Young Aleah shows off linguistic talent
The Grade Three learner at Glenashley Junior Primary recently placed second in the country at the fifth 'Chinese Bridge' Chinese Show for Primary School Students competition in Cape Town.
Incredibly, she only started learning Mandarin in February this year.
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She was recommended by the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology and the competition saw Aleah recite a poem, as well as share her journey and love for the Mandarin language and culture.
Besides showcasing her linguistic talents, Aleah was also the youngest contestant at the competition.
'I'm very happy with my results. I had a three-minute speech which I memorised and learnt with my teacher. I gave a self-introduction, spoke about how I started learning Mandarin and I told the judges how much I love Chinese culture, especially the outfits. My goal is to enter next year and hopefully go all the way,' she said.
Aleah was inspired by her teacher Vivian Zeng, who works for the Confucius Institute based at DUT.
'Last year my niece, Mahi Roopchund, placed first in this very same competition. I taught her privately and also gave a demo at her school, Glenashley Junior Primary. Because of that they asked if I would consider extra-murals. That's how it started and Aleah's mother signed her up for the classes. She has shown how talented she is, especially as she only started learning Mandarin recently,' Zeng said.
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Aleah's mother Diana said this experience has transformed her daughter.
'Aleah is one of three and she is a very shy young girl. We were just amazed when we heard her speaking on stage and reciting a poem on stage so confidently. She is certainly the first in the family to learn another language other than Afrikaans and English. I think Vivian's demo really inspired Aleah because she came home with a registration form. She was so persistent that she wanted to learn Mandarin and I actually signed her up on the day the first lesson was taught. We are so proud of her and we are grateful to Vivian who also inspired her and encouraged her to take part,' she said.
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