Week 1 - #1 - Letter (Xie xin)

Qin ai de (My dear one),

I begin this letter with a famous proverb from Lao Tzu ;

" The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. "

I believe this proverb is very relevant to my current situation; as on the 12th of April, 2018, I challenged (tiaozhan) myself to learn Mandarin over the course of six weeks.

I have no formal education in Mandarin, whether it be listening, speaking, or writing. The common understanding is that it would take around 6 months to learn an additional language. Thus, to accomplish a 6 month undertaking within 6 weeks will prove tough and daunting. Therefore, I will need to constantly push myself if I wish to become fluent in basic Mandarin speaking and writing.

During class, our lecturer (laoshi) and fellow classmates discussed the many ways to start learning Mandarin. They include watching online video tutorials (such as Yoyo Chinese and eChinese Learning on YouTube), using phone apps, watching TV shows (authentic format from mainland China), listening to songs or karaoke (eg. Teresa Teng), using online translators and more.

I look forward to learning Mandarin in the coming 6 weeks, and I will continue to write and document my progress in this blog site accordingly.

I end this letter with another proverb, this time from Confucius ;

" Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart "


Sincerely,
Manoj Prasad