I guess no matter where you go some things will never change. No matter what age you are, whether you’re in school or at work, you will, like it or not, encounter the same type of people. Chinese friends who are Chinese-educated find it hard to accept the fact that although I’m a Chinese, I can’t really converse in Mandarin. Don’t blame me; blame my parents for not enrolling me into a Chinese school when I was little. I was brought up in a surrounding where people can’t and don’t speak in Mandarin. So, whatever “level” of Mandarin I’m in now, it’s all thanks to myself for learning it all by myself just by listening and speaking to my friends back in school. I have no certified school teachers to teach me that so I have an excuse but funny how some people learn English since kindergarten till Form 5 but somehow, they still don’t have a good grasp in that language. Ok, I learnt Mandarin in Standard 1 up to Standard 3 and FYI, it was not in school but in a night class I attended when I was small but does it really count? Do you expect me to be perfect in Mandarin with that?
Banana. It’s a name they called for Chinese who can’t speak Mandarin. They find it very amusing and hilarious but seriously I don’t. Which part of it is funny??? To me it’s insulting! If I’m banana then what type of fruits are you? I do agree that Mandarin is important but it’s not everything! I don’t know why but those who are Chinese-educated and can speak marvelous Mandarin always think that they’re invincible. It’s good that they know their mother-tongue but do you really need to insult my lack of Mandarin? Those who called me banana, well, their English is not that good either. To be honest, I sometimes find myself wondering what they’re actually talking about when they speak in English. Their grammatical errors are superb that I find it super annoying when they write or speak in English but you know what? I will not criticize their English straight to their faces EVER or make fun of them because I’m matured enough to accept people for who they are and I know that everybody has their own abilities. And certainly, for sure, English is not their forte. So if I don’t make fun of you why must you make fun of me? Imagine if I use bombastic words or even metaphor when I speak to you and force you to understand me and learn. How would you feel?
Stay calm now if you are Chinese-educated and you’re reading this. Open yourself up to criticisms and look around you. Do you agree with me that Chinese-educated people who are only good in Mandarin are actually very mean, fake and have no manners at all? I’m not saying all but majority of them are in this category. They always speak without thinking about other people’s feelings and the way they behave is so uncivilized at times. They give their opinions and thoughts about others as if like the rest of the un-Chinese species like me don’t have a tiny bit feeling deep inside us. And they always think that they’re much better than the English-educated ones when in reality they’re not. No one is better than the other. To be fair, we, the English-educated people are not perfect either. You too might find a few things about us that get on your nerves. We too have flaws. But remember that everybody has their own abilities and uniqueness and those are the things that make everybody special in their own ways. So, accept people for who they are. Don’t criticize others harmless flaws and expect them to change unless you yourselves are willing to accept your own flaws and open up to criticisms, and are ready to change too.
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