Journey of Chinese Language Exploration of a Local Chinese Language Teacher in Uganda

Land of Dreams and Bond with Chinese Language

Chebet Marvin, also known as Ma Wenyong in Chinese, a 27-year-old Ugandan, comes from the village of Kapchorwa in the eastern part of Uganda. He was born into a well-educated family, with his father being a high school geography teacher and his mother a healthcare worker. He has younger siblings, making him the eldest son in the family.

In 2018, a tarred road begins to be built in Marvin's hometown

As early as 2007, when Marvin was still in primary school, he saw Chinese people with large construction machinery coming to his hometown for infrastructure development, which amazed him and his friends. In 2010, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) undertook a water pipeline project, providing the residents with running water. Due to the complex terrain, transportation had always been a headache for locals. In 2018, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) began constructing a tarred road in Marvin's hometown, which reduced the original three-day journey between Kapchorwa and Bukwo to just one hour. These events left a deep impression on him, who saw batches of Chinese people settling down and making significant contributions to remote areas in Uganda using their advanced technology. Therefore, from the age of 13, a seed of a dream started to sprout in Marvin's heart: he wished to learn Chinese and make friends with Chinese people.

The road construction scene in Uganda

While studying at Islamic University in Mbale, Uganda, he witnessed the construction and development of the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park. The technology, capital, and employment provided by Chinese enterprises have brought new development opportunities to Uganda, and Marvin deeply understood the importance of Chinese language and its broad prospects.

Seizing Opportunities and Pursuing Dreams

In 2019, Marvin became a high school English teacher, but he never forgot his dream of learning Chinese. In 2022, he applied to participate in the "Local Chinese Language Teacher Training Program in Uganda." There, he got his own Chinese name: Ma Wenyong.

Group photo of Marvin (first from left) with his teacher and classmate

Learning a new foreign language is not easy. However, this did not stop Marvin's love for Chinese language. He devoted himself to the learning of Chinese and determined to become a qualified Chinese language teacher in Ugandan high schools. Through nine months of hard work, he passed the HSK 2 to HSK 4 tests with excellence. Even now, he has not forgotten the busy yet wonderful life during the local Chinese language teacher training program. He is proud that he has realized his childhood dream, made many lovely and respectable Chinese friends and successfully became a qualified Chinese language teacher.

Graduation ceremony for the Local Chinese Language Teacher Training Program in Uganda in 2022

After graduation, Marvin returned to Kapchorwa Secondary School in eastern Uganda and devoted himself to teaching Chinese. In order to promote Chinese language, he voluntarily proposed to the principal of another school, Sebei College Tegeress, to offer Chinese language courses. The principal agreed, then he began teaching Chinese at both schools this year, with nearly 900 students learning Chinese with him.

Marvin's Chinese language classroom at Sebei College Tegeress

In teaching, Marvin is patient and introduces the beauty of Chinese characters stroke by stroke. He uses what he has learned in teaching to enable students to not only appreciate the charm of Chinese but also experience the fun of learning the language.

Marvin's Chinese language class

To stimulate students' interest in learning Chinese, he often tells them interesting stories he heard during his training period and stories related to Chinese language and China that he found online. He also teaches them to sing Chinese songs, among which "The Moon Represents My Heart" is the most popular.

Learning Knows no Bounds and Struggle Never Ceases

Marvin and his students

Knowing that his Chinese proficiency is limited, Marvin takes advantage of his spare time to constantly enrich his knowledge and learn Chinese, aiming to pass the HSK 5 and HSK 6 tests. He demonstrates the importance of learning Chinese through his instruction and action. He says that he will continue to learn and teach Chinese, planting the seeds of Chinese language in Uganda, and hoping that these "seeds" can grow vigorously under the nourishment and care of Chinese language education.