Past Student Testimonials – Anika Popovic
Since young, I have been fascinated by Chinese culture and language, always wanting to explore deeper into that legendary realm, filled with stories of mythical creatures being defeated by martial arts heroes, which have shaped the civilization to its stature in today’s society. My name is Anika Popovic, and I was a student at Macquarie Mandarin, and my relationship with MM started when my journey of learning Chinese was almost brought to an abrupt end, but thanks to the discovery of this fantastic Chinese school, I was able to carry it through to today, in the process of majoring in Chinese Studies at Sydney university. Allow me to illustrate my experience at Macquarie Mandarin.
I began studying Chinese at Macquarie Mandarin in year five, in order to continue learning Chinese, after spending a year learning in school. What immediately appealed to my ten-year-old self was not only the size of classes, which in my time had never exceeded ten to fifteen students, allowing an intimate and comfortable learning environment to be created, but also the teachers’ patience and creativity in planning lessons. MM teachers are committed to their students’ progress in learning Chinese and are capable of quickly adapting to accommodate individual needs. Course content was not only applicable to a classroom setting and has helped guide me towards leading conversations with background speakers in both daily life and more professional settings, the ultimate goal of all Chinese language learners.
My journey at Macquarie Mandarin led me to the completion of my HSC exams, for which Chinese Continuers was one of my subjects. By continually pursuing improvement in my knowledge of Chinese language and culture, and with the help from the devoted team of teachers at MM, I was able to get a score of 95 percent in my final exams, solidifying my decision to continue studying Chinese at a tertiary level, which I have been able to achieve by receiving a place at the University of Sydney to study a Bachelor of Arts in the Dalyell Scholars stream. I would say that my journey of learning Chinese has ended nicely, but I can attest that it is far from over.
Macquarie Mandarin continues to have an important place in my heart, and because of our continued contact, I know that I have somewhere to turn whenever I need help with my studies, because that is the environment which MM creates for its students; a welcoming haven for learning amongst people who become your lifelong friends. The inspiration to pursue Chinese as a future stemmed from the continual efforts of everyone at MM, and for that I am eternally grateful. I hope that one day, when I am finally able to go to China and apply all that I have learnt here, I will have the opportunity to advertise the wonderful goal that Macquarie Mandarin has of spreading the wonders of Chinese language and culture to anyone keen to learn.
Anika Popovic
