Chinese Language

I never had the intention of learning Chinese. I spoke Dutch and Spanish at home and learned English when I was 14. Once I arrived at Soka, I had the opportunity to study a language. I could choose from Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese. I decided to study Chinese because I saught after a new experience. I had never been to Asia and as part of Soka's curriculum, study abroad is mandatory. Once I chose to study Chinese there was no holding back. I fell in love with the process of learning and my friends often found me in the study room down the hall from my room, endlessy writing and erasing Chinese characters to memorize the drawing of characters. I watched tv-shows such as Ipartment, I went to tutoring hours, I even got a job at a local Chinese restaurant. I worked in the kitchen as an assitant to the "shifu", a man from Guanzhou that did not speak English. Forcing myself into uncomfortable situations led me to learn the language at a quick pace. At the end of my study abroad experience I passed HSK IV exam which states: "Test takers who are able to pass the HSK (Level IV) can converse in Chinese on a wide range of topics and are able to communicate fluently with native Chinese speakers."