Learning how to write Chinese characters in my college Chinese class was difficult, but learning how to write Chinese calligraphy is a whole other battle. This semester, some friends and I decided to enroll in the Chinese Calligraphy class offered at the community college in Jincheng. I had no formal experience with calligraphy before this class. In fact, I had actually only done calligraphy one other time, without a teacher-just me trying to copy some characters out of a book. During that initial encounter with calligraphy, I experienced a deep sense of enjoyment and developed the motivation to pursue this special and unique form of art.
On the first day of class, Nia Spooner, Soraya Okuda, and I received a beginner's assignment: straight lines. We laughed because it seemed so simple, but we knew we had our work cut out for ourselves. We tried and tried, moving our brushes meticulously, just as our instructor did. How did he make it look so easy？ As time passed by in the two-hour class period, I soon started to get comfortable with my brush. My strokes became more consistent, and more and more red circles started appearing on my papers-a sign of approval. Now, about four weeks into the class, I can successfully write straight lines and a handful of characters, but I am still trying to master the basics of calligraphy.
When I am practicing calligraphy, I feel like I am escaping my daily routine. It is a time where I do not have to think about the trivial things of my everyday life. Although it requires a lot of concentration, calligraphy is mindless; it is relaxing. Pursuing calligraphy is one of the ways that I have been able to connect with Taiwanese culture and language. It motivates me to further my knowledge of the Chinese language, and it is a skill that I can use to share Taiwanese culture with others back home.
By the end of the semester, my goal is to have a strong foundation in calligraphy, so that I can return to America and continue to study. In class, I stare in awe at the masterpieces that my advanced classmates create and hope that one day, I will be as skilled as they. As a teacher in America, I want to be able to teach this newfound hobby and piece of Taiwanese culture to my future students. However, before I can do so, I, myself, still have a lot of learning to do!

『本專刊由<金門日報>編輯部與學術交流基金會(傅爾布萊特交換計畫/Fulbright Taiwan)共同策畫製作』