole host of interesting things the kids felt they were good at. It was heartening, to say the very least. They do have the chance to develop non-academic skills despite the intense pressure to succeed and the prevalence of buxibans galore.
And now, editing their letters for the penpal project, I am learning more things about them. Some have lived in America, or at least visited. One girl loves to ride horses, but says that not many people do this in Taiwan, so she feels very lucky. Some have shared their funny nicknames (watermelon, because “my head is shaped like a watermelon”, little elder uncle, duck, niu niu (cow cow), and how in one family, the older sister is called ‘didi’, meaning older brother, and the younger sister is called jie jie, meaning older sister). Others have told me of their love of baseball, basketball, and dodgeball. One student has pet beetles. A pet rhinocerous beetle, to be exact. I’m not sure I want to google to find out what that is.
I am so grateful for this opportunity, and it makes me ever more conscious of just how attached I am to these kids, to being their teacher, and just how difficult it will be in two short months when this is all over.
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