I decided to learn Japanese during my first winter in Taipei.
In my Beginners class at theYMCA, I was invisible as I looked just like the rest of the class. Nobody gave me a second look.
Ditto in the Intermediate class — for the first couple of weeks.
The Intermediate level entailed a lot more, and harder, grammar than the Beginners level. Everything was taught in Chinese. I was making notes in English.
The teacher walked around the class as he was teaching. Suddenly, he came to a halt beside me, and asked, in Chinese, “Why are you writing your notes in English?!?” I said, “Because I’m from Singapore, and English is my first language.” He took a longer look at me, as though he was trying to see if he could find some feature in me that would distinguish me from the rest of the class.
My fellow students also perked up and took a fresh look at me. After the lesson, I felt all eyes on me as I left the room, as if they, too, were trying to find out what might be different about me.
(Taiwan, 1975)
No comments:
Post a Comment