Chau Kit Yan is always keen to bridge the communication gap between Hong Kong people and those from mainland China. That's why the internship opportunity at K.U.G. (港你知粵語), a Shanghai-based centre for teaching Cantonese to locals there, was Chau's ideal place to spend a few weeks. As a Hongkonger who is very conscious of pop culture, Chau found it a great learning experience with all kinds of long-term benefits. It came about because she was one of the interns participating in the Shanghai Hong Kong Leaders of Tomorrow (OUHK) Internship Programme.
One particular benefit was the positive approach to teamwork. “I was grouped together with several other Hong Kong interns and tasked with developing and updating the teaching materials for a Cantonese course. It was designed especially for mainlanders who might be coming to work in Hong Kong. One focus was the trendy slangs that are widely favoured here.”
Chau soon realised the assignment was not as easy as she had initially thought. “Based on the course framework, the task of identifying topics for discussion in class involved a great deal of online research.” she says. “Our team pored over many reference books on course design. This was critical because we needed to ensure the course materials were interesting enough to fully engage the students, while at the same time making sure they were able to learn Cantonese properly.”
Chau counted the detailed guidance and constructive advice received from her sifu (teacher/master in Cantonese) as a key part of the learning experience. “Our supervisors patiently conducted reviews of our work and provided feedback to help us refine the materials,” she says. “These sessions enhanced our understanding of how to put together well-structured course materials. Time management skills were also important because we had to follow a timetable for delivering our contributions.”
Overall, the internship let Chau fully appreciate the experience of working in a different culture. “Our colleagues showed such warmth to us. They were very willing to teach us and share their insights,” she says. “We were very excited to see that the course materials we helped develop were used by the centre. More importantly, I've learned to approach tasks by applying different perspectives and considering alternative viewpoints. The experience has also inspired me to think about other career options besides being a language teacher.”
