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American proves that the best way to learn Chinese is to live it
By Lu Xiaofeng and Pan Zheng |
March 28, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
"I'D like to talk to you in Chinese though I'm not very good at it." These are the opening words that American Jennifer Wenger often prefers when starting a conversation with Chinese people since she moved to Jiading in 2008. She's a real Chinese lover.
Her Chinese story began in 2000 when she occasionally got a chance to teach English in a summer class in Guangdong Province, and in the following three years she spent three weeks in Guangdong every summer. At that time she was a student learning piano in the Sates. However, the short stay in China aroused her interest in the country and the language through the communication with her students.
In 2008, after she finished her piano course in the States, Wenger came to China again with the help of her friend in Shanghai. And this time, she settled down.
She originally lived in Qingpu District, as her friend also lived there. She didn't hurry to find a job, but studied hard to learn Chinese. Her way to learn the language was pretty simple - just to keep chatting every day. She often talked to Chinese people on the street at random, and asked them to write down the pinyin of those words that she did not understand. With such efforts, her Chinese improved a lot.
In July 2008, Wenger learned that there was a job vacancy for a foreign teacher at the Jiading Campus of Shanghai University, and she managed to get it. "Only after having a stable job did I feel that my life here really started," she said.
Her life in Jiading began with a lunch in a restaurant near the university, when she asked the waitress in Chinese for dumplings. Though her pronunciation was not so good, it still surprised the waitress.
Now, Wenger still feels very proud of that experience, as she believed it would not be too difficult for her to live in Jiading after that.
Originally the school provided her with a hotel room to live in, but she got bored after one year and started to rent houses in local neighborhoods. Eventually, she moved to Chengnan Neighborhood, just near the campus. As time went by, she has become keen on the environment of the neighborhood.
"In the United States people in the neighborhood seldom communicate," Wenger said, "but here, it's just like a big family when people talk with each other."
Last summer, Wenger quit her job at the university as she thought it could not help improve her Chinese. She now does various part-time jobs, such as teaching English in businesses or providing home piano lessons. "I like my current status of life, for I can meet with different people," Jennifer said. "I want to learn more about Chinese people."
Wenger is in her 30s and has no boyfriend. However, she seems in no rush for one.
"My younger brother got married in 2002 and now he's the father of three kids," she said, "but I'm not hurried and my parents are not either. Maybe in the future I'll get a Chinese boyfriend", she said with a smile.
Her Chinese story began in 2000 when she occasionally got a chance to teach English in a summer class in Guangdong Province, and in the following three years she spent three weeks in Guangdong every summer. At that time she was a student learning piano in the Sates. However, the short stay in China aroused her interest in the country and the language through the communication with her students.
In 2008, after she finished her piano course in the States, Wenger came to China again with the help of her friend in Shanghai. And this time, she settled down.
She originally lived in Qingpu District, as her friend also lived there. She didn't hurry to find a job, but studied hard to learn Chinese. Her way to learn the language was pretty simple - just to keep chatting every day. She often talked to Chinese people on the street at random, and asked them to write down the pinyin of those words that she did not understand. With such efforts, her Chinese improved a lot.
In July 2008, Wenger learned that there was a job vacancy for a foreign teacher at the Jiading Campus of Shanghai University, and she managed to get it. "Only after having a stable job did I feel that my life here really started," she said.
Her life in Jiading began with a lunch in a restaurant near the university, when she asked the waitress in Chinese for dumplings. Though her pronunciation was not so good, it still surprised the waitress.
Now, Wenger still feels very proud of that experience, as she believed it would not be too difficult for her to live in Jiading after that.
Originally the school provided her with a hotel room to live in, but she got bored after one year and started to rent houses in local neighborhoods. Eventually, she moved to Chengnan Neighborhood, just near the campus. As time went by, she has become keen on the environment of the neighborhood.
"In the United States people in the neighborhood seldom communicate," Wenger said, "but here, it's just like a big family when people talk with each other."
Last summer, Wenger quit her job at the university as she thought it could not help improve her Chinese. She now does various part-time jobs, such as teaching English in businesses or providing home piano lessons. "I like my current status of life, for I can meet with different people," Jennifer said. "I want to learn more about Chinese people."
Wenger is in her 30s and has no boyfriend. However, she seems in no rush for one.
"My younger brother got married in 2002 and now he's the father of three kids," she said, "but I'm not hurried and my parents are not either. Maybe in the future I'll get a Chinese boyfriend", she said with a smile.
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