Ni hao! I received a quick invite to witness a Chinese cultural presentation organized by Grade 7 students of Bacolod City National High School, Monday. I thought it was just one of the many Chinese New Year-related activities held to welcome the new Lunar Year. But then, this one was special. Why? The showcase of dances that depicted Chinese culture was a project of the Special Program in Foreign Language – Mandarin of BCNHS. The school’s SPFL – Mandarin is the very first in public secondary schools in Western Visayas and in the Division of Bacolod.
“Only BCNHS was able to come up with an SPFL Program – Chinese Mandarin. We have 36 students who can already speak fluent Mandarin. We still need to focus more on the tones but at least, I am so proud of them. We started last September only and yet, they can already converse using the language,” program coordinator Monijean Flores-Espeleta proudly said.
Laoshi Flores-Espeleta and Ammy Villanueva studied the language and underwent a follow through training under the tutelage of Chinese teachers last summer. She said this was made possible because of the partnership of DepEd with the Confucius Institute at Angeles University Foundation. She further added that these institutions ensure that educators handling the program are well equipped in teaching the foreign language.
Hues of red and gold that symbolize happiness and good fortune in Chinese culture, dominated the campus grounds as Grade 9 students from the Special Program in Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) presented different dances complete with props like Chinese fans, masks, umbrellas, ribbons and lanterns. The props made and used by the students made every number so visually appealing and fun to watch. And yes, one class even had an improvised dragon! The mythical creature is a symbol of power in China.
According to the program director, the first Chinese Cultural Presentation was a collaboration with Jesus “Panoy” Cabalcar’s Special Program in Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) class. “The different dances served as the task performance (TP) of the students in their Music, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) subject,” she added.
Meanwhile, Richard Gelangre, school principal said, the Special Program in Foreign Language helps students develop listening, writing and speaking skills that are fundamental in acquiring communicative competence using a second foreign language.
“The objective of these presentations is to prepare our students to become conversant in different languages so that whenever they are in need in the future, if they will work overseas later or just visiting other countries, they already know the culture and they also can communicate using a specific dialect. We actually started with the SPFL – Spanish which we offered for four years,” added Gelangre.
“At first, it was a challenge. In the beginning, I thought I may not be able to do well in the class because most of us thought learning how to speak Mandarin is very difficult. But as we continue to study and train to speak the language and work on our intonation, we began to appreciate the language especially that not all know how to communicate in Mandarin,” said Shane Ashley Lavaro whose favorite sentence in Mandarin is Wo äi ní or I love you.
Gōngxiî (congratulations) to all those behind this endeavor! Clearly, programs and activities of this nature are designed to equip students with skills necessary to make them globally competitive by educating them about different cultures, cultivating their abilities and to effectively share ideas and communicate across cultures. Can’t wait for the Special Program in Foreign Language – Nihongo or Japanese to come to fruition next year.
Now, let’s shift to the lunar year staple: nian gao or tikoy.
I never appreciated the taste of tikoy until I learned how it should be prepared. Chin Yap Canada of Hua Kong Chinese Drug Store actually told me that tikoy is best served fried.
“There are many ways to prepare tikoy. You can dip it in egg and roll it in flour then fry it or you can also use lumpia wrapper to wrap tikoy, fry it and top it with condensed milk,” shared Yap-Canada. The latter is my current favorite. I love the crunch in every bite and the chewiness of the tikoy makes it an enjoyable treat. The condensed milk gives you a sweet finish that will surely leave you smiling in satisfaction.
Every Filipino-Chinese family’s table is never complete without tikoy (rice cake) every Chinese New Year. Sticky and chewy tikoy is made from glutinous rice. It is believed that its sticky consistency symbolizes a healthy bond within the family. Its round shape signifies money, prosperity and promises good luck. May the Year of the Water Rabbit be auspicious!
Xî, zhù shēn tî jiàn kāng, shì yè fā dá. Happy New Year! I wish you good health and lasting prosperity.*