Just warning you that this is very unorganized and may contain grammar mistakes. I will fix it later :)
If you didn't know, I'm part Chinese and Vietnamese. My parents are from Vietnam and my grandparents from China. However, I was born in Colorado and I have been cultured by the American lifestyle to the point where a typical Asian lifestyle is out of my reach. Did that make sense? So I fully believe, to this day, that I am "white" inside. In other words, I'm pretty much a banana: yellow on the outside and white in the inside. I know it's difficult to differentiate Asians from one another, but that's why I like to troll with people telling them that I'm from Ireland ;)
My parents speak unbelievable amounts of languages, at least six from what I remembered. Now that I think about it, I can't even speak English properly, but again rarely anyone does. Anyway, they were forced back in school when they were young and it's basically how the system worked. It's just like the stereotypes we hear about Asian culture, the system is very strict with education and behavior. Their work ethic is phenomenal though and often I wonder what it would be like if the schools here in America were different.
When I was little I was gifted with the ability to understand and speak Cantonese (Similar to Mandarin but it is a different dialect often spoken in Southeastern China) at home. My family would speak basic Cantonese to me with simple words such as "Go eat rice = Sec-Phan", "Clean your hair = Sigh-Tao", "Wash your clothes = Sam-Foo", or my personal favorite "Pee = Aww-Knew". I was able to grasp what they wanted me to do and was able to speak little back. I pretty much learned something new each day.
That was until I started to go to preschool school where English was pretty much the only way to get the toys you wanted or go "Aww-Knew" and "Aww-See" (you can figure that out) when I needed to. I didn't realize that I was losing my insight in Cantonese as the years continued. It's funny to think, I went to a small school in Denver where I was practically the only Asian in my Hispanic school. Fun fact, Frank was one of my good buds back in my days, Ha! So I began to wonder why my friends, like Frank, spoke differently to his parents. Oh good times, good times.
I admit I am not fluent in Cantonese or any language. This concept is weird to imagine: I understand Chinese and Vietnamese but I can't speak it. For example, Vietnamese is a popular language my parents like to speak, but often to each other and relatives. Because I picked up Vietnamese so well after all these years, the period when our brains develop and mature, my parents like to switch to Chinese when they don't want me to know something. I thought it was hilarious because I understand a good amount of Chinese too.
I was in Chinese school every Sunday when I was young but my parents put me in the class late so I was pretty much the older child in the class. Also, I didn't know anyone else in my class, talk about a major bummer. I never appreciated it when I was younger but I regretted that I never kept up with this amazing opportunity. It was boring and I wasn't motivated enough to do my homework. I thought of another solution but no matter how much I try to tell my parents to speak to us (my sister and I) in Cantonese, it only lasts for one night. People like to speak Chinese to me asking me questions and I would respond in English. It's pretty awkward if you ask me. I also learned Spanish from seventh grade to junior year of high school. That never went well and don't ask me why I didn't take Mandarin because 1. It wasn't so great at my school and 2. I don't know. I will hear people speak Spanish and honestly I just want to contribute to their conversation throwing them off that some Asian girl knows you're talking about food without her.
I'm jealous of all the people who are able to speak foreign languages. Especially those who can speak fluently though a phone. One day, a friend of mine called her mom asking if she could attend this event and all the sudden she was speaking Japanese. I thought to myself, "Since when did you speak Japanese?" Believe it or not, I tried to impress my friends whenever I was on the phone with my mom highlighting some Cantonese vocabulary of mine. But we all knew I was only limited to it because my mom would reply with confusion as to what in the world I was trying to say.
This is why I wanted to write a post about language: I'm afraid my sister will lose an opportunity like I did. I know I am young but the best way to speak a language is through home and visiting the home country. I am able to access these but I can't find the time in my life, yes blogging is now essential to my everyday commitment don't judge me, and it's just inconvenient. I miss the days when you could sleep randomly in school or play recess three times a day just so your attention span doesn't berserk you and your teacher. I would rather learn a language honestly.
Now I can't go to legit and delicious Chinese restaurants and order typical family meals because I don't even know what the dishes are called and let alone know how to describe them. Sometimes I won't be able to tell if the ladies at the nail salon are talking crap about me. Trust me most of the time they are jealous something of you, so you should be flattered. I can't even talk to my grandma because she doesn't understand English at all. All I know about her is that she enjoys watching WWE wrestling mania and UFC, but that's acceptable to me. Most importantly, I won't be able to get around legit China towns. Sad day.
I find white and black people who can speak Chinese fluently to be bad ass. Maybe it's because you don't see it often but seriously it's just awesome. Be thankful for what you are able to use your language for. You could pick up guys or girls with pick up lines, or order amazing mouth watering food, or succeed in the business world, or even better star in a Chinese soap opera. If you are given the opportunity to learn a language, cherish it and work hard for it. A language will serve you better in the long run because again, what happens if you want to go "aww knew" in the middle of a foreign country?
If you didn't know, I'm part Chinese and Vietnamese. My parents are from Vietnam and my grandparents from China. However, I was born in Colorado and I have been cultured by the American lifestyle to the point where a typical Asian lifestyle is out of my reach. Did that make sense? So I fully believe, to this day, that I am "white" inside. In other words, I'm pretty much a banana: yellow on the outside and white in the inside. I know it's difficult to differentiate Asians from one another, but that's why I like to troll with people telling them that I'm from Ireland ;)
My parents speak unbelievable amounts of languages, at least six from what I remembered. Now that I think about it, I can't even speak English properly, but again rarely anyone does. Anyway, they were forced back in school when they were young and it's basically how the system worked. It's just like the stereotypes we hear about Asian culture, the system is very strict with education and behavior. Their work ethic is phenomenal though and often I wonder what it would be like if the schools here in America were different.
When I was little I was gifted with the ability to understand and speak Cantonese (Similar to Mandarin but it is a different dialect often spoken in Southeastern China) at home. My family would speak basic Cantonese to me with simple words such as "Go eat rice = Sec-Phan", "Clean your hair = Sigh-Tao", "Wash your clothes = Sam-Foo", or my personal favorite "Pee = Aww-Knew". I was able to grasp what they wanted me to do and was able to speak little back. I pretty much learned something new each day.
That was until I started to go to preschool school where English was pretty much the only way to get the toys you wanted or go "Aww-Knew" and "Aww-See" (you can figure that out) when I needed to. I didn't realize that I was losing my insight in Cantonese as the years continued. It's funny to think, I went to a small school in Denver where I was practically the only Asian in my Hispanic school. Fun fact, Frank was one of my good buds back in my days, Ha! So I began to wonder why my friends, like Frank, spoke differently to his parents. Oh good times, good times.
I admit I am not fluent in Cantonese or any language. This concept is weird to imagine: I understand Chinese and Vietnamese but I can't speak it. For example, Vietnamese is a popular language my parents like to speak, but often to each other and relatives. Because I picked up Vietnamese so well after all these years, the period when our brains develop and mature, my parents like to switch to Chinese when they don't want me to know something. I thought it was hilarious because I understand a good amount of Chinese too.
I was in Chinese school every Sunday when I was young but my parents put me in the class late so I was pretty much the older child in the class. Also, I didn't know anyone else in my class, talk about a major bummer. I never appreciated it when I was younger but I regretted that I never kept up with this amazing opportunity. It was boring and I wasn't motivated enough to do my homework. I thought of another solution but no matter how much I try to tell my parents to speak to us (my sister and I) in Cantonese, it only lasts for one night. People like to speak Chinese to me asking me questions and I would respond in English. It's pretty awkward if you ask me. I also learned Spanish from seventh grade to junior year of high school. That never went well and don't ask me why I didn't take Mandarin because 1. It wasn't so great at my school and 2. I don't know. I will hear people speak Spanish and honestly I just want to contribute to their conversation throwing them off that some Asian girl knows you're talking about food without her.
I'm jealous of all the people who are able to speak foreign languages. Especially those who can speak fluently though a phone. One day, a friend of mine called her mom asking if she could attend this event and all the sudden she was speaking Japanese. I thought to myself, "Since when did you speak Japanese?" Believe it or not, I tried to impress my friends whenever I was on the phone with my mom highlighting some Cantonese vocabulary of mine. But we all knew I was only limited to it because my mom would reply with confusion as to what in the world I was trying to say.
This is why I wanted to write a post about language: I'm afraid my sister will lose an opportunity like I did. I know I am young but the best way to speak a language is through home and visiting the home country. I am able to access these but I can't find the time in my life, yes blogging is now essential to my everyday commitment don't judge me, and it's just inconvenient. I miss the days when you could sleep randomly in school or play recess three times a day just so your attention span doesn't berserk you and your teacher. I would rather learn a language honestly.
Now I can't go to legit and delicious Chinese restaurants and order typical family meals because I don't even know what the dishes are called and let alone know how to describe them. Sometimes I won't be able to tell if the ladies at the nail salon are talking crap about me. Trust me most of the time they are jealous something of you, so you should be flattered. I can't even talk to my grandma because she doesn't understand English at all. All I know about her is that she enjoys watching WWE wrestling mania and UFC, but that's acceptable to me. Most importantly, I won't be able to get around legit China towns. Sad day.
I find white and black people who can speak Chinese fluently to be bad ass. Maybe it's because you don't see it often but seriously it's just awesome. Be thankful for what you are able to use your language for. You could pick up guys or girls with pick up lines, or order amazing mouth watering food, or succeed in the business world, or even better star in a Chinese soap opera. If you are given the opportunity to learn a language, cherish it and work hard for it. A language will serve you better in the long run because again, what happens if you want to go "aww knew" in the middle of a foreign country?
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