So like most asian kids I played the piano as a kid. I actually did enjoy it at one point but, between the lame song choices that my piano teacher made and getting hit on the knuckles (really hard mind you!) for playing the wrong note, I quickly lost interest. As a piano teacher the songs you choose for your students play a huge role in whether or not you will capture your students interest in the long run. I remember when I got to play fun songs, that I actually recognized, I enjoyed playing and didn't mind practicing. But those choices were few and far between.
The lady that taught me piano was some sort of family friend or relative or something so she was really doing my mom and grandma a favor by giving me lessons. I'm not sure how much we paid her but it couldn't have been much as we didn't have much to give. In fact it was my grandma who encouraged the lady to rap my knuckles whenever I hit a sour note, "the harder the better" she encouraged!!
So needless to say I had no say in the subject matters we studied for piano; I studied theory but didn't have formal testing, we had recitals but they were informal and held in peoples homes. Although, that didn't make it any less terrifying in my little 5 year old mind. They were JUST as terrifying as a formal affair possibly worse as the entire gathering was very catty and cliquish. A bunch of middle aged wealthy women parading their daughters in a stupid home grown recital. I hated recitals!
But my mom and Grandma wanted the best for me and wanted to give me the best opportunities available by any mean necessary. For this reason they also, through my piano teacher's little sister, enrolled me into chinese school. Apparently they just knew that China would be a huge economic force to be reckoned with in the future and knowing to read and write chinese on top of being able to converse in chinese would be a huge asset to have and so my brother and i were both enrolled in my piano teacher's kids sister's chinese school.
Fun times. My brother and I being the dumb kids that we were didn't utilize our time there at all! I'm a born follower... so I naturally went where I was led. My brother didn't apply himself neither would I. My brother didn't pay attention neither would I. My brother didn't listen to the teacher neither would I. So we weren't very good students, the teachers only put up with us since we knew the principal and she was an old family friend. I guess the shoe feel when we met this kid name d Poe poe...or was it Po po? Who knows? But with a name like that he was just asking to be picked on...and pick on him we did! I think we even made him cry or something. I'm a little fuzzy on the details. Too young. Needless to day we were not welcomed back to that school after that incident. Go figure. So yeah apparently I've been kicked out of Chinese school.
Sad a delinquent before I even had memories. It's funny what the mind remembers. Perhaps my brother can fill in the gaps where I can't recall.
Naturally mom was pissed, grandma was pissed and both were far from happy and declared that we would rue the day we didn't properly learn chinese.
Fast forward 20+years and I kinda do wish I paid a bit more attention and took a little more care to learn the language. It sure would help me in my latest obsession...CHINESE DRAMAS!!!
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