Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language / Education Journey

If you know me well, you probably know that I stress about tests and I will push myself hard to find perfection in all my work. But this year, my work has been incredibly different.  I have written before, learning Chinese has been an incredible journey. It is the most exciting, happy time in my day, it is what gets me through to the next day, and it truly makes me glow. Every Chinese class, I am faced with challenges, some days more than others. Monday through Friday I spend my mornings in class, followed by high school, where I study on my own for four hours, I come home and have to, but willingly, speak Chinese with my host family when it is necessary, and every week I am given a test. It is true -when you are passionate about something, you will work harder and the results mean more in the end. I do not expect perfection from myself and I do my best to realize my knowledge and areas for improvement. Not only have I learned an immense amount about myself through doing this, but also about the way I look at education.

This year, I have not taken one math class, one history class, one science class, and the list could go on. I have taken one class- Chinese class. I am taking this class because I want to take this class. Not because I am required to. I have taken a huge leap this year.  Learning a new language and not being sure at this time where it will take me in the future, I am loving the process. This is when I cannot help but reflect on the education system in the US. I can't remember a time when my classmates or I were not trying to get an A. The A was what everybody wanted, but it didn't necessarily mean that you understood or it was your honest work. This frustrates me now. Students take the SAT and the ACT and the AP classes all trying to get into college. Looking at it from the outside now, it is a bit crazy. When people ask me what it is I want to do when I am finished with high school or what I am going to do when I head back to the US, I honestly have no answer. For now, I am enjoying the learning path I am on and will continue in my mindset when I head back to the US.

Saturday May 4, I took the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language. This test is a government based test, created for foreigners to test their language proficiency. As I sat for the test, the youngest, in a room full of foreigners from all around the world, the only thing on my desk was my United States of America passport.  I was overwhelmed with pride. It truly was an awesome feeling! I was sitting to take an important MANDARIN CHINESE test, and I didn't feel nervous, rather I was super excited. The Vietnamese boy sitting next to me looked at me and smiled while I typed my user name and password into the computer to begin the test.  I could not type fast enough!  Just imagine the feeling. Typing my feelings now, I just received the same happy, giddy, proud feeling back!

I tested Level 1 and Level 2 listening and reading Chinese. Both tests went well and after receiving my results, I learned that I passed both tests! Meaning, I have successfully learned Level 1 and Level 2 and I am currently preparing Level 3! I am so happy with my results and I look forward to working hard these next two months on improving my Chinese even more.  :)