By Eileen Chen

Photo courtesy of Eileen Chen, Kevin Wong

*Permission to reprint granted by the Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society

“The location is the KCC Senior Centre, and you will probably hear our laughs when you come in,” said the founder of Kerrisdale Community Centre’s language exchange group, Kevin Wong, in his email to me. Sure enough, after my initial mistake of barging in on a group of pool-playing friends, I did find the small group through the sound of their laughter.

There were about 8-10 people occupying one table in the lounge area. An elegant white lady, who later introduced herself as Paula, was reading a story about a little horse crossing a river in Mandarin. The little horse is told by an ox that the water is shallow but warned by a squirrel that it’s deep, and only discovers that the water is just shallow enough for it to cross when it steps into it himself. Paula’s accent was imperfect, yet oddly musical. Other Mandarin speakers at the table corrected her from time to time, and she enthusiastically translated the fable into English as she read along. As I learned later, the merry group meets every Monday to study English and Mandarin together. The learning methods range from reading stories to learning vocabulary and carrying out casual conversations, and members both strive to learn one language and offer their knowledge of the other in the same session. Some members find themselves learning both Mandarin and English. Kevin was originally open to having an exchange group for more than just two languages, but decided that focusing on English and Mandarin would be the most effective. The group has existed for a year in this form, and although some members come and go, the members present when I visited agreed that a core group can be counted on to show up consistently.

After the story about the little horse was finished, each member introduced themselves to me and gave their reasons for joining the group. Kumju, a Korean lady, immigrated to Vancouver from Australia, and realized that the best way to learn Mandarin here is through immersion. Joe and Grace share a similar view in regards to language-learning. Both started learning English through ESL classes in church, but decided that such classes alone weren’t enough, because their classmates ended up speaking more Mandarin than English. “This is a happy group,” Grace added, which the others agreed to heartily. For Dana, it was a pure coincidence that she encountered the group. She expressed the desire to learn English to a friend while playing mah-jong in the KCC, and was introduced to this group, conveniently located in the same building. Lillian, who is not yet comfortable with speaking English, expressed in Mandarin that aside from language-learning, she enjoys the group’s atmosphere and believes it is good for combatting loneliness. Paula challenged herself by giving a long speech in Mandarin about how she joined the group out of a desire to understand Mandarin when she taught many Chinese students as an English teacher in the past. Kevin himself was in an unofficial English-learning group for 4-5 years before forming the group right now. This article from the January 2017 issue of The Colloquium describes the group’s formation and its goals nicely. Kevin did not have much confidence in the group at first, but the outcome of an open atmosphere that promotes exchange is more than he can ask for.

What most members ended up emphasizing was the idea of exchange, and how bonds are built upon it. Language is far from the only thing exchanged in the group’s sessions – members also share food, chatter, and even unexpected skills. All members pointed to Joe as their handyman, for example. They claimed that Joe specializes in fixing umbrellas, and can even fix high heels! “That makes you a ‘Jack of all trades,’” Paula took the opportunity to teach Joe a new expression. “Jack of all trades…” Joe repeated diligently. Just from watching their interactions, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the results generated by this motivated language exchange group. Aside from their sessions on Mondays, the group goes hiking together on Fridays, and members also schedule one-on-one sessions with each other to maximize their learning.

What is it that gives the group its wonderful dynamics? I soon realized that the answer was nothing difficultly complex – it had been brought up and demonstrated by every member that I met. These people simply have a thirst to know – not only to know a language, but to know people and their cultures. As far as I could observe, there were no barriers in this group of curious and open-minded people. Not long after I finished interviewing them, I soon ended up as the interviewee! I found myself speaking about where and what I study, explaining my bilingualism, and even answering questions about my future. The members, especially Kumju, were interested in my experience growing up as an immigrant. In a city with thousands of immigrants coming from Asia each year, I certainly wasn’t expecting my personal experience to be of interest to anyone. I found myself talking about the difficulty of identifying with both second-generation Chinese immigrants and international students from China/Taiwan, which was received with keen interest. Apparently, Kumju married a white husband, and wonders if her children would feel the same way about their half-Asian identity. “Would you prefer to marry an Asian in the future?” Kumju asked me after ensuring me I wasn’t compelled to answer. “I…don’t think I have preferences?” I said, not entirely sure of myself. The group agreed that it was good to be open-minded, and went on to talk about how a desire to communicate is what bridges cultures together.

I originally considered bringing up the subject of Chinese communities in Vancouver and the prejudices that can be associated with them, but I eventually decided that such a prompt would not be necessary. The members made it clear that towards a culture different from their own, there is only understanding, or the desire for understanding. They saw that Chinese people in Vancouver often spoke Chinese amongst themselves rather than attempt to integrate, but as Paula said considerately, “it’s easy to speak your own language everywhere. It’s what’s familiar!” The members themselves, however, are people who strive to conquer the unfamiliar. People often say that “the hardest part of language-learning is speaking,” and the KCC language exchange members have already mastered that.

As I gathered myself to leave, Joe was teaching the others a list of Chinese slang words, and Grace looked over his shoulder, as amused by his choices as I was. I didn’t go without tasting a piece of delicious glutinous rice cake that Kevin offered, made by Joe’s wife.

Perhaps, like the little horse in the story that was read, each of the members is hungry for new perspectives that they discover in one another. They each surpass the little horse, however, in their eagerness to immerse themselves in the unknown waters of a foreign language and culture. Through inquiry and exchange, everyone grows in their own ways.