Language Nerd*

I'm a self-proclaimed language nerd -- always have been and probably always will be. I grew up speaking both French and English, and often heard Arabic in the background (if we were visiting my mom's side, it'd be Armenian). I took Spanish in high school, Italian in college, and German while I studied abroad. And now, Chinese. Language nerd for reals. Don't get me wrong though, I certainly haven't mastered half these, but I have enjoyed studying them (nuances are fascinating) and listening to them (they're part of who I am, they tell my story).

❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ - Nelson Mandela 

Chinese is hard, no doubt. But it's the pronunciation that's hardest (my teacher tells me you can't have a lazy tongue when trying to speak) -- not the grammar (tenses don't exist!) and not the vocab. In fact, it's a very logical language. Check out my attempt to illustrate (!) this point below.

*This post is dedicated to two of my college besties, fellow language nerds, Katiun and Pammie.