It is over 15 years since I previously had a "student" status in my life. But now I am a happy to be a part-time class-room student again. I have just returned from my first Chinese language classes in the adult education centre of Helsinki ("Helsingin aikuisopisto"), one of the inexpensive state-sponsored evening schools in Finland.
When I was searching for Chinese courses from the schools web pages earlier in the summer, I found both beginner-level courses and intermediate ones that were aimed at students having "already some proficiency at the language". Well, I did not know how much my humble mumblings count as "proficiency" and the courses were cheap so I enrolled on both. It's convenient, since both are in the same location on Tuesday evenings, the intermediate-level class from 6 PM to 7 and the beginner class immediately after that. So I do both now side-by-side.
It was very nice experience. Our teacher Bái Lì has been living now 15 years in Finland, speaks quite good Finnish nowadays (though finding the strong tongue-vibrating Finnish 'R' sound as impossible as Jinlin!). She favours interactive teaching style with lots of discussion practice I like.
I am happy to say that the intermediate-level course does not seem too tough to my current skills. So my stubborn listening to Chinese audio mp3 lessons has had some positive effect despite my struggle with the language during our China trip. And although the basic level seems now quite easy, it is always good to repeat the basics and enjoy more nice social learning atmosphere with another larger group.
Repeat aka bang-your-head-against-the-wall-and-still-be-happy
Before this course I have been self-studying Chinese for the past 10 months. I wrote previously about translation and communication tools that have been invaluable for Jinlin and me so far. But when it comes to really learning speaking and really actively remembering, I must say my brain is not what it used to be :-) Although research tells us that children do not have such an advantage in language learning as is usually thought, I still remember how easy it was as a pupil in comprehensive school to memorize by heart whole chapters from our English textbook. Now I have to listen and repeat, repeat and listen, again, again and again to have some hope of loading some Chinese words to active use.
Early on I downloaded 250 newbie-level episodes to my phone and have ever since been listening when driving, walking or waiting for something. I have my Bluetooth headphones always with me so I can take advantage of even small breaks to listen some more. During the past 10 months I have listened to all of the 250 newbie episodes at least 5 times over, which adds up to 200+ hours of listening. When I am listening alone in the car I also make effort to speak all the sentences out loud (well, I sometimes do that in my thoughts in the public as well...) Now I have been slowly starting to include some "elementary"-level episodes to my listening menu as well, although they present a big step from the newbie-lessons and are often frustratingly difficult to comprehend. I can just imagine my frustrated neurons trying to reach our for connections. I am sure if I would be 15 instead of 39 I could get the same results with quarter of the time.
The love for learning, the learning of love
It's nice to be back on "school bench". I have always been quite learning-oriented person and I used to have both good memorable moments and reasonable success in my long path through comprehensive school to high school in Atlantic College and later in University of Helsinki and its laboratory of Physical Chemistry. Only when getting stressed out about repeated failures on different attempts for PhD projects I jumped out from the academia to work as a programmer in the industry. But I still enjoy the continuous learning possibility (and indeed need of) in career of software development as wonderfully discussed by Andy Hunt in his book The Pragmatic Programmer. And I do occasionally enjoy participation in conferences and workshops that have been the closest thing to sitting in a class since my school times.
Still, I have been never very language-oriented in my love for learning. I learned good English during my high school in Wales but with that I've remained quite one-trick-pony in the language arena. Relationship and love combined with lack of good common language gives more than enough motivation to boldly go where I have not gone in many years in terms of new languages. And it's fun and interesting at times. But I still find it admirable that so many of my classmates have enough motivation to face the enormous challenge of Chinese with motivation simply described as "I though this would be a nice new hobby."
I'm very glad Jinlins surreal army-training-at-the university ends in few days. Studying alone and with the class is nice it's still lonely to have a remote relationship in the times when there is not even the remote connection present. And how lovely it is when we chat and she speaks beautiful Chinese and I can feel the sweet juice of understanding and smile! Meanwhile I try to find more black humour in the absurdity of listening to a ChinesePod episode five times, still not remembering the words, listening to sixth time and finally getting the click.
I'm very glad Jinlins surreal army-training-at-the university ends in few days. Studying alone and with the class is nice it's still lonely to have a remote relationship in the times when there is not even the remote connection present. And how lovely it is when we chat and she speaks beautiful Chinese and I can feel the sweet juice of understanding and smile! Meanwhile I try to find more black humour in the absurdity of listening to a ChinesePod episode five times, still not remembering the words, listening to sixth time and finally getting the click.
If you were learning something like isiZulu or isiXhosa you would certainly have to get the click(s). And they are also tonal languages.
ReplyDeleteI remember once listening to talk of isiXhosa in Atlantic College where we have huge number of nationalities present. I remember thinking: "why is this guy clicking his tongue in between his speaking?" The clicks sounded so different from all other sounds that I did not even realize they were part of the speech.
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