At Pistachio Mandarin Language Centre, every learner has a story – and Scott’s is all about connection, family, and stepping out of his comfort zone.
With close ties to his Malaysian relatives, Scott often found himself surrounded by conversations he couldn’t fully participate in. But instead of staying on the sidelines, he decided to take the leap and learn Mandarin — and two courses later, the results are speaking for themselves.
- How has learning Mandarin made a difference in your life so far? Share a moment of progress!
It’s been really good in that I went and stepped out of my comfort zone. I’ve got a lot of friends and family that are from Malaysia – they all speak Mandarin. So it’s been quite good being able to understand it a lot more, like in their conversations I can pick up now what they are saying. Before I would sit in a room and wouldn’t understand a thing that they said, but now I’m like “ooh I know that word”, “ooh I know that!” – so it’s been really good.
- How did you hear about Pistachio Mandarin Language Centre?
Through Google. I was just looking through and Pistachio came up and looked like the best one.
- What were the main reasons you wanted to learn Mandarin?
The main thing was that connection with my family. I see them all the time — like once a week we have big dinners – so it was more about being able to connect a lot easier and better. The older family members don’t speak very good English, but I’ve always wanted to have good conversations with them. Especially the grandparents – saying things other than ‘Hello’ and ‘How are you?’ That’s as far as we would get, and I’ve known them for probably 15 years. At this stage, they most likely aren’t gonna learn English, so I thought, “oh well, I’m young enough, I should probably learn the language (Mandarin).
- What Mandarin classes do you attend?
Private classes.
- What do you enjoy most in the Mandarin lessons?
Yatchun and Yui have been great. Yui’s a great tutor, she’s really good, fun and I enjoy learning with her. I’m really good with numbers, so I’ve picked up the numbers side of Mandarin really fast, which has been the most enjoyable, but yeah learning things like that has been fun.
- Would you recommend Pistachio Mandarin Language Centre?
Definitely recommend it – just the format of the way it’s done is so that anyone can learn it. Makes it so much easier, and having tutors and people like Yatchun and Yui makes it even easier to communicate with and deal with, and you don’t feel like it is too much on top of your other priorities.
Scott’s Story Is a Reminder…
That learning a language is about so much more than vocabulary and grammar – it’s about connection. Whether it’s sitting at the dinner table with loved ones, greeting a grandparent in their heart language, or simply understanding the world around you a little more – Mandarin can open doors to deeply personal moments.
At Pistachio, we’re here to guide you through that journey — no matter your background, experience, or goals. Ready to take the first step? Enrol now!