Today was our last class of the summer. Since Yanni experienced technical difficulties and was unable to continue, Angela, who made the slides with Yanni, volunteered to take over. Her explanation on the Chinese lunar New Year was outstanding. We are surprised and happy to see that many of our students’ families shared similar celebrations with our volunteers on welcoming the Chinese lunar New Year. Some of our students also receive the “red packet,” a pocket of cash that symbolises wealth and fortune, from their parents, while others receive an engraved gold foil each year to keep in their bags.

Then we played a 14 question long Kahoot! game as a final review for all the lessons the students have learned. We are very pleased to see how much they have progressed, and how everyone was able to recognize words such as “little sister (妹妹)” that are totally unfamiliar to them a few weeks back. However, we realized that identifying colors and numbers was a little more challenging for them. At the end of class, I asked the students for feedback and suggestions for future classes. I am amazed by them through our interactions for the past two months, and I hope they will continue this journey of Chinese learning, with Cross Cultures or not, in the future.