Maobi equals blessing or suffering?

 Bayanihan Republic :

After hours of nosebleed at our Mandarin class, we slowed down a bit with Omar Laoshi (teacher in Mandarin) introducing the use of maobi (paintbrush) to write Chinese characters. Oh my, we thought it’s really stress-free, but it’s not! Aside from the fact that there’s a proper but uncomfortable technique on how to hold the paintbrush (which may lead to carpal tunnel syndrome hehe!), we felt disappointed seeing that our Laoshi’s work looks like a real calligraphy while our creations may have a hard time to be differentiated from vandalism! Haha =D Our Laoshi said, it just takes lots of practice. Oh well, I hope we’ll have the time to perfect not just our writing, but our speaking and listening skills as well or we’ll end up being anemic at the end of the term! =)

Seriously, the use of maobi is a welcome treat for us.  The course may be getting more and more difficult as we move to higher levels and the use of maobi may be an added challenge, but the gang (Me, Ma Dawei, Yisheng, Ma Dabil, Ma Danda, Li Po, Ni Ca, Yoon, Linnell, Anabelle, Alodie, Christine and the rest) is always brave enough to embrace new knowledge and skills.  If it's getting stressful, we only have one line to keep us going: "Women dou yao he kafei!" =)  BTW, thanks to Kristelle a.k.a. Ma Dabil for the maobi and Anabelle for the ink and sheets. =)

Right after the class, we went to Salcedo Weekend Market for lunch but that's another story and I'll blog about it next time. =)