A Brief Inspiring Encounter

…and it adds fire to my belly

In the subway of NYC, Dec 2011

I have never forgotten this incident. It was December of 2011, my husband and I were in a NYC subway, and I approached this cheerful black gentleman for some information.

To my surprise, he started conversing with me in Mandarin, and for that matter in perfect Mandarin language.

For a moment, I was not keen on asking about my destination. My questions turned to how and why he had learned mandarin.

Mr A( pardon me , I have forgotten his name as it’s more than 10 years ago) told me he was interested in Mandarin because he wanted to go to China one day and experience her culture. He self- studied by borrowing books from the library starting with the most basic language book.

Assiduously, he looked for opportunities to expose himself to the language, through tapes, watching Chinese movies or dramas with English subtitles and listening keenly.

That was a moment of inspiration for me. It set me thinking about my language learning that was put on the back burner. Having invested many years for weekly lessons in Japanese language studies, I have not reached the level of speaking it comfortably and naturally and it’s due to my lack of diligence.

After asking for the direction and before parting ways, I wished Mr A best of luck in his endeavours. He smiled widely, light twinkled in his eyes as he also gave his best wishes to me.

A meaningful encounter with a person of great potential because he had shown that one can achieve success by exercising passion, persistence and fortitude even without formal studies.