Before arriving in China, I had read lots of books about China. Therefore, when I arrived, I was excited to be living in this huge historically and culturally rich country. It was so greatly different from the UK. The food, the landmarks, the big cities and everyday life一I couldn't wait to explore.
However, learning Chinese hadn't even entered my mind, not because I was lazy, but because I had no confidence to learn the most complex language in the world. Besides this, once I moved to China, I lived in Shanghai. It is an international city, with many people speaking English as a second language. So I thought English would be sufficient.
But after a year in China I found many expats(侨民) spoke Chinese. Perhaps it was achievable after all? I felt uncomfortable because so many Chinese people could speak English while I couldn't even speak the most basic Chinese. To face the challenge, I decided to begin my language journey and my only regret is that I didn't start earlier.
In the two years since starting to learn I have made great progress. Now, I am able to talk in Chinese on many topics(话题). Learning to speak Chinese isn't as difficult as I once expected. When I speak to Chinese people in Chinese, they almost always understand me. The most challenging thing is listening since Chinese people talk at such a speed. I can't always understand what's been said, but my weekly online language exchanges help with this. Learning Chinese has taken a lot of hard work. But there is still a long way to go before I reach my goal of fluency(流利).
Learning Chinese not only helps me in day-to-day life, but deepens(加深) my cultural understanding of such a great country. So, to all my non-Chinese friends I say this, don't be afraid, face the challenge and be confident.
