Expanding my horizons a bit, I have composed a piece in Chinese to brush up on my Chinese. The English translation follows.
外公和笔记本
我是在美国长大的, 仅仅四岁半就来美国。在美国我虽然去过中文学校， 可是学中文最大功劳还是属于我外公的。从小他就教我中文，让我得到了好的中文基础，鼓励我读三国和水浒大名著。外公今年八十八，但知识面很广， 脑子又清楚， 人称活字典。
岁月不饶人， 一下子二十年过去了， 我已经念完法学院做了律师，而现做的工作还偏偏需要会中文. 我上高中和大学时都没好好练中文, 可惜忘了好多字，念中文时很吃力的， 在别人面前都不太好意读. 幸好我毕业了以后意识到学中文是重中之重, 不顾一切地把中文补回来. 我运气好, 找到在洛市的工作, 每星期周末都回我爸妈家一趟，睡在我从小长大的床上，很舒服. 家里人都喜欢读世界日报, 我一开始对新闻没有兴趣, 而且看繁体的字嫌太耗时间了, 有时就算读懂一篇文章也是略知大音. 近来我才发现读报纸才是培养中文的上计. 我最欣赏的是家园版， 每一份有好几篇特有趣的故事。我每次读的时侯拿着铅笔和笔记本， 看到生字我就写下来, 递给外公请他多多指导. 其实外公也想教我中文,所以算我俩不谋而合. 我真正佩服外公, 那么大岁数了还能记起好几千个汉字, 不仅告诉我意思和发音还可以把背后的故事讲给我听, 比如说四面楚歌, 南辕北辙这种有历史背景的成语.
我经常想，我小时候能有外公在家，真是挺幸幅!我认识不少华人儿女， 在美国长大从来不用中文， 家里也不说， 逐渐就忘得一干二尽净。
实在太可惜了！ 所以我决定把握住这个优势，不要骄傲， 还是要继续努力， 跟外公读报纸。当然， 读懂一个字跟能在说话当中用上是两回事， 经常学了一个新字或新词马上就忘记了， 而且没有多少机会能用上。自我感觉最好的是我有一次跟我妈争打牌引起争论， 正闹得鸡飞狗跳时， 我知道再吵下去会伤感情的， 不如用前军之鉴， 说一个笑话来让两方都息怒。 我就说，“算了， 妈， 大家都知道你比我牌技好， 我再争下去也只是班门弄斧。” 这一说妈妈就笑了， 而且是一种惊喜， 因为她没想到我还会这一招。
不知不觉地，我的笔记本已经填满了, 必需用新的一本了. 不过我肯定会把这些笔记本永远保存好的, 因为我知道这本子不仅是很好的复习资料, 也是我和我外公那么多天一起学中文的纪念品.
My Grandfather and the Notebook
I was born in China
but came to America when I was merely 5 years old. Although I have been to
Chinese school, the greatest contribution to my learning Chinese belongs to my
grandfather (on my mom’s side). From an early age he taught me Chinese and
trained me to have a solid foundation in the language, as well as encouraging
me to read Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other famous Chinese literary
works. My grandfather is 88 years old this year, but his knowledge base is
broad and he still thinks clearly, thus earning the nickname “Walking
Dictionary.”
Time goes by quickly, 20 years went by in a flash. I have
already graduated from law school and become an attorney, but ironically the
work I do now requires knowledge of Chinese. When I was in high school and
college I ignored my Chinese studies and unfortunately lost a big chunk of the
language, thus when I read Chinese it sounds like a foreign language, to the
extent that I got embarrassed to speak in front of other Chinese speakers.
After graduating from law school, however, I realized how much of a priority I
should place on learning Chinese, and so I relentlessy endeavored towards
reinforcing my Chinese. Luckily, I work in Los Angeles and my parents live
close by, so most weekends I go home to my parents’ home and sleep in my own
bed. I noticed that everyone at home likes to read the “Chinese Daily news.” I
initially had no interest in reading newspapers, and reading traditional Chinese
characters wastes too much time for me, and even if I understand an article I
bungle my way through it, not really understanding some words and phrases.
After a while, though, I realized that reading these newspapers was the key to
success in learning Chinese, especially the Articles from Readers section,
where each article has an interesting story about real life people. Every time
I read it I have a pencil and notebook, and when there’s a word I don’t
recognize I hand it to my grandfather so that he can educate me. Coincidentally,
my grandfather also is eager to teach me Chinese, so it’s kind of a unspoken
agreement we have. I really admire my grandfather, he preserves so much
knowledge and so many Chinese characters despite his advanced age, and not only
can he give the definition and correct pronunciation of a word or phrase but
also the background behind it, like “surrounded on all sides” or “going nowhere
fast.”
I often think, I was very lucky to have a grandfather at
home when I was young. I know a lot of ABCs (American born Chinese) who never
use Chinese and don’t speak it at home, so they completely forget the language.
It’s really a shame! I pledge to grasp this opportunity and not get complacent,
continue striving towards my goals, and study Chinese newspapers with my
grandfather. Of course, learning a certain word and being able to use it are 2
completely different things, and I often find myself forgetting a word as soon
as I learn it. There aren’t that many opportunities to use Chinese. I do have
one good self esteem-boosting memory: one time my mother and I were arguing
over card strategy, and just when the debate was raging on, I realized that
going any further might hurt feelings, so I learned from my previous mistakes
and inserted a joke to lighten the tension. I said, “that’s alright, Mom,
everyone knows your card strategy is better than mine, so arguing with you
further would only be the apprentice teaching the master. My mom smiled at this,
and it was a pleasant surprise for her because she did not expect that I would
have this trick up my sleeve.
Without knowing it, my notebook has filled up with Chinese
words, and I have had to switch to a new notebook. However, I will forever keep
these notebooks in a safe please, because I know that these books are not just
good study materials for later, but also souvenirs of the times I spent with my
grandfather learning Chinese.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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