The most common misconception about me is that I do not understand any Chinese dialects or practice any Chinese customs and traditions.

I am a Canadian born Chinese. However, many people in Singapore are surprised to find out that not only is Cantonese my first dialect, but from the age of 5 to 18, I was enrolled in the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Program where the students were immersed in studying Mandarin and Chinese culture.

In my elementary school photos, one hundred percent of my classmates are Chinese and our parents had immigrated to Canada from various parts of Asia.  People who looked at the photographs thought that my parents had sent me back to Asia for schooling where in fact, we were part of a unique Mandarin program which began in 1982 in Edmonton, Alberta.  As part of the public school system, this program enabled us to receive half of our studies taught in Mandarin and the other half in English as part of the public school curriculum, with no additional fees.

I'm the kid in the 2nd row, 3rd from the left (pink top with mouth wide open). I was 5 years old in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

As the best time to learn a new language is when one is young, most of us absorbed the language like a sponge and were able to communicate fluently by our second or third year of study.  Our extracurricular activities included Chinese fan dance or Dragon and Lion dance.  I remember performing for the rest of the school and sometimes at other schools as well so they could learn about Chinese culture and help spread the popularity of the program.

Growing up, Chinese New Year was always a big event.  At school, we sang Chinese New Year songs, decorated the classroom with fake red fire crackers, exchanged lucky rabbit candies and practiced our Chinese calligraphy.  At home, the celebration continued and we ate hearty meals and visited with our family.  On TV, there was always a Chinese New Year special from the Hong Kong channel - TVB, which my family would watch annually without fail.

I did well in my Chinese classes as my parents were able to help with my studies.  We had weekly dictation quizzes and my mom would sit with me after dinner to review each stroke that made up the Chinese character.  As we excelled in class, we were also taught to write and perform plays in Chinese thus practicing our speaking skills.

Once we entered Junior High School (ages 13 onwards), our half day daily lessons were shortened to three 50 minute sessions a week.  The Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Program became the envy of many Asian parents who lived outside Edmonton and did not have the same program in their city.  Thus, they turned to other methods of passing their Chinese language skills to their children.  My cousins in Vancouver ended up enrolled in weekly Sunday Chinese class as well as private lessons in reading and writing in Chinese.

Today, as an adult living and working in Singapore, the Chinese language is a part of my daily life.

At lunch with my colleagues, I am able to laugh and share jokes in Mandarin.  At home, I have taught my puppy all his commands in Cantonese.  He will not react to "sit!" but will plant his bum down as soon as I say, chõh!  (Cantonese for sit).

Although I am nowhere near the same level of competency as when I was a ten year old student, I’m proud that I’m able to flip through the Chinese newspaper to read about the latest news of our favourite Chinese stars and pleasantly surprise people by ordering food in Chinese.

I was very lucky to have been a part of a very unique Chinese program in Canada and hope that one day I will be able to pass on the importance of Mandarin while raising up my family, wherever that may be.

* Main picture - Shirley: "I'm the awkward teenager in the 2nd row, 1st left.  We did a chinese dance routine every year."