Teaching Chinese in Mongolia | #7 | September 2019
As I visit the capital to co-present at the English Language Teachersā Association of Mongoliaās international conference, I take a different turn with todayās blog. Hereās one of my favorite community development projects with Peace Corps Mongolia: teaching Chinese.
Through todayās stories, I recount episodes teaching and practicing Chinese. I also reflect on learning Mongolian. I love in Peace Corps when I use concurrently my āBig Threeā multilingual skills in English, Chinese and Mongolian. I hope throughout life I continue these.
Chiefly, of course, I serve in Mongolia to teach English. In fact, I teach it nearly 30 hours a week. I co-teach English, co-lesson plan, develop resources, chat with students, answer questions and advise student clubs. My students sometimes practice their reading skills on this blog, hehe!Ā
But, as Iāve written so often of my city, Iām very fortunate, very blessed. Chinese remains a constant tie for me to my mother and her family, so being able to practice and share it gives great life. With these graces, I serve.Ā
An Exciting Multilingual Moment
One day, one of my school administrators stopped by our department office to translate a note from Mongolian to English. Usually, I might help with my fellow English instructors, but they were elsewhere. One of the instructors, who has her desk near me in our office and teaches Russian, mentioned I know Mongolian, I think. So, our colleague approached me. She teaches Japanese, by the way. Our department is so friendly.Ā
Looking at the handwritten slip signed by our school director, two things felt apparent. One, I can finally read Mongolian cursive! But, two, the note still had unfamiliar words. My confusion must have sounded evident, because soon our department's Chinese instructor walked over. She knows my Chinese is better than my Mongolian. After all, we teach together weekly. So, in Chinese, she discussed with me the unfamiliar Mongolian words.Ā
With that, I finished typing the note in English then sent it to our colleague. What an experience! I returned to my apartment musing what a strange and exciting opportunity to help I had.Ā
Chinese AdventuresāSince Week 1
Iāve been having these Chinese moments since the beginning. On our schoolās first day, after I taught that English class I recounted in my past story, I returned to our department office for passing period. My first supervisor, having returned from her meeting, shared important news. Our universityās Chinese language program merged with our newly merged Humanities Department! I felt stunned!Ā
An afternoon after the merge, our department rearranged desks so we would work in the same room. And, day-by-day, my fellow instructors introduced me to our colleagues. I could teach with them! Now, Iāve worked among colleagues who instruct all the above languages. Some even teach pedagogy, psychology and international relations. Our students study to become language instructors and global communicators, even businesspeople. All who study English are my students.Ā
Practicing Chinese in Mongolian
Visiting Chinese classes, I love how I forge the missing link in my language abilities. At the university, my Chinese students are third-year majors studying intermediate Chinese and third-year business majors and international relations freshmen studying basic. Hearing my colleagues explain to students the meanings of familiar Chinese vocabulary and grammar using unfamiliar Mongolian, I find myself rapidly repairing my rifts between.
Likewise, I truly enjoy helping my students practice Chinese. Amusingly, as when I studied in China, people seem so amazed by my notetaking. They show my notebooks to others and even photograph them. I hope they help! Iām most helpful teaching pronunciation, which I struggled with as well, before my summers in China. Now, I recognize native pronunciation. Since my Mongolian is so patchy, I wind up speaking straight Chinese sometimes! And though I accidentally teach like a native, I do find myself emulating Chinese instructors from my past.Ā
I also feel astounded how, no matter how many places and times Iāve studied Chinese, I keep feeling I know nothing before I recall I know plenty. For, Chinese speaking styles offer differ. I must read and hear new vocabulary before applying again my familiar expressions. Haha, my winter and spring in čŗē£ TĆ”iwÄn this year even caused me trouble recalling the common åäŗ¬ BÄijÄ«ng accent again! What a wide world.
Yet my tales donāt stop there. After finishing that first week of classes, English and Chinese, I took a break after Mass on Sunday to visit the foreign language room of our city library across the street from church. Maybe I was journaling. The librarian came up to me and asked about the clubs our fellow Peace Corps Volunteers were doing. And during our chat in Mongolian, there entered four high school students, who asked whether we had a Chinese speaking club. I mentioned I know Chinese. Even the librarian said she wanted to learn!Ā
Fast-forward to now, and Iāve been teaching community Chinese lessons at the library to local Mongolians every Sunday after Mass and fellowship. Working adults come, too, to our lessons. But of course, I could host none of these without the support of many gracious and talented community members. By my second week teaching Chinese, Iāve had a team of club leaders helping translate my Chinese characters to Mongolian equivalents. By week three, theyāre even teaching our lesson themselves! Iām awed my greatest Peace Corps pipe dream came true.
I almost cried on my way home, the Sunday I first taught our Chinese speaking club. In the blackness, as my boots avoided the usual glass while crunching along the dirt, I reflected on the day. It was, too, my first day I experienced Catholic Mongolian language tutoring; then, after Chinese Club, I hiked to a Buddhist temple and even helped, that night, my shopkeeper learn English. Somewhere within me, I love these multilingual, multi-religious adventures. Maybe theyāre consolation. Lifeās next steps may be magical.
Next: Conference Presentation and Teachersā Day Performance!
This weekend, Iāve returned to Mongoliaās capital for my first time in a month and a half. Here, Iām presenting with my fellow instructors how to teach creative writing. I trust this blog makes my love of such self-evident...
Lovely for me, the weekend coincides with the memorial to Mongoliaās bishop. I have the opportunity to attend Mass with my cityās parish alongside Catholics from around the nation.Ā
But, as for conference, Iāll get to meet Peace Corps Volunteers from the cohort before me, which always excites me. Iāll even reunite with friends from ŠŠ¾Š¼Š³Š¾Š½! My favorite people are at the university where Iām presenting. Iām ecstatic to meet.
Guess what? Iāve been rehearsing a performance, too, for Teachersā Day. Anticipate my debut next week, in October!
First Autumn, Looking Inward
Months 3 through 5 | August, September, October
Swear-In for Peace Corps Mongolia Ā | #42 | August 2020
University Instructor: Identity and Settling In | #5 | August 2019
Loving First Week, University Instructor! | #6 | September 2019
Teaching Chinese in Mongolia | #7 | September 2019
Piercing Nights Amid Autumnās Sights | #8 | September 2019
A Broken Language and Waterās Phases | #9 | October 2019
