Friends across the ocean

It is said that Chinese is the hardest language to learn. With MV’s very own Ms. Lin, that is far from the case.

Chinese II student, Zoe Wacker, said one of her “favorite perks of Mandarin class is receiving my very own penpals from Neihu Senior High School in Taipei.”

In addition to writing back and forth in both Mandarin and English, students are given the opportunity to video chat with the foreign class and become connected through social media. Exchanging pictures and messages enables students to see life through an exotic lense without even leaving home.

According to Ms. Lin, “Having a penpal is a great way for students to put their new Mandarin vocabulary into practice and see it used in a real-life scenario. This conversing may seem small, but it helps students from both countries to better understand people from other cultures. This can benefit students for the rest of their lives, especially in the workplace. “

On top of all that, many students have forged tight friendships with their penpals. A few MV students have already considered a trip to Taipei in the recent future, since the Taiwanese students eagerly invited Marauders with free-lodging in their own homes. MV students have promised equal accommodations for visiting Neihu students.

Chinese II student, Sabrina Zeis, said, “It would be like having a foreigner roommate that’s always teaching you and vise versa.”

It is easy to see that some of these relationships may last long after high school. Bonding with a penpal may be the start to some lifelong friendships.

One of the benefits of having a penpal that natively speaks Mandarin, is that MV students can learn new words, get helpful corrections, and be taught certain slang words or popular parts of the culture. If the program is successful, Marauders will be able to provide the same for their penpals.