Proof of my Mandarin/ Putonghua prowess

After three months of classes, I finally got my Basic Chinese 1 certificate from the Confucius Institute. Sweet. Now I can say hello, tell people what I want (coffee, mostly...), ask someone's nationality and profession, introduce myself, introduce people, count, ask for permission, look for someone, say goodbye, ask directions, make suggestions/invitations, to name a few. But that doesn't mean that I can now conveniently hop on a plane to China. There's still a lot I don't know...like how to read. The little Kanji I know from basic Nihongo isn't much help. Besides, this certificate is only a piece of paper. The real prowess is in making actual, meaningful conversations with people.

My teacher, when he asked each student in class to recite a passage from our textbook, said I could go to China now, though. But he didn't mean that literally. He just meant that my pronunciation was close enough to how real Chinese people say it.

So I will attend Basic Chinese 2 this coming May. I will take it along possible Saturday afternoon classes on photography (lighting) and basic photo editing, offered by a different organization, of course. These will keep me busy and productive and maybe, just maybe, closer to my full potential. Well and good.