Ariella Poon

My Chinese Life Story 

By: Ariella Poon

 

Hi!  My name is Ariella Waiying Poon.  I am 8 years old and I am in 3rd grade at Little Tiger Chinese Immersion School in Austin, TX.  You might think that my name sounds very unique.  And it is!  Ariella is my English name.  It comes from my mom who is Polish, German, and Scottish.  Ariella means Lioness of God.  Waiying is my Cantonese name.  It comes from my dad who is from Hong Kong.  I also have a Chinese name, since I go to a Chinese immersion school.  It is 慧盈 (Huiying) which means “full of intelligence”.  It was given to me by my grandfather, who still lives in Hong Kong.  He is a physician there.  My family visits him once a year.  Unfortunately, due to Covid, I haven’t seen him in two years. 

When we go to Hong Kong, my favorite thing to do is go to shops and eat egg waffles (鸡蛋仔).  My least favorite thing to do is ride the subway.  I still have nightmares about getting lost on it. 

Because of my heritage, my parents wanted me to learn Chinese.  They found this spectacular school called Little Tiger Chinese Immersion School.  Even though I am in 3rd grade, I am learning the 4th and 5th grade curriculum.  My big sister Eden (pronounced Aiden) used to go to Little Tiger with me.  Even though we get into a lot of fights, she is very nice.  When she was at Little Tiger, my teachers let me skip a grade so I could be with her.  When she left this school, she and the teachers cried a lot.   

At Little Tiger, not only do we learn Chinese, but we also get to participate in so many spectacular Chinese events!  For Chinese New Year, we learn songs to sing at our New Year performance.  Every class gets to do that.  We also celebrate the Moon Festival and Lantern Festival. 

At my school, every single class is in Chinese, except for English class.  While I speak English and Chinese, I am also learning Spanish on Duolingo.  I also practice Chinese on Duolingo when I am not in school. 

I have a classmate from Mexico.  She is very nice.  Her name is Emilia.  Her family speaks Spanish.  Emilia’s friendship has changed my life.  Her friendship has changed my life because she is my very best friend and I feel like I can tell her anything.  I am so glad I went to Little Tiger and was able to meet her.  My other friends Viviana, Aanya, Summer, and Pan are also very nice. 

I also love to read books!  My favorite books are graphic novels.  In English, I am reading at a seventh grade level! The difference between reading in Chinese and in English is I am more familiar with English, so it is easier to understand. 

I will be leaving Little Tiger Chinese Immersion School at the end of the school year.  Even though I am excited to go to my sister’s school, the local public charter school, I am still sad about leaving this school. I am nervous about going to a new school because Little Tiger is the only school I have ever been to. I am also used to speaking Chinese all day long, so the transition to an English school may be a little weird and difficult.  At my sister’s school, they give you breakfast and lunch for free! You also have to take a lot of S.T.A.A.R. (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests, which are Texas’ standardized tests.  However, because the education that I received at Little Tiger has been so excellent, I know that I will be more than prepared! 

With only three weeks left at Little Tiger, I am writing this essay and remembering all the wonderful experiences I have had here.  I am grateful for this school and the opportunity to learn Chinese, because it allows me to feel more connected to my family and my family’s roots.  Even after I leave Little Tiger, I will continue learning and perfecting my Chinese.  It will be a part of me forever.