A milestone, of sorts

The Chinese U course. Thoroughly recommended.

Well, I've finished my first Cantonese class, and am eager to do the next one, but will have to wait until the New Year, until a time when I can attend enough of the classes.

It was great to have been taught some of the most fundamental structures of Cantonese, because now when I go looking for information in my various resources, both online and dead-tree, I understand a lot better what I need to know, and how I might put it together in a sentence.

The milestone I talked about in the title, was actually a simple but profound moment for me - I went to the fruit stand nearby, and purchased some fruit, but did so entirely in Cantonese. The interaction wasn't long, and of course, it wasn't complicated, but what mattered was that I understood what was happening and had no moments of feeling lost or confused.

I am not trying to suggest that this is some great watershed in my language-life, or anything. I will still know far too little to get by for some long time yet. But it gave me hope, hope for a time when I could feel relatively normal in a Canto-world. A more normal moment for me is like my experience of sending a parcel at the Post Office the other day. I asked, in good Cantonese, courtesy of my great teachers, how much it would cost to send to Australia (I know I did this okay, because I am getting good at reading the wince or the frown on people's faces when they are either pained by my pronunciation, or merely mystified as to what I have said). This part of the conversation was fine. The postal worker then of course asked me questions I couldn't answer! Do you want to send it airmail? Do you want registered mail? Very legitimate questions, but with words I didn't know and that lost me completely. As always with learning a language, there will be a next time, and by then, I will have learnt the words for registered mail, and airmail, and perhaps may register another oh-so-small success!