March 16, 2012

Settle Down with a Chinese Girl?

Last night I stayed after class and worked one-on-one with my sifu.  I've been learning Wing Chun for a little over six months, and I think I'm progressing well, thanks to having dabbled in martial arts years ago.  Though I miss the animal energies of my last art (snake, crane, monkey, tiger), the techniques in Wing Chun seem more effective.

We were about to part ways for the evening when we started talking about life.  The discussion led to if I get into a Ph.D. program how I'll have to learn another language, which might be difficult, especially if I choose a language like Mandarin.  My sifu mentioned how it's better/easier to learn a language you'll use -- if you travel to a place.  "You can settle down with a Chinese girl," he suggested (rather orientalist-ly).