My root

Today is another important day in my life. Without today, I won't be in this world haha... Happy 25th Anniversary of my Parents' Wedding! Wish I were back home now!

Talking about how I came to this world, I was thinking about my root of origin and my ancestors. Sometimes, I don't know it's a good thing to be Chinese(or look like Chinese) in Singapore cos people talk to me in Mandarin and it's such a shame that my Mandarin sucks although I'm Chinese. Jonathan (an ABC coming to SMU for exchange) ,when he replied why he didn't choose China or Taiwan or HK for exchange instead of S'pore, is right that people will just assume that we, being Chinese, can speak Mandarin although they are born abroad like other Americans to whom people in the host country will try to communicate in English or some other forms. But for us, we fall in their stereotype. Since we can't speak Mandarin, we are like outcasts.

How do you guys feel living in another country with cultural similarity but yet so many differences? When I was young, I sometimes thought why I'm not a Burmese espeically when teased by my classmates. And after coming to Singapore, sometimes I think why I am a Chinese. :p It's true that I am not as equally discriminated in Singapore as other foreign students until they find out I'm not local. But sometimes it's a good thing cos they will talk to me in English, but usually they don't realize I'm not. Last week when I brought Kohsuke and his gf to One Fullerton, the taxi driver talked to me in Mandarin all the way. Then he asked me what's my dialect group. When I said "Hakka", he kept on talking to me in Hakka. Please lah I don't even speak Mandarin properly. Why can he expect me to speak in Hakka which is a very rare dialect? Then I told him I can't speak Hakka, he said "See. You all should blame that 老頭子for his Speak Mandarin campaign. Now you guys cannot speak your own dialect!" haha....Actually that campaign is not that bad lah. Without this, Singaporeans' Mandarin will be as bad as mine.

Although my Mandarin is not that good, I must thank my father for his little Speak Mandarin campaign when I was young. But for him, I would have been more embarassed in S'pore while I can't speak Mandarin at all. He always supported me and even fought against my mum to allow her children to give more priority to Mandrain and other studies. If you think my Mandarin is not bad, it's all because of my dad and my school which inspired (or brainwash? :p) me.

Anyway, I must learn Hakka one day, perhaps after I master Japanese and Madarin, and a litte bit of Korean and a bit of Spanish! haha...