Chinese was neither my first nor second language in school. In retrospect, it was one of the deepest regrets in my life that I had not learned Chinese in school. But one never stops learning anything and the best part about learning a language at this stage in my life is that I do it at my own time, my own pace and I pick and choose the subject matter and devise my own learning methods.
It may take me years before I am able to read and write Chinese proficiently. However with so many fantastic internet tools available, a whole new world has opened up for me through a language that should rightfully have been my mother tongue. It is never too late to learn and I am having the best learning experience of my life because there is no fixed curriculum, no exams, no pressure to excel and best of all I learn because I want to at my own pace and at my own time. I will be making mistakes here and there I am sure but these are part and parcel of learning to use a language.
“你看这边有一朵白色的喇叭花 ，” 一位妈妈对她孩子说。 还好我听到因为我也是没看过这类花。“Look there is a white trumpet flower over here," a mother said to her son. It was good that I heard what she said because I, too,have not seen such a flower.
通常这些花是紫色。我觉得我那天是幸运能见到这样特别的一朵花。Usually, such flowers are purple in colour. I felt that I was lucky that day for being able to see such an unusual flower.
Canna and Saraca flowers.
Canna and Saraca flowers.
Four types of plant gracing a fence - two types of morning glory and the bleeding heart vine. Spot the bud of the passion flower.
Water lilies at the peak of their beauty and the golden lotus banana flower doing fine.
