Mika is from Japan and came to Shanghai in 2022 Sep as her first time. She had not prepared for language before moving to Shanghai， but after arriving she realized Chinese is definitely necessary to enjoy life here. So she chose private class and her goal for the time being is to have daily conversation. Let’s see what she has said about her Chinese learning journey!
Mika来自日本，于2022年9月第一次来到上海。她在来上海之前没有学过任何汉语，但之后她发现学会汉语才能享受在中国的生活，所以她选择了私人课程，短期的目标学会日常的沟通、交流。让我们一起来听听她学习中文的体会和经验吧！
Q: Do you think it is useful for foreigners to learn Mandarin? Why? And why you’d like to learn Mandarin?
你认为外国人学习中文是有用的吗？为什么？你为什么会想学中文呢？
A: I think it is. It will bring us more opportunities to know about this country. And of course, it makes us have life easier, less stress!
我认为是的。它给了我们更多了解中国的机会，并且帮助我们拥有更加轻松便利的生活。
Q: As a good student, how do you learn Mandarin?（could you give an example） Would you like to share your tips? (like How do you encourage yourself when you learn Chinese? How do you keep your interest to learn Chinese?
作为一个好学生，你是如何学习普通话的？（你能举个例子吗）你可以分享一下你的秘诀吗？（比如你在学习中文时如何激励自己？你如何保持学习中文的兴趣？）
A：I just started learning Chinese, so I’m not sure if I am a good student or not but I can share how I enjoy learning Chinese. In classes, not to just go through textbooks but try to apply new words, grammar, or sentence structures to assumed daily conversation. Then bring it home and use it in our daily life as much as I can.
我刚开始学汉语，所以我不确定我是不是好学生，但是我可以分享自己是怎么享受学习汉语的过程的。在课程中，我不只是翻阅课本，并且会尝试将新学的单词、语法、句型应用到假设的日常对话中，然后把它带回家，尽可能多地运用于日常生活中。
Q: Would you like to talk something about your teacher, do you like him/her? And What kinds of teacher’s behavior will encourage you to learn Mandarin?
你可以谈谈你的老师吗？你喜欢他/她吗？老师的什么举措会鼓励你学习普通话？
A: I like her much!!! I learn Chinese characters not just as a language but also culture. In classes, we sometimes expand our conversation from grammatical questions to cultural differences. (Now I know Chinese people think time flows like a river, from top to bottom. So “上” indicates the past, and “下“indicates the future.)
我非常喜欢她！！我学汉字不仅是在学语言，也是在学文化。在课堂上，我们有时会把语法问题拓展为文化差异。（现在我明白了中国人把时间的流动看作是一条河流，从上到下，所以“上”表示过去，“下”表示将来。）
Q: Do you have any interesting things during your Mandarin study or the problems （details should be good）you meet in your daily life as the language to share with us?
你在学习普通话的过程中有没有什么有趣的事情或者日常生活中遇到的问题（如果能详细一点更好）可以分享给我们。
A: I’m still a very beginner. I seldom understand Native Chine speakers are talking yet.One day just after the class, I was with my children playing in our neighborhood. I overheard a kid saying to his mother“ 什么时候回家？”and his mother said”5分钟后”, which is exactly I learned in class that day and I could catch it.
我是一个超级初学者，我几乎听不懂本土中国人说的话。有一天下课后，我和我的孩子在附近玩耍。我听见一个小孩对他妈妈说”什么时候回家？“他妈妈说”五分钟后“。这正好是我那天上课刚学的内容，所以我听懂了。
Q:Finally, please say your favorite Chinese sentence, and why.
最后，请说出一个你最喜欢的汉语句子，并说明原因。
A:My favorite Chinese sentence is “怕什么来什么”, which is told by a friend of mine when I was anxious about covid. This phrase helped me to think in a positive way.
我最喜欢的中文句子是”怕什么来什么“。它是当我因新冠感染感到焦虑时，我的一个朋友告诉我的。这个短语帮助我积极地面对生活。（完）
