10 Qs w/ Wendy Pearson

10 Qs with Wendy Pearson

(Chinese language teacher)

Reporting by Sydney Gleason & Christiana Ketema Photos by Marina Qu

1What do you do in your spare time?

I bake bread and muffins, but my spare time is in short supply. Most of the time, I watch Korean soap dramas and learn to cook authentic Chinese dishes through YouTube tutorial cooking channels.

2What is something you and your family enjoy doing together?

We enjoy eating crabs at waterfront crab shacks dotted along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay—not just crabs, shellfish of any kind: oysters, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, clams, mussels. I shuck my own oysters.

3

What did you do before teaching?

I’ve been an educator in Virginia for almost 25 years. Before that, I had a wonderful full-time job raising my two young boys.

4

Where did you grow up? I grew up in the center of Taipei, Taiwan, speaking Mandarin 8 in school and at home while listening to Taiwanese locally.

5What do you enjoy most about being Asian American Association’s sponsor? What was your experience moving from Taiwan to the U.S.?

I arrived in the U.S. after first spending two years in Liverpool, England, where I did my postgraduate education. It wasn’t so big of an adjustment coming here after living in the U.K.

I like to see students with [common] interests and similar family backgrounds. [We] hang out and discuss topics of mutual interest or current events in my classroom every other week, [but this year] we do that virtually.

6

What’s your favorite movie?

The Last Emperor, which is even more enjoyable if you’re familiar with the Forbidden City or just look up the transition from the last dynasty to the Republic of China.

7

What is your favorite spring break memory?

I have so many because we always travel during spring break. Touring the ancient tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt, and getting to see Peru’s Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley are among my favorites.

9

Do you have any pets?

Yes, a 15-year-old cockatiel, Kramer, we’ve had since he was a baby. He responds to sudden noises like doorbells, telephone rings, clock chimes by saying, “What’s that?” and twisting his head. It’s funny to see a bird react as a person would.

10

What is the hardest aspect of Chinese?

Most people would think writing Chinese characters is the most difficult, but students need to learn all these components and strokes and memorize each distinct Chinese character, along with its tone sound to read it. And the only way to learn those characters is rote memorization.