On May 27, Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning in Ireland (TCMLI) hosted its first end-of-term presentation in 2024, sponsored by OCAC. The event was graced by the presence of Irish Senator Gerry Horkan and First Secretary Evelyn Tzeng from the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland.
As always, the director of TCMLI, Evan Furlong, expressed her gratitude for the support and these wonderful initiatives from the OCAC and wished they could continue. She also thanked her board members and used the song from the 80s, "A Fire in the Winter," to describe their support. She emphasized the importance of learning the culture of the target language beyond the classroom by sharing humour about the phrase 方便 (convenience).
Evelyn expressed her gratitude to the students for their interest in Mandarin and Taiwanese culture and encouraged them to visit Taiwan. Gerry presented the graduation certificates to the attending students and stated, "This is, I believe, the 5th term, and some of you have been learning with Evan and Syueping for a remarkable 2.5 years now. Congratulations on your dedication!
I also want to extend my congratulations to Evan and her team for successfully growing the student population, resulting in 3 thriving classes. The center's collaboration with Alliance Française to move Dublin classes to a more centralized location is delightful news. I hope this will attract even more students to join us.
On a final note, I heard that one of you has been awarded a Huayu(Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship (HES) and will be heading to Taiwan this summer. That's a fantastic testament to your hard work and dedication to your studies!"
This semester, students from beginners to those who have completed five semesters are mixed in classes. To address varying needs, TCMLI continues to offer popular cultural classes and has introduced fun and interesting Mandarin corners. These aim to enhance students' Mandarin listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a relaxed atmosphere.
TCMLI student Uma expressed her meaningful experience,” It is very meaningful for me to be studying traditional Chinese writing and to have access to learning about Taiwanese culture in Ireland. TCML provides a unique opportunity to build connection and friendship with a country moving into the future while continuing learning from its past. It has made strides in modern deliberative democracy, actively offered amends, and sought restoration with the local indigenous peoples (even if there is more to do), and also values and preserves thousands of years of traditional Chinese culture.
The instructors go above and beyond when providing cultural workshops and answering student questions. The classes, both on-line and in-person, are interactive and fun. They are focused on character recognition and real-time listening comprehension and speaking but are also flexible enough for students to do a deep dive in their desired learning area.”
Student Linda also expressed,” This is my third semester with TCMLI. My language skills are improving each time. I feel very grateful to have such a wonderful resource here in Ireland. The classmates are supportive, and the tutors are really welcoming. The course content has been given a lot of thought, always feeling contemporary and relevant.”
Anna, a renowned film composer who has been studying at TCMLI for four semesters, expressed, " The teachers have a remarkable ability to cater for varying levels of proficiency within single class groups and their warmth, encouragement and enthusiasm really bring out the best in all of us individually. There’s such a lovely sense of community and support across the classroom. It’s been amazing to see the learner population grow and expand exponentially and it has been so encouraging to look back to where we started to smile and marvel at progress made. Really excited to continue next term. Thank you TCMLI!" She also demonstrated her affection for Taiwan’s national anthem by performing it as a piano and violin trio during the end-of-term presentation, deeply resonating with the audience.
Linda, who was awarded the Huayu(Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship (HES) , introduced Taiwan's musical garbage trucks. Andrew talked about Cockney rhyming slang...etc. The students' presentations garnered enthusiastic responses, showcasing their Mandarin learning achievements and looking forward to the upcoming second term in September.
