Students Testimony From the Chinese Class

Heather Powers

I’m a Digital Content Manager in University Marketing and Communications at Michigan Tech. I love sci-fiction and fantasy movies, books, and television shows. I have lived in Houghton for over 20 years.

Also, I have always had an interest in the history, the people, and the culture of China. I love learning about other people, their culture, and what they do. When I was young, and to this day, I read novels by Chinese authors, translated of course. I wanted to learn Chinese so I could understand movies and dramas better without relying on subtitles and interact with people on campus if needed.

Denise Heikinen

After my retirement, I began tutoring English to international adults, which further reinforced my love of languages. Because my daughter-in-law is from China and both my grandchildren speak Chinese as does my son, Chinese was the obvious choice for me to try to learn. But it is a slow process learning to recognize characters rather than letters of an alphabet.

As a language tutor myself, this class gives me a greater sense of empathy for what my students go through as they try to learn English! The class is friendly and we all enjoy each other’s company while learning. Judy is patient and never shows any frustration as the class struggles with pronunciation. I feel enriched to have the opportunity to gain a language and a sense of Chinese culture in only one hour a week.

Pichai Sripaipan

I am Pichai Sripaipan, originally from Bangkok, Thailand. I joined the Chinese class because I want to learn and communicate in Mandarin Chinese. I am glad our community has volunteers willing to teach English and also foreign languages including Mandarin Chinese. I joined the Chinese class to keep myself occupied since I have retired. I had learned elementary Chinese when I was less than ten years old, but my instruction then used traditional characters and the old style of Pinyin. It is fun to learn it again to be able to speak some Mandarin.

Crystal Reitsma

I live and work in Georgia for a Christian non-profit. I am originally from Maine, and have lived in both Mexico and Peru. I love hiking and reading.

Maybe you’ll think I’m strange, but I enjoy learning languages, and in 2020, during the pandemic, I felt God asking me to learn Chinese, but I didn’t know why. I tried, but it was so hard, so I stopped learning. Then this year I asked for help, and started again with Duolingo, and now this class. I still don’t know why I am learning Chinese, but I am enjoying it!

Stefanie Anderson

I am a 6th-grade math and science teacher at the John Ball Zoo School in Grand Rapids, MI. I am originally from Germany but have lived in the US for almost 30 years. I love to travel, eat (especially foreign foods and ice cream) be active and do things with friends

I joined the Chinese class because Shasha, our first teacher, is my friend and invited me. Even though I have little time to study for it, I enjoy it immensely because the people in my class are great.

Sushree Dash

I am a recent PhD graduate in Applied Physics from Odisha, India. Coming from a diverse background, I value diversity and learning more about things I don’t know. I love research in Physics so my curiosity about the unknown is well-nurtured. My office mate and good friend Tong Gao is Chinese. I have had many signs from the universe that learning Chinese should be the new unknown to explore. Having friends like Tong, Elise, Mikhail, who gave me a beginner’s introduction to Mandarin; my interest was recognized by my good friend Chinmoyee who led me to the Chinese class. I have enjoyed the classes since the day I joined. The rich culture and intricacies of the language fascinate me. I feel like coding when I am learning Mandarin. The people in the Chinese class like Shasha, Pichai, Denise, Stephenie and new joiners after that; have been very kind and welcoming. It’s a great community to be a part of outside academic life.

Miraj Kayastha

I am a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering at Michigan Tech. I am originally from the beautiful mountainous country of Nepal and have spent many years of my childhood in Japan and Germany. My hobbies include playing the guitar, watching anime and playing sports, especially soccer. I joined the Chinese Class to learn about Chinese culture and learning the language is one of the best ways to get a sense of a culture. I am also fascinated by ancient traditions so Chinese allows me to peek into the fascinating rich traditions of China. On a more practical level, as Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, the class allows me to familiarize myself with the language to the point where it does not sound foreign to me.

Chinmoyee Das

I am Chinmoyee Das, a PhD graduate from Odisha, India. Coming from India with such diverse cultures and languages, I developed an interest in learning new languages. So far I have learned about 7 languages. I love Asian dramas and Asian music so when I learned about the Chinese class from my advisor Dr. Xinfeng Xie, I joined to enhance my experience of watching dramas and listening to music. I also wanted to learn the language to make more friends. I had a great time in the class; I made so many new friends and even shared drama and music recommendations. It is a wonderful way to learn and share experiences of our own cultures and traditions while learning something new.

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