TCMLI hosted the spectacular end-of-term presentation at Dublin's Lao Restaurant, welcoming Irish Senator Gerry Horkan and the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland's First Secretary Chris Tsai as distinguished guests alongside board members and enthusiastic students. The director of TCMLI Evan Furlong at the event opening expressed genuine excitement and admiration for the students' presentations! The diverse array of topics, spanning from manga, baking, and Taichi to family, Irish slang, and trips to Taiwan, were all exceptionally intriguing. Particularly captivating was the topic on "how to become Taiwanese”!
At the event, Secretary Tsai expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Director Furlong, Syue-ping Ma, and every board member for their unwavering dedication and hard work in executing the courses for the last 4 terms. Tsai extended his congratulations to the students for their triumphant completion of the term. He emphasised that beyond mastering the language, each student had cultivated a profound appreciation for Taiwanese culture through their learning journey. He encouraged the students to sustain their passion for learning and seek out opportunities to apply their knowledge by visiting Taiwan.
Senator Horkan presented the graduation certificates to the attending students, stating, “I am honoured to join you today as a patron of the TCMLI. As you embark on what I believe is the 4th term, it's remarkable to witness the growth of this learning community, and it warms my heart to see familiar faces among you. Some of you have committed two years of study, while Andrew, Linda and Leah have overcome by conquering the TOCFL Band A exam back in June, demonstrating your dedication and proficiency. As you prepare for the upcoming exam next week, best wishes to all. Beyond your Mandarin accomplishments, the true essence lies in the friendships forged within the community. I encourage each of you to embrace the lifelong journey of learning this beautiful language, knowing that your dedication extends far beyond mere proficiency”.
Responding to the diverse backgrounds and different levels of Mandarin proficiency among students, TCMLI opened an advanced class this semester. Consequently, the semester comprised three classes: beginner, improver and advanced. This dynamic mix welcomed students with four semesters of prior experience at the centre alongside newcomers. Despite varying levels of proficiency, the students fostered deep connections among themselves.
Several students expressed,” I have found this course so energizing, challenging, and motivating. The teachers are so enthusiastic, diligent, and inspiring, always committed to encouragement and seeking to apply a pace sensitive to personal ability progress.The warm-hearted community is such a great place to learn knowing you can relax and learn at your own pace amidst all the other pressures of life. The cultural classes are delivered so well and so thoughtfully and really help to enrich understanding of the wider context of this beautiful language. I hope to be a student at TCMLI for many more years!” ”I'm really happy with the dynamic of the classes, they are easy to follow, and the material provided are good as well. The workshops are fantastic in the way that you can learn more about Taiwanese culture and at the same time improve your Chinese vocabulary. Looking forward to enrolling in the next term.” “This is a great course. I feel that my reading skills have indeed improved this year.”” I really enjoyed getting to learn more in depth about how characters are formed rather than being expected to just memorise them. I found the slides and learning methods that Evan used were really helpful as they help jog your memory. I also enjoyed the cultural classes a lot and how it helps team building without that being the sole focus.”” I get a great perspective on Taiwanese culture & also Chinese culture in particular the origin of the characters and what they mean & why. The Chinese Medicine class, Taiwanese cuisine were excellent. I love that the students are multinational, multicultural & having term end conversation is a great idea.”” I think it’s fun to learn Mandarin Chinese with TCML! My favourite activities are training to improve my listening and using the words learned in the course to discuss things in our daily lives. The end-of-semester presentation is a great opportunity for us to practice some of the words and phrases we learned in class.”
Anna, a renowned film composer, enriched the TCMLI community after studying for 3 semesters, delivering a captivating presentation. Sharing her journey composing a movie's theme song and recounting her brief but impactful stay in Taiwan, Anna received an enthusiastic round of applause and rave reviews for her fluent Mandarin and engaging narrative.
Another standout student, Leah, with four semesters under her belt, showcased her passion for cooking by skilfully teaching the art of making pepper cakes (Hu jiao bing 胡椒餅). Kelvin offered an insightful exploration of Malaysia, employing Mandarin to highlight its unique cultural facets. Meanwhile, Andrew introduced the Irish language and accents through English expressions, adding a touch of local flavour to the diversity and an incredible finale to usher in the upcoming festive season.
