My family and I have been living in Hong Kong (HK) for almost 15 years, and we’ve grown accustomed to the country’s ideals and traditions. There’s no doubt that Hong Kong is one of the world’s most unique countries. Sure, you could choose to live in Europe where the grass is greener, but I love HK the most where the culture is engaging and city life is unlike any other.
However, I got this new job opportunity in Singapore that offered me more money and a chance to live a new life abroad. As much as I love HK, my wife (Alice) and I decided to move to Singapore to take advantage of the opportunities handed out to us. After a few months of preparations, we finally boarded a plane to Singapore with a hopeful smile on our faces.
When we arrived in Singapore, we expected nothing less. The urban sceneries are captivating, and we were stunned to see such a refined portrayal of an urban landscape. Everything about Singapore captured our attention at every corner, but we realised one tiny mistake, though; we forgot to relearn Mandarin.
In HK, it’s common to speak Mandarin, but not as frequent as Cantonese. While my wife and I were able to speak Mandarin, my son wasn’t as fluent as we were. That’s why we tried to find the best enrichment centre in Singapore to enrol our son (let’s call him Jackie) in a Chinese program.
Living in Singapore feels like a fresh start for all of us, especially for Jackie, who’s trying to learn Mandarin. While Alice and I were getting to know more people in the country, Jackie was reading books and making friends in his tuition centre.
At first, Jackie found it hard to speak Mandarin. He was quite skilled in writing and speaking in Cantonese, but the conceptual differences between Cantonese and Mandarin made it hard for Jackie to grasp the fundamentals of the latter.
The good news, however, is that we enrolled Jackie in the best Chinese enrichment class for primary school, based on what he said after a few weeks of studying Mandarin. He said despite enduring many hardships during the first days of learning how to read and speak Mandarin, he made friends and gained new skills.
Since we were struggling to get used to Singapore and its city life, we were happy that Jackie is getting to know more people. Making new friends is something we wanted for him after we left Hong Kong and his many companions.
Jackie’s Chinese speech and drama in Singapore was the perfect way for him to get acquainted with different strangers that can become his potential friends. Fortunately, he befriended three people along the way, two boys and a girl who helped him get used to staying in Singapore.
After encouraging Jackie to learn Mandarin, it turned out that he can use his new skills in many ways that will benefit him in the future. For starters, he’ll get a glimpse of the culture and history of Mandarin. China is one of the oldest countries in the world, and it’s no surprise if there are many hidden gems tucked away in the nation’s history.
There’s also the fact that speaking and reading Mandarin is practical. Imagine being able to speak both Cantonese and Mandarin! That means Jackie can communicate with many Chinese folks like us and avoid any confusion during conversations.
While Jackie was having the time of his life, he was still finding it hard to learn the fundamentals of Mandarin. Familiarising yourself with the different tones and pronunciations is time-consuming, which is why Jackie is struggling with his tuition.
The good thing is that I was able to help in the smallest ways since I know how to speak a bit of Mandarin. I told him that every day during dinner time, the entire family would have to speak in Mandarin. At first, it was challenging for him. Alice and I were having fun, but Jackie would often give up.
As time moved on, however, Jackie has gotten better and better with his fluency in Mandarin. The more we spoke, the more he improved his skills in speaking the language. It also proved to us how we enrolled Jackie in the best enrichment centre since we saw his improvements gradually develop over time.
If you want your child to learn how to speak Mandarin or other languages in general, you could try to let them join a tuition program, similar to Jackie’s Chinese speech and drama classes. Try Edugrove if you’re looking for a tuition centre in Singapore. I bet your child will have a fun time studying Mandarin there!
