Since as far back as I could remember, I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese Mandarin. As a kid speaking the Teochew dialect, I always felt left out whenever my dad watched Chinese dramas and I couldn’t understand a single word. It was difficult just getting started in learning as a kid because classes were inconveniently far and I lacked the discipline to keep up with my studies. It wasn’t until a volunteer teaching program in China sparked my interest in learning it again. This time I was dedicated.
So it came as a huge surprise to me when I learned that Mandarin was finally on Duolingo. I remembered when Duolingo only had courses in French, Spanish, German, and other European languages when it was starting out.