Wo yao goat!

Thursday was a good day at school for several reasons. First of all, it was Thursday and that is the last day we have classes during the week. Second, the kids were really really funny. And third, I understood my first Chinese sentence.

Each teacher has different classes each term, and this term I have students ranging from 6-11. On this particular Thursday, my 10 year olds were reviewing for their upcoming final on Monday. One of the grammatical points we were covering was shall and let's. For example, "What shall we do today?" "Let's go to the park". In the middle of such a conversation, one of my students responded "Let's go to the mall!" This immediately sent my mind racing to one of the best tv shows on earth - How I Met Your Mother. In one episode, it is revealed that Robin (a character on the show) was a childhood Canadian pop star and her hit was Let's go to the mall. Upon first hearing the song, it became an instant favorite of mine. So, to be reminded of this little gold mine right in the middle of class was just awesome.

Another great part of my day was my little 6 year olds. Let me introduce them to you:
                                                                    

First is Coco,

Joanna,

and Tina (check the headband - its a little top hat).

This is their first English class, so they are learning things like animals, how are you, colors, etc. In this class, we were reviewing animals. I was flipping through some animal flashcards when we came upon goat. Apparently, little Chinese girls LOVE goats because when the goat appeared, they all shouted in unison GOAT!! Then Coco and Tina started shouting "Wo yao goat! Wo yao goat! (I want a goat! I want a goat!) Imagine cute little Coco and Tina jumping up and down and shouting this phrase in their high pitched voices during the middle of class. Fantastic image, I agree.

After a few seconds of this, I realized that I understood what they were saying. Even though it wasn't a complete Chinese sentence (using the English word for goat) or a very complex sentence, it was the first time I understood what a native Chinese speaker was saying. So what choice do I have but to join in the jumping and screaming "Wo yao goat! Wo yao goat!" I think we bonded.