Hokkien Reflection - Rayna Ng
I decided to learn Hokkien because I wanted to connect better with my grandparents. While they are able to speak and understand Mandarin, Hokkien has always been the language they are most comfortable with. Growing up, I would often hear them converse in Hokkien with my parents and their siblings, and I picked up a few phrases here and there—but I never had the confidence to properly learn it. Honestly, I’ve always been a little afraid of picking up new languages, especially since I’ve never felt particularly strong in this area. That’s why, when I found out about this course, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally learn Hokkien in a more structured way. What really motivated me even more was thinking about how much effort my grandparents have made to speak with my generation, sometimes even speaking in English to help us understand. I felt that it was only right that I put in the same effort to meet them halfway. Although my Hokkien is still far from fluent, I feel that I’ve...