Ni Hao, I am Learning Mandarin!

My first Mandarin class started today. Determined to send me to a Chinese-medium primary school in two years' time, daddy and mummy have enrolled me in a Mandarin Language Programme to develop my proficiency in the language. This is an alternative to changing me to a Chinese-based kindy.

As of today, I have almost zero knowledge of the language except for yi, er, san, si, wu (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), hao-chi (delicious) and bu-yao (don't want) haha.

The Mandarin Panda Programme

I met the mascot in my kindy's Sports Carnival in Sunway Lagoon last year.

Time-table and fees

While daddy has to fork out more money for my school fees this year, I have to attend very long classes from 8:30am-2:30pm (with a lunch break from 12:30-1:00pm) for three consecutive days every week and mummy has to crack her head to come up with healthy, balanced and nutritious "minimal-cooking" lunch-box lunch ideas for me.

Like today, Mummy had to wake up earlier than usual in the morning to pack me my very first lunch box. It was a very simple meal (that required no cooking except for the egg).

Egg, home-baked wholemeal bread with cheese, grapes, turnip strips and carrot sticks.

While walking to school with my lunch box in my hand, I asked mummy a very funny question... "Mummy, if you put all the food inside the box, will it grow fungus?" Mummy was rather surprised that I knew what fungus was.

After school, when asked what did I learn today, I replied "I don't know. I can't remember. But I loved it. It was fun". *mummy rolls eyes*

When Kai Lan Is Not a Type of Veggie

Kai Lan is my new Mandarin teacher! She is the main character in my latest favourite cartoon, Ni Hao Kai Lan (pronounced kai-lend), which is aired over Channel 612 under Nick Jr, every morning at 10.30.

Kai Lan and her cute little friends

Kai Lan and her Yeh-yeh

Glued to the tv when this program in on

Now, let's find out how educational this cartoon is...

Mummy: So... what did you learn today?

Me: Nothing!

HAHAHA! *Mummy slaps forehead* (Sorry, Kai Lan)

Learning Broken Mandarin

Both daddy and mummy are "bananas" (Chinese who are Chinese-illiterate). Realizing how inconvenient and "disabled" it is to be Chinese-illiterate, they have vowed to never let me become like them.

Determined to send me to a Chinese primary school later on, they are now trying their best to introduce the language to me. Sometimes mummy would talk to me in Mandarin but refusing to speak the language, I would reply in English instead. Mummy also likes to change the language of all my favourite Playhouse Disney programs to Mandarin! Since I can't understand it, I usually don't bother watching them at all...

Fortunately, I love books and books are my best teachers. However, most of the time, mummy struggles. She struggles to read the words in kindergarten-level books! Sometimes she pauses for a long time. Sometimes, she makes guesses. Sometimes she skips the page. Most of the time she frets and she's frustrated *wipes sweat*

Then she found books that have han yu pin ying and English explanations. She's happy to be able to read every word but she's still upset that her reading/intonation is somewhat out of tune.

Therefore, I'm forced to learn broken Mandarin (as for now)!