The truth about studying Chinese

This post was inspired by Chinese and the article on mbastrategy.ru. Yesterday I suddenly realized that I love Chinese language and that I love studying it. It is a big surprise, because during the whole 4,5 years  at university my relationship with it was rather complicated and I even called Chinese my "unloved husband". Well, it's not a miracle - there is a scientific explanation. I want to share my experience with everybody, whose studies seem to be an endless torture. 

My Chinese affair

1st year

Everything seems to be so amazing and promising: first hieroglyphs, first excellent marks, first trip to China. Calligraphy and Chinese songs contests - lot of enthusiasm and fun. You believe that you study the best major in the world and that you have bright perspectives. When you come back after your first internship in China you think you can fly and become the best orientalist in the world.

2nd year

Evertyhing is not so bright anymore. You still study very well and do all your hometasks, but your enthusiasm fades. You begin to realize that everything that seemed to be fun isn't fun anymore, because it requires a lot of work. And you are not ready to work your whole life - you thought that the road to the name of the best orientalist is paved with roses, but it isn't. You begin to lose motivation and distract to some other activities.

http://www.mbastrategy.ru/content/view/3082/lang,Rus/ - read it!

3rd year

Here the real fun begins. "What the hell am I doing here? Chinese? What was I thinking about three years ago?" You become a rebel. You are not satisfied with your classes, professors, lectures - you blame them for being unmotivated and bored (that's what I thought about). You miss your classes and don't do anything, connected with your hometasks.

4th year

Crash-boom-bang. If you are not to expelled, than you definitely will have some problems at this time. You visit the university to see friends, hear the latest news and to remind about yourself. You give up the idea to become a professional orientalist, you hate Chinese and the fact that classes distracts you from parties/extracurriculum activities/projects/job. During lectures you're writing letters to your boss and leaving the classroom to answer your clients calls. At this time I had very big problems with studies, but it was the most interesting period in my so called student life. Btw, it's the hardest time - most people are likely to quit.

5th year

You understand that you have to work hard everywhere - no matter what sphere will you choose. At this moment you also realize that you're not that bad at Chinese as you expected yourself to be (at least you remember something from the 1st and the 2nd year) and that you can still earn money with it. You accept that you're not ideal and you also don't want anybody to be ideal. Maybe you are not that enthusiastic as in the begining, but optimism comes back. You go back to your studies, you become patient and diligent. At last you understand how important is your knowledge and how many benefits it can bring to you. You look into the future with optimism and you begin to love Chinese as in the first year at university. Now Chinese distracts you from your work and you are grateful for that, because you have fun with it. Back to basics - the cycle will be repeated, but now you already know what periods you have to go through.

I think that this concept is applicable to anything in our lives, especially relationship between men and women. Indeed, some say that the real love begins after hate and digust. So Chinese taught me to be patient and tolerant - I think no man in the world could teach me that. My beloved husband, I'm grateful for that.