Being Chinese~

Today was truly ground breaking for my Chinese, not because I improved drastically in one day, but because I was asked (twice):

你是中国人吗？

Are you Chinese?


Any person who devotes themselves to the mastery over a language is hoping, no dreaming, that they will one day be become as good as a native speaker. To be asked if I am from China is to realize that my Mandarin is actually good. Granted, this has been whispered to me over the last two weeks (i.e.-I was told that someone over the phone thought I was Chinese and my coworker said I am mostly American but a little Chinese), but to actually be asked the same question twice in one day is a definite indicator.

Naturally, I know that they don't think I'm Chinese per say, but they feel that my Chinese is fluent enough that I might actually be an American-born Chinese.

My answer is usually 'No, I am American'...but I think while I'm here in Shenzhen, I am a 深圳人
(shenzhen person)...so technically, yes, I am Chinese.