While I did dabble in adorable robotic hamsters as a kid, I typically looked for puzzles at Toys R Us—activities I could achieve in myself. Abstract, puzzle-based games would grasp my undivided interest rather than the typical American kid’s Nerf Gun or Hot Wheels cars. During my high school experience, I discovered a curriculum in which I can apply this problem-solving attitude: the 3,000-year-old practice of Mandarin Chinese. 

Take the character 想 (xiăng), for example. Like most Chinese characters translated into English, it has several meanings, but mainly it means to think or to believe that. To anyone who is not familiar with the language—including me when I started out—the character can look like a bunch of scribbles that would be a chore to memorize. Luckily, the most widely spoken language in the world doesn’t randomly place strokes together to form coherence. The top part of the aforementioned character is 相 (xiāng), a similar-sounding character used exclusively for the pronunciation. The bottom is a 心 (xīn), or heart, the tool one uses to feel or believe. These characters can often be dissociated once more, or perhaps even multiple times. The possibilities are endless! The masters of the craft have come close to completing the puzzle, but the language still holds its secrets. This means that my puzzle will soon reveal a distinguishable scene, but will never be finished; I will always have a higher goal to look towards.    

Every character is unique and has its own story, some more elusive than others. While the language does not have an alphabet per se, the characters do compose of radicals with assigned functions. The language may seem daunting, but my high school Chinese teacher, Mrs. Yao, always told me that “every single character wants to be your friend, and when you get to know them, it makes them happy!” 

The ability to make sense of a new language is a feeling unlike any other. There’s a “wow!” moment that comes with starting to think, and even dream, in another language. Syllables have turned into coherent statements, commands, and questions. It’s like a secret code that is exclusive to those that speak the language. Even in my local community in southeast Wisconsin, the language appears more than I ever thought it would. It has been a trend for a long time for Americans to get tattoos of Chinese characters, but, lately, some clothing products with Chinese characters on them have started to trend in the United States as well. About 2600 Chinese students go through the University of Wisconsin, Madison every year, and UWM is known for its outstanding Chinese program. China and Taiwan are as relevant around the world as ever before. 

I have been to both China and Taiwan. In the spring of 2018, I traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, and Chengdu, to discover the Great Wall, Terracotta Soldiers, pandas, and everything else China has to offer. During the summer of 2019, I lived with a host family and took rigorous language classes in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, under the Department of State’s NSLI-Y Summer Language Scholarship. 

While I haven’t yet decided what I want my future to look like, I am positive Chinese will be in it. Whether in be foreign business or translating, having a voice through a new language has not only been a talent I have developed, but an aspect of culture that I have become increasingly fascinated with. It is a spectacle to stand back and appreciate when the pieces of the puzzle finally start to come together.