Mentorship Matters: The Lasting Impact of Supportive Relationships with my Singaporean Family
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Mentorship Matters: The Lasting Impact of Supportive Relationships with my Singaporean Family
This trip to Singapore wouldn’t be complete without expressing my deepest gratitude to my dearest family, P. Our connection began in 2012 when I tutored their wonderful boys in London. Their unwavering support has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today.
From interview preparation questions like ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ to the unexpected suggestion of starting my own tutoring business, their guidance has been invaluable. Even after my MPhil offer at Cambridge, they continued to support me, offering weekend stays and online teaching opportunities. Their belief in me has been a driving force.
Our conversation during our meet-up at Marché Mövenpick Singapore has sparked a conversation about surnames, particularly the prevalence of dialect names like ‘Tan’ and ‘Tiong’. (Consult: https://www.learndialect.sg/common-chinese-surnames-singapore-hokkien-teochew-cantonese/ ) Interestingly, some parents are now opting for Mandarin-influenced spellings. These observations highlight the rich tapestry of dialects and diverse communities in Singapore and Malaysia, just like the variations in my own surname, romanised as ‘Tsai’ versus ‘Cai’.
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Amy Tsai 顧問的新加坡人生導師
Amy Tsai gùwèn de xīnjiāpō rénshēng dǎoshī
這次新加坡之旅如果沒有我在新加坡的朋友 P.一家人,就不算來過。 我們的緣分從 2012 年開始,當時我在倫敦擔任他們可愛的兩個兒子們的中文導師。他們長期的支持,讓我成為今天的我。
Zhècì xīnjiāpō zhī lǚ rúguǒ méiyǒu wǒ zài xīnjiāpō de péngyǒu P. Yījiā rén, jiù bù suàn láiguò. Wǒmen de yuánfèn cóng 2012 nián kāishǐ, dāngshí wǒ zài lúndūn dānrèn tāmen kě’ài de liǎng gè er zi men de zhōngwén dǎoshī. Tāmen chángqí de zhīchí, ràng wǒ chéngwéi jīntiān de wǒ.
還記得他們家的爸爸,在倫敦擔任跨國集團總經理的時候,幫我練習過一次面試!從當時「五年後你期望自己成為什麼樣的人?」等面試準備問題,到意想不到地建議我創辦自己的輔導機構,他們的指導彌足珍貴!即使我必須搬到劍橋,完成劍橋大學的 MPhil 學位,他們依然繼續支持著我,提議給我週末住宿和線上教學的機會。他們對我的信任一直是我的動力。
Hái jìdé tāmen jiā de bàba, zài lúndūn dānrèn kuàguó jítuán zǒng jīnglǐ de shíhòu, bāng wǒ liànxíguò yīcì miànshì! Cóng dāngshí `wǔ nián hòu nǐ qīwàng zìjǐ chéng wéi shén me yàng de rén?’Děng miànshì zhǔnbèi wèntí, dào yì xiǎngbùdào de jiànyì wǒ chuàngbàn zìjǐ de fǔdǎo jīgòu, tāmen de zhǐdǎo mí zú zhēnguì! Jíshǐ wǒ bìxū bān dào jiànqiáo, wánchéng jiànqiáo dàxué de MPhil xuéwèi, tāmen yīrán jìxù zhīchízhe wǒ, tíyì gěi wǒ zhōumò zhùsù hé xiànshàng jiàoxué de jīhuì. Tāmen duì wǒ de xìnrèn yīzhí shì wǒ de dònglì.
一踏上新加坡,我們就約在新加坡的Mövenpick Marché餐廳敘舊。見面時,終於能把這幾年的各種發展做更深入的分享,聽到孩子們未來都繼續待在倫敦讀書,真為他們高興!
Yī tà shàng xīnjiāpō, wǒmen jiù yuē zài xīnjiāpō de Mövenpick Marché cāntīng xùjiù. Jiànmiàn shí, zhōngyú néng bǎ zhè jǐ nián de gèzhǒng fāzhǎn zuò gēng shēnrù de fēnxiǎng, tīngdào háizimen wèilái dōu jìxù dài zài lúndūn dúshū, zhēn wèi tāmen gāoxìng!
偏題一下,我們還聊到關於新加坡、馬來西亞、台灣的姓氏的拼音,尤其是像「Tan 陳」和「Tiong 張」這樣方言姓氏在星馬地區的普遍性。 (參考:https://www.learndialect.sg/common-chinese-surnames-singapore-hokkien-teochew-cantonese/) 他們也分享:一些父母現在更傾向使用偏普通話的字來幫孩子取名。我自己姓氏的則是使用台灣常見的通用拼音,可以寫成「Tsai」,但如果是用漢語拼音,則會拼成「Cai」。這些觀察凸顯了華語的使用在不一樣地區的差異,以及新加坡和馬來西亞真的保存了豐富多元的方言和民族。
Piāntí yīxià, wǒmen hái liáo dào guānyú xīnjiāpō, mǎláixīyà, táiwān de xìngshì de pīnyīn, yóuqí shì xiàng `Tan chén’hé `Tiong zhāng’zhèyàng fāngyán xìngshì zài xīng mǎ dìqū de pǔbiàn xìng. (Cānkǎo:https://www.learndialect.sg/common-chinese-surnames-singapore-hokkien-teochew-cantonese/) Tāmen yě fēnxiǎng: Yīxiē fùmǔ xiànzài gèng qīngxiàng shǐyòng piān pǔtōnghuà de zì lái bāng háizi qǔ míng. Wǒ zìjǐ xìngshì de zé shì shǐyòng táiwān chángjiàn de tōngyòng pīnyīn, kěyǐ xiěchéng `Tsai’, dàn rúguǒ shì yòng hànyǔ pīnyīn, zé huì pīn chéng `Cai’. Zhèxiē guānchá tūxiǎnle huáyǔ de shǐyòng zài bù yīyàng dìqū de chāyì, yǐjí xīnjiāpō hé mǎláixīyà zhēn de bǎocúnle fēngfù duōyuán de fāngyán hé mínzú.
您也有人生導師嗎?請在下方留言分享您和導師的故事吧!
Nín yěyǒu rénshēng dǎoshī ma? Qǐng zài xiàfāng liúyán fēnxiǎng nín hé dǎoshī de gùshì ba!
Amy Tsai 顾问的新加坡人生导师
Amy Tsai gùwèn de xīnjiāpō rénshēng dǎoshī
这次新加坡之旅如果没有我在新加坡的朋友 P.一家人,就不算来过。 我们的缘分从 2012 年开始,当时我在伦敦担任他们可爱的两个儿子们的中文导师。他们长期的支持,让我成为今天的我。
Zhècì xīnjiāpō zhī lǚ rúguǒ méiyǒu wǒ zài xīnjiāpō de péngyǒu P. Yījiā rén, jiù bù suàn láiguò. Wǒmen de yuánfèn cóng 2012 nián kāishǐ, dāngshí wǒ zài lúndūn dānrèn tāmen kě’ài de liǎng gè er zi men de zhōngwén dǎoshī. Tāmen chángqí de zhīchí, ràng wǒ chéngwéi jīntiān de wǒ.
还记得他们家的爸爸,在伦敦担任跨国集团总经理的时候,帮我练习过一次面试!从当时「五年后你期望自己成为什麽样的人?」等面试准备问题,到意想不到地建议我创办自己的辅导机构,他们的指导弥足珍贵!即使我必须搬到剑桥,完成剑桥大学的 MPhil 学位,他们依然继续支持着我,提议给我週末住宿和线上教学的机会。他们对我的信任一直是我的动力。
Hái jìdé tāmen jiā de bàba, zài lúndūn dānrèn kuàguó jítuán zǒng jīnglǐ de shíhòu, bāng wǒ liànxíguò yīcì miànshì! Cóng dāngshí `wǔ nián hòu nǐ qīwàng zìjǐ chéng wéi shén me yàng de rén?’Děng miànshì zhǔnbèi wèntí, dào yì xiǎngbùdào de jiànyì wǒ chuàngbàn zìjǐ de fǔdǎo jīgòu, tāmen de zhǐdǎo mí zú zhēnguì! Jíshǐ wǒ bìxū bān dào jiànqiáo, wánchéng jiànqiáo dàxué de MPhil xuéwèi, tāmen yīrán jìxù zhīchízhe wǒ, tíyì gěi wǒ zhōumò zhùsù hé xiànshàng jiàoxué de jīhuì. Tāmen duì wǒ de xìnrèn yīzhí shì wǒ de dònglì.
一踏上新加坡,我们就约在新加坡的Mövenpick Marché餐厅叙旧。见面时,终于能把这几年的各种发展做更深入的分享,听到孩子们未来都继续待在伦敦读书,真为他们高兴!
Yī tà shàng xīnjiāpō, wǒmen jiù yuē zài xīnjiāpō de Mövenpick Marché cāntīng xùjiù. Jiànmiàn shí, zhōngyú néng bǎ zhè jǐ nián de gèzhǒng fāzhǎn zuò gēng shēnrù de fēnxiǎng, tīngdào háizimen wèilái dōu jìxù dài zài lúndūn dúshū, zhēn wèi tāmen gāoxìng!
偏题一下,我们还聊到关于新加坡、马来西亚、台湾的姓氏的拼音,尤其是像「Tan 陈」和「Tiong 张」这样方言姓氏在星马地区的普遍性。 (参考:https://www.learndialect.sg/common-chinese-surnames-singapore-hokkien-teochew-cantonese/) 他们也分享:一些父母现在更倾向使用偏普通话的字来帮孩子取名。我自己姓氏的则是使用台湾常见的通用拼音,可以写成「Tsai」,但如果是用汉语拼音,则会拼成「Cai」。这些观察凸显了华语的使用在不一样地区的差异,以及新加坡和马来西亚真的保存了丰富多元的方言和民族。
Piāntí yīxià, wǒmen hái liáo dào guānyú xīnjiāpō, mǎláixīyà, táiwān de xìngshì de pīnyīn, yóuqí shì xiàng `Tan chén’hé `Tiong zhāng’zhèyàng fāngyán xìngshì zài xīng mǎ dìqū de pǔbiàn xìng. (Cānkǎo:https://www.learndialect.sg/common-chinese-surnames-singapore-hokkien-teochew-cantonese/) Tāmen yě fēnxiǎng: Yīxiē fùmǔ xiànzài gèng qīngxiàng shǐyòng piān pǔtōnghuà de zì lái bāng háizi qǔ míng. Wǒ zìjǐ xìngshì de zé shì shǐyòng táiwān chángjiàn de tōngyòng pīnyīn, kěyǐ xiěchéng `Tsai’, dàn rúguǒ shì yòng hànyǔ pīnyīn, zé huì pīn chéng `Cai’. Zhèxiē guānchá tūxiǎnle huáyǔ de shǐyòng zài bù yīyàng dìqū de chāyì, yǐjí xīnjiāpō hé mǎláixīyà zhēn de bǎocúnle fēngfù duōyuán de fāngyán hé mínzú.
您也有人生导师吗?请在下方留言分享您和导师的故事吧!
Nín yěyǒu rénshēng dǎoshī ma? Qǐng zài xiàfāng liúyán fēnxiǎng nín hé dǎoshī de gùshì ba!