5 Questions for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan
We’re asking students, recent grads, teachers, and counselors five questions on how languages play a role in shaping personal and professional success…
Meet Nailah-Benā—a University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) alumna who uses her Mandarin Chinese skills abroad in Taiwan with a Fulbright ETA grant
1. For many years, beginning as a child, you attended a community Taiwanese Chinese language school on Sundays. Could you share with us a little about what that was like and any takeaways from the experience?
Attending the community Taiwanese Chinese language school was a transformative experience. I learned so much culturally and socially from attending school every Sunday. From 6th grade up until I graduated high school, attending the school was a huge part of my life.
Not only did it allow me to have a unique experience different from my friends and family, but it opened my eyes to the importance of cultural exchange and competency.
The community at the school was my first exposure to a culture that was not Black or “American,” and having to navigate this experience alone every week taught me a lot about myself and my passions. I am eternally grateful for the community embracing me and teaching me the Mandarin Chinese language and the Taiwanese culture.
Being the only non-Asian and also only Black person at the school for a long time was difficult at first, but receiving grace and understanding from the community and being able to reciprocate those values is my most cherished accomplishment.
2. As a Global Studies major and Chinese minor, you’ve now taken every available Chinese language course at UMBC, starting with Chinese 101… What would you say has been the biggest impact of this course pathway on your perspective or future plans?
Having already attended the language school for around 6 years, I had a base level of Chinese. However, since I was not able to practice my language with my family or in any setting outside of the community school, my progress was stagnant and mostly reliant on my listening comprehension and speaking ability—my reading and writing skills were admittedly poor, and the majority of the Chinese I knew was very colloquial.
I decided to take Chinese 101 to build a truly solid foundation for my Chinese language so that it could progress to the point of fluency and professionalism. Because most American colleges and universities teach Mainland Chinese (simplified), it was definitely a learning curve to learn characters in a different system and read texts. Also listening to and trying to understand audio with a heavy Chinese accent as opposed to a Taiwanese accent that I was used to hearing was difficult. However, now that I have spent time in Taiwan as a student and English teacher, I have a solid grasp of both simplified and traditional characters, as well as both accents and dialects.
3. You were selected by the U.S. Government to receive a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to Taiwan: Congratulations!! Although the pandemic changed your plans, we’d love to hear more about how you learned about this program and any reflections.
The CLS program acceptance was a great accomplishment of mine. However, COVID did significantly impact my choice to decline the award. I decided instead to work over the summer and the following year I was able to study abroad in South Korea and Taiwan at National Taiwan University (NTU) under their language division. The change in plans with CLS opened me up to such unique opportunities that allowed me to spend my senior year abroad learning about culture and language.
That was when I applied for and was accepted into the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program and I am currently completing my grant in Taichung, Taiwan! Although at the time I was devastated by the circumstances with COVID and CLS, everything has worked out very well. For anyone who has had a similar experience, where your plans hit a wall or you do not get the opportunity you wanted, there is always another path waiting for you to explore.
4. You’ve shared how you’ve enjoyed learning more about Taiwanese culture though language experiences over the years, particularly in identifying similarities and differences with your own culture… Could you tell us what has surprised—and/or delighted—you most in exploring this?
A big surprise when I first began attending the language school was how accepted I was. I am often asked, “What was it like being the only Black person?” To answer that question, I talk about how it is extremely easy to form opinions and biases with experiences you think you will never have. I never imagined that I would be so integrated into a culture I had only really seen in media. With this new exposure comes the confrontation of my own opinions and life experiences. It was hard at first, those at the language school had also not had a lot of contact with Black people and that created some microaggressions here and there.
I would say that what made the experience so overwhelmingly positive was the way I was able to show up as my true self every time, and how over time we both were able to become accustomed to a new situation!
From the faculty having to use more English when speaking with me or my parents, to even my hair and learning about braids and protective styling, it was a learning experience through and through. With this learning came the realization that both cultures value the same aspects of family, honesty, respect, and achievement. Being able to see my peers get the same lectures from their parents as me or have similar conversations about facing discrimination and racism was something unexpected but definitely amazing. The friendships I made continue to this day almost 5 years after my graduation from the school.
5. Have you got a favorite Mandarin word or expression? What is it, what does it mean, and why is it special to you?
My favorite expression is 很厲害. You can say that something or somebody is 厲害 (lì hai). I love this expression because it means amazing or awesome, but it can be used in so many different contexts and ways. You can say that someone is 厲害 if your friend does something cool or gets a good grade. Or you can say that something you like is 厲害. But you can also say a situation is so crazy and bad that it is 厲害. Lastly, if somebody gets on your nerves or you feel they are incredible (in a bad way) you can say, “她很厲害.“
I think it's a very dynamic saying and I have heard it spoken in so many different ways by all ages, especially here in Taiwan. When I use this phrase, I am often told that I sound like a local. Because Mandarin is such an expressive language, finding phrases like this reminds me how beautiful and complex Mandarin is, and motivates me to keep learning more.
BONUS QUESTION
Complete this thought: "Learning another language means..."
Learning another language means looking stupid. The amount of times I have said things that make no sense, or thought I understood something that I did not understand is 厲害! However, all of these moments allowed me to fix my mistakes and become more able to speak and understand Mandarin at a higher level.
You will look stupid, but it is because you don’t know yet. Think of yourself as a toddler learning to speak—half of the time it is complete nonsense, but eventually through trial and error they learn new words, new patterns, and better listening comprehension.
No baby comes into the world speaking any language fluently, it quite literally takes years and years—so you will feel and maybe look stupid, but you will be better because of it!
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