Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
This story is shared by a Malay boy who studied in a Chinese school.
When I was 6, my family first planned for me to attend a Sekolah Kebangsaan, but I asked them to put me in a SJK(C) instead (Sekolah Kebangsaan Cina).
I had an uncle working in China at the time who could speak Mandarin, and I found the language to be very interesting. I had always been intrigued by languages and Mandarin was something I wanted to pick up. So I told my parents I would rather go to a Chinese school, and my parents were quickly on board.
I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but now, I am so grateful that I went to an SJK(C).
My first experience in a Chinese school
I enrolled in an SJK(C) with no knowledge of the language whatsoever. My first encounter with Mandarin was literally on the first day of school. So needless to say, I was clueless.
I had a couple other Malay classmates with me at the time. One of them even knew a little bit of Mandarin, but I didn’t.
The first two weeks were the hardest, but kudos to my teacher for helping me out by using English. That boosted my confidence a lot and it made me more comfortable. She even gave me a Chinese name. It was a big step. I remember being very excited about it, and the name stuck with me for life.
Image: My Chinese name was given to me by my first teacher in primary school. It reads “hā xī fū“, for my name, Haseef.
I was in a class with Chinese, Malay and Indian students. It was new to me but also very cool. The other Malay and Indian kids had their fair share of struggles with the language as well, so we made it a point to always help each other out.
I was known as the boy who wore long pants
I wore long pants during all six years of primary school, while the other boys wore shorts. That made me look different. More importantly, I felt like an outcast. I had trouble making friends for the first few years because of that. Nobody really wanted to hang out with a kid that was different. They always looked at me funny, and they could always tell it was me from a distance because I was the only boy in the school who wore long pants.
If I’m being honest, they almost seemed arrogant. And it felt like that maybe because they had numbers on their side. This indirectly belittled me. But then again, I could have been overthinking. As kids, they were probably just foreign to the idea of befriending someone different. I was definitely treated like an outsider, but it didn’t bother me.
But that wasn’t everyone of course. During recess, I always sat at the same tables with the same group of kids. Then one thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I had my first Chinese best friend, Joseph.
Joseph and I were classmates and did almost everything together. We went to our first birthday parties together, hung out at each other’s houses a lot, and we even went to the stadium one time to catch a football match!
That was probably the first time it occurred to me as a 9 year old kid that race really didn’t matter. And I’ve carried that with me ever since.
Image: Me and Joseph at Shah Alam stadium, catching Chelsea’s stop of their pre-season Asian tour in Malaysia.
School work was twice as hard because of the language barrier
Due to the language barrier, school work was twice as hard. No one at home could help me because I was the only one in my immediate family who knew any Mandarin. I felt so helpless doing even the simplest writing homework. My family couldn’t read any of the Chinese, so very often, I had to main hentam.
It was only until halfway through my first year that I could read and understand slightly better.
I also remember having way more homework in Standard 2 than my older brother who was in Standard 6 in an SK at that time. So I always stayed back after school to get friends to help me with homework. It was the only way.
The language wasn’t easy at all, but I picked it up and it gave me an advantage outside of school
Every time I used Mandarin outside of school, I felt very proud. Family members would come up to me at gatherings and ask me to say something in Mandarin even though they probably had no idea what I was saying.
Even when I went to the morning or night markets with my mum, I would speak to the Chinese aunties in Mandarin and they were always so surprised and excited. It felt good, as if I had a superpower.
In fact, my ability to understand and speak Mandarin actually helped me land many part-time jobs working for big brands. It was an advantage I could use to deal with international customers, mainly from China, to acquire expensive luxury items.
Even though I have never been in a position where I had to use only Mandarin, it’s good to know that I have the ability to.
What it’s like to get caned in Chinese school
I was never caned at home, so when I got my first caning, it was horrifying. At the time, I did not understand why I had to be hit on my hand with a cane for something like not completing my homework.
I never really took it to heart because I understood that it was how the culture instilled discipline, and so did everyone else in that school. Don’t get me wrong. It was a painful thing to go through as a 10-year-old kid, and it was also very embarrassing to be punished like that in front of the whole class.
I was exposed to different Chinese festivals
Before attending the Chinese school, I only knew so much about festivities. The only festivals that I ever experienced up till that point were the ones we had as a family, which are the Islamic ones.
Chinese festivals were so foreign to me. I did not know anything about cheng meng or mooncake festivals. We learnt about them in school, and sometimes, there were even special performances to commemorate the celebrations. There were festivals everywhere, completely new to me as a Muslim kid.
I remember the first time I ever saw a lion dance during Chinese New Year was when I was in Standard 1, and I loved it. And since then, I always make it a point to catch at least one dance every single year even after I left school. It always appealed to me.
Going to a Chinese school helped me in my adulthood
Apart from being equipped with another language, going to a Chinese school also helped me improve my English a lot. I was surrounded by so many kids of different races, so English was the best means of communicating with them. Using English over the years helped my grasp of the language.
I know it helped me significantly as I have friends who went to SKs who don’t speak English as well.
Now, I can speak and comprehend three languages. That’s great to have on a resume! Especially now that I’ve just graduated with a degree and am currently applying for jobs, it definitely gives me an edge as a local Malay.
Apart from that, I believe that I’m better disciplined having gone through the Chinese school system. It definitely made me the more productive and focused person I am today, and I am grateful for that.
What do you think of this story?
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Send an email to hello@inreallife.my and you may be featured on In Real Life Malaysia. This story was first published on In Real Life on August 28th, 2021.
Read also: I Was Bullied In An SRJK Chinese School Because I Was A Banana
I Was Bullied In An SRJK Chinese School Because I Was A Banana
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