Kim
Learning another language seemed always to pique my interest growing up; already knowing Spanish and English, I admired polyglots who had so many languages in their repertoire. So, during the pandemic, knowing that my senior year of high school would all be online, I decided this would be the best time to begin the search for a new language to learn.
After going through a few lessons in different languages like Japanese and Welsh on the language learning app Duolingo, I stumbled onto Chinese. Chinese has always seemed interesting to me due to its reading and writing system, completely different from the languages I already know. The history, culture, and traditions of China also began to draw me in. I have always been fascinated by history and love learning it. So, knowing that China has the longest written history out of any country made me want to learn and study Mandarin Chinese even more.
Before starting my language studies here at UIC, I downloaded different apps to try to facilitate learning, like “Hello Chinese” and “Skritter” as well as” HelloTalk,” which then led me to become a makeshift English tutor in exchange for a language lessons from a native. I love watching Chinese TV shows and dramas, which in return allows me to become more accustomed to hearing casual spoken Mandarin and diving into the complex story.
I never would have imagined that my minor would be in Chinese, but it was a pleasant surprise! Since then, practicing Mandarin with native speakers only fuels my excitement to learn more due to the satisfaction I feel when being able to convey what I want to say successfully. The Chinese department here at UIC could not be any more supportive and helpful, and I am very happy I decided to embark on this language-learning journey!