Motivation and Strategy to Start Learning

[ZenLow]

You guys are all my heroes. No really, you all are.

As much as I'd like to admit that I'm doing nothing but sucking up to the old timers of the forum, I'd swallow the humble pie and come out with the truth.

I am a full blooded Chinese, living in Fiji, coming online to seek help and motivation in learning Chinese from those who are fluent, not possibly native in blood, who are possibly living in China.

Having being brought up, all my life in some random island in the middle of the South Pacific really doesn't help. I'm sure there are some out there who would easily swap circumstances with me anyday.

I'm semi-fluent in spoken Cantonese (I can't read) but one can hardly regard that as the 'common' language in mainland China. I'm quite ashamed to say that I'd consider English as my first preference in speaking even with my siblings.

Learning Chinese(mandarin) would be great. But I need some strategy so as to tackle the reading/writing aspect first? Or to tackle the unwritten/spoken aspects of the language?

What is the general idea or approach?

I have in my virtual toolkit so far:

1) Barry M. Farber - How to learn any language book

2) Pimsleur Mandarin I & II , CD's

3) Various online sites, sheik.co.uk, Dr. Xie's resources and old lessons

4) Chinese to English (and vice versa) Dictionary

5) Various Mandarin Soap Serials

I don't or haven't made contingency for:

MOTIVATION

TIME to Learn

The vehicle is there, but there just ain't no fuel

Please encourage this poor fool, and offer him some advice, strategy and motivation.

(first post by the way )

[in_lab]

First of all, having English as your first language, no matter what your race, is nothing to be ashamed of. I guess you have a different perspective, being from Fiji, but in America it's very common.I don't think laying a guilt trip on yourself is a good strategy for motivating you to study.

Second, have you checked at community colleges to see if they offer any classes? Getting started totally on your own is difficult.

[Ferno]

so uh, why are you learning Chinese anyway, specifically Mandarin? Mandarin is the official PRC/ROC language but aren't only the southern dialects (Cantonese, Fujianese(?) and others) more popular in south-asia? Do you plan to do business in China or something?

Oh, and how'd you learn English so well?