Nĭ hăo! (My post's title sounds like a click-bait article. Lol.)
So, this is a quick post. I just want to express how happy I am that I finally finished my online course on Chinese for Beginners in Coursera. Yehey, new skill!
To give you an idea on what Coursera is—Coursera is a website that offers short online courses from top universities. It's not only focused on learning languages, but also a variety of subjects and specializations. Some of the courses are even offered for FREE. (Unless you want to purchase the certificate, which of course, you have to pay.)
I was introduced to Coursera back when I was still in Inquirer, when one of our editors was encouraging us to explore the site. I did sign up for a Psychology class before, but I got stuck halfway into finishing it.
Now, the reason why I enrolled in Chinese for Beginners is that I was really planning to learn a new language this year. Plus, I think that it would somehow help me in the industry I'm currently in.
I scouted for schools or institutions that offer Chinese/Mandarin classes, but most of them costs an arm and a leg. Or some of which have to fill in a certain number of students before they finally start class.
Then one day an e-mail notification from Coursera popped out, reminding me that I have this option to try.
I looked into the selection of courses, hoping there would be a beginner's course on Chinese language. Then I finally saw one from Peking University .
I signed up and religiously took classes with a virtual professor every week. Four lessons weekly and short quizzes after every lesson.
In full disclosure, here's my overall grade:
Not a hundred percent, but I'm kinda satisfied with the turnout. I believe what matters here is what I've learned and what I'll be able to use.
And no, I haven't studied Pinyin yet. I'll line that up next when I'm already good at speaking the language.
Wǒ xǐhuān xuéxí zhōngwén. (I like studying Chinese language.)
Tips for those who are interested: You may practice the language in other means. Besides the online classes I was taking, I downloaded a Duolingo app for some quick practices in between. I also casually slide in a few phrases whenever I talk to our Chinese resto outlet manager. (Hi, Ms. Toni! :D)
If all else fails, Google Translate will always be your rescue. But be careful because it's not 100% accurate all the time.
Oh, I also want to thank my virtual professor, Ms. Xiaoyu Liu, for being an effective teacher. I will miss featuring you in my IG stories, haha. Xièxie lăoshī!
Moving forward, I might sign up for another Chinese class. Let's see.
Zàijiàn! (Bye / See you!)