In 2009, I was lucky to get a scholarship from the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation-China Scholarship Program that allowed me to study Chinese language (with some lectures on culture, politics and economics) for a year. In my curiosity to speak Mandarin Chinese, I met Maria Hazel Zhao, who was my listening (tingli) teacher at Confucius Institute at the Ateneo De Manila University. Maria is very hardworking and she would always find a way to answer our one million questions.
Fast forward to 2014, Maria is now based in the U.S.A. She is still teaching Chinese. She came to Guangzhou for a quick visit with summer camp students and she managed to squeeze time in her busy schedule (she was leaving for Xi An and then Beijing, then the US) to see me. She also gave the twins presents and they are wearing them in these photos:
Thanks Maria!
Also, I have been asked how the twins look like in the morning before they wake up. Well…here you go!
Have a great Sunday!
