classmates

I'm still going to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association on Saturdays to take Chinese lessons. Most of my classmates are the children of native Chinese speakers. These kids speak English as a native language for the most part and come to class once a week to study Chinese. The classes are not terribly difficult so it isn't a huge stress. It helps me maintain my profficiency level and I do learn new characters every week.

Today, I met my friend from work and his wife. They were there looking at the new scupltures in Oldtown Chinatown. Some people are quite upset by these statues. It seems that there are a few problems - not the least of which is that they aren't particularly Chinese. Many of the elements depicted in the sculptures are, in fact, Japanese. I'm sure there is a rationale for this somewhere, but it was lost on my friend and me.