See Spot Run...

Somedays, I totally feel like getting out the Dick and Dora first readers again. Only I can't find them in Chinese.

Today at school, I learned to write my name.

I totally got off the bus, ran up the stairs, through the door, promptly threw off my shoes and dumped my bag on the floor and yelled to Jason, "Guess what? Today I learned to write my name! Wanna see?".

Then I busted up laughing because 1. I felt like I was in preschool again 2. Jason wasn't home 3. I should've known Jason wasn't home cause I had to unlock the door and 4. I was ravenously hungry which just seemed to be the icing on the cake (no pun intended).

But I can write my name!

Which means, I can also read my name. Which means, I can officially read and write Chinese characters, which my friends, is no small feat. (Well, in my mind anyway -- please allow me to indulge myself a little. Trust me, the ego will be promptly deflated as soon as I get to school tomorrow and can't remember if the subject comes before the time word or not.)

扬 丽秋 -- I can write that (Yáng Lì qīu -- my name). Ok, I'll admit it -- I can't write it beautifully yet

but at least I can write it and people can read what I wrote. Which just adds to the whole

preschool/humiliating feeling but I can write my name better than Jason can write his and that

does make me feel better.

The irony of the situation is that when I was in grades one and two, I remember during

hand-writing, the teacher would walk around the class room and choose the five neatest books to

be put on display for the rest of the day. It was always my greatest ambition to be one of the top

5 and I'm proud to say that most of the time, my book made it to at least one of those prized

position and many times it was the first. Now, I'm lucky to get the stroke order at least half correct

but usually I get "That's not very beautiful." (please read that in a heavy Chinese accent with a

completely straight face). I'm told my writing is too slanted -- it should be completely straight or

people will have to stand on one leg to read it and then they will fall over (literally -- if its slightly

slanted, its completely illegible). My writing isn't beautiful enough. Often, the teacher will ask me

to write first, and then he will write the character the proper way, point to mine and say "This.

This is more ugly (ug-a-ly -- it has three syllables). This (pointing to his own) is more beautiful.

Your writing must be beautiful or no one will read it. It doesn't matter what it says -- it all matters

only how it makes the reader to feel like. This (pointing again to his) makes me feel, aah, like

everything is beautiful. This (pointing to mine) makes me feel sad." (Again, read this in a heavy

Chinese accent -- my teacher's English is decent but his choice of words and accent crack me

up.) Its a sad but true fact. If I get so much as a stroke out of order, the teacher can tell -- mostly

because the word is suddenly, completely illegible. Even if I know what I'm trying to write, he

is unsure just because I wrote the shù before the héng. And of course, my teacher has been

taking calligraphy since we was old enough to hold a brush in his right hand (ooh, Jason's so

lucky he's not in Lin Laoshi's class! This is not a left-handed society!).

During the week, I just have regular language classes but on Tuesdays, I take a shū huà

(calligraphy class). At the end of class today, my teacher held up my work (much to my dismay)

for all the students to see. I knew it was bad but then my teacher told the class that he was just

impressed that a foreigner would even take the class in the first place and so I should be

commended for even trying (at least I'm telling myself that's what he said from my limited

understanding of Chinese and his limited English -- the actual calligraphy teacher doesn't speak

much English). He took my work for grading (why bother is what I wanted to know!) and said:

"liàn xí, liàn xí, liàn xí!" I'll let you translate that one!

NB: These are photos from a random calligraphy studio we happened upon during one of our many explorations throughout the city. I'm not that bad that they put me in the kiddie class! And

my mum did manage to find me some early Chinese readers but I think they're not early enough

because I've had them for several months now and still can't read much of them...

Rachel -- 13th of October, 2009