Me and My Right Choice（菲律宾·吴翰林）

It was early summer of March 2014, just days after I left the portals of my old alma mater when my mom and dad asked for the last time on where I will take up my college years. This was the question I couldn’t answer for a long time as I know this decision will determine how I will embark the next chapters of my life. Upon asking me this question, I was hesitant, not sure on what course I’m going to take until for quite some time of thinking and weighing the odds I was finally able to make up my mind and told them what my heart was telling me, “Mom, dad, all these past few years I couldn’t answer that certain question but now I think I finally know what to pursue, I’ve decided to be a Chinese teacher like you mom, so I hope both of you will support me all the way as I’ll be continuing my studies in China.”

At that moment mixed emotions started to startle their minds. Both of them were saddened because I’ll soon be leaving their side and at the time happy because I finally found my path. Moreover, they started throwing me several questions such as, “Why do you have to study so far away?”, “Are you sure about your decision?”, “Is studying Chinese truly going to make you happy?” In the end, they respect my decision and told me, “We’re always with you in whatever decision you’ll make.”

Among the many reasons why I want to continue my studies abroad is mainly because of three particular reasons. Firstly because I am a Filipino-Chinese so I think it would be self-gratifying to not only learn but to understand my ancestors’ language and culture. Second, China’s economy is alarmingly fast, so learning its language can more easily help me find a better job yet be more convenient in whatever business I’ll be engaging in later on. Third, Chinese is one of the most useful languages in the world; in addition there are Chinese-speaking people in all corners of the earth so I believe “travel” wouldn’t be better if you know another tongue.

To be honest, I myself wasn’t sure if I made the right choice. On that day on, I was nervous, scared and questions began arising. “What if there will come a time when I’ll eventually lost interest in learning the Chinese culture and language?”, “What if I couldn’t be able to make friends abroad?”, “What if the lessons are too hard and the pressure is too high?”, “What if I couldn’t be able to adapt to the sudden changes in my life?”, “What if…”.

It was only until September 1, 2014 when I was able to test these “What ifs”. This was the period wherein for the first time in my life, I was able to step on Beijing ground. Upon reaching the airport, we wasted no time and immediately head forth to our new school, Beijing Language and Culture College or shortly known as BLCC. It was established on the year 1950 and up until now, it still stands tall and proud in the outskirts of Beijing. Its location is very accessible to lots of tourist spots, shopping grounds, convenient stores and other interesting destinations. It is a college that specializes in teaching foreign students the Chinese language and culture. Our school also has these cool and awesome facilities for instance, the library, gym, swimming pool, football field, canteen, reception, classrooms, dormitories, and so on. More importantly, the campus is absolutely safe due to our 24/7 on-duty security guards and has a clean environment consistently maintained by our dear A-yis themselves. It is indeed a place where I gained a new family, a new home and a new beginning.

Several more days passed when people from different nations gradually started to come. Some came from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the list goes on. I began to meet new friends and have closer relationships with them day by day. The students as well as the staffs are very warm and friendly too. Sometimes I would usually mingle and converse with them any topic under the sun in pure Chinese. In this way, I can be able to gain new ideas and practice my Chinese at the same time.

The most awaited day came when we were put to the test. A test that determines what class or level a student belongs. In just a few days, the results finally came. There were lots of students in the bulletin board area, fighting their way in to see what class they belong to. Off course, some were happy and some were discontented. As for me, I was placed in class 3 but later on transferred to class 5 to seek for a more challenging level. Being a part of class 5 is terrific! Although each of us has different personalities, country and culture but nevertheless we are able to understand and hang out with each other. On the whole, we treated each other as brothers and sisters.

Coping up with my classmates were simple as most of them were easy-to-be-with but coping up with my studies took time. The lessons in that class are not easy and almost every day our teachers would usually give us piles of home works and tests. For this reason, I before would often consider transferring to a lower-levelled class. But due to the constant encouragement of my classmates and teachers as well as believing that I myself am capable to be a part of class 5, in the end I decided to stay. I must admit, there are still a lot of characters wherein I don’t understand. As a matter of fact, there was once when I wanted to ask a staff in Chinese so I said, “我可以吻你吗?” Instead of saying “我可以问你吗?” At that time the staff looked at me, puzzled. Nonetheless that awkward experience taught me to be more careful on using the right tones when speaking Chinese.

BLCC not only makes sure that we students can learn new things in the four corners of the classroom but also makes sure that we can benefit from the activities they conduct. At some times, they would bring us outside the campus to visit historical sites, museums, climb mountains and even brought us to watch a famous TV show live. They also hold contests such as the Chinese Singing Contest, Chinese Declamation Contest, Chinese Oration contest, Chinese Writing Contest, Classroom Beautification Contest and a lot more. BLCC also gives prize money and certificates as reward to those who win so participating in these said competitions would definitely be worth a try.

Not to mention, BLCC also has teachers in doctorate and masters degree. I really compliment BLCC’s teachers for being kind, helpful, knowledgeable and so passionate towards their work. How I wish I can also be a great as they are in the future. I believe they are as what the saying says, “Teachers are like candles which burn itself to give out its light to others.”

About 7 months have passed when I first came to BLCC and so far I’m glad that I made the right choice. It is a school that teaches minds, touches hearts and transforms lives. Being a part of its community made me improve my Chinese, broadened my perspectives, gained more knowledge about its culture and taught me to be more independent and more mature. Furthermore, I believe that BLCC has moulded me to become a more prepared individual to face out the trials and challenges ahead, believe that it made me discover and further develop my talents and skills, believe that it played a big role in helping me reach my goals.