The 13th Chinese Bridge Speech Contest for High School Students-Advanced-Stanislav DeLaurentiis

Title:

Description:

【Chinese and Me, by Stanislav DeLaurentiis, Wardlaw Hartridge School, NJ 】
        Hello everyone! Today the topic of my speech will be “Chinese and me”. I will discuss my experience learning Chinese and my trip to China last year.
         In seventh grade I had to choose my foreign language, and I hesitated between Spanish and Chinese. I initially wanted to take Spanish, because I thought it was easier to learn, but my Mom told me that I should learn Chinese. I naturally listened to my Mom, and thus, at age twelve, I started my Chinese “journey”. 
         Initially, I was anxious about attending my first Chinese class, but as soon as I entered the room my worries dissipated, and I knew my Mom was right. Upon entering the classroom I took note of the various Chinese paintings, such as those of Tiananmen Square and the Great wall that decorated its walls. These images really stuck with me and spurred my interest in Chinese. 
         Over time, not only did I learn Chinese, but I also learned a lot about Chinese Culture. I learned about various traditional Chinese holidays, such as Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Dragon Boat Festival. I also learned about many Chinese myths and stories, such as Nian, Chang e, and the Monkey King. Slowly, Chinese class grew to be my favorite class. I began to like to speak Chinese, go to Chinese restaurants, and even listen to Chinese songs! But I was no longer satisfied with just that; I wanted to go to China to experience its charm first hand.
         Luckily, I was able to join my school on their biannual trip to China. On March 11, 2017 we left the American airport heading to Beijing, China. But when we arrived at Beijing we realized that we missed our connecting flight to Chengdu. None of the Chaperones could speak Chinese, and to try and explain to the airport workers the situation in English turned out to be futile. 
         So, I stepped in and used Chinese to try and explain the situation. It wasn’t easy, but I kept at it. Eventually they understood me and our situation, and gave us our new tickets free of charge. I was so happy when I got our tickets. I helped my classmates, I solved the problem, and I felt like I saved the day. My classmates thanked me and congratulated me as well. That experience spurred me to take on my current leader ship role. I am currently my school’s Chinese ambassador, helping international students, and giving prospective international students tours of the school. Chinese truly changed my life. I am overjoyed that I learned Chinese and Chinese culture, I am especially happy about my experience traveling to China.
         Thank You everyone!

YouTube url:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1wZNkJ0RK8
Created:	17. 12. 2019 11:36:02

CaptionsMaker.com

The 13th Chinese Bridge Speech Contest for High School Students-Advanced-Stanislav DeLaurentiis