– Our car driver was shocked when my Cantonese was heard next to a native speaker. He even said he was a little scared because it was really good (in reality it’s not and I KNOW IT).

– At work I helped a woman applying for an apartment in Canto. Her friends said I had no accent (My speaking sounds okay, my vocab is severely limited though)

– Native speakers speak to me in Cantonese and then catch themselves, sort of testing where my level is at which never happened before (the irony is that before I would beg to be talked to, but now I’m a little afraid because I’m paranoid about not knowing everything)

– 我睇香港碟, 無英文字 (Even though I don’t understand a lot, it’s teaching me to read and think Canto)

I’ve been doing immersion for maybe five months along with learning to read Chinese. It’s not that difficult when there’s no pressure to learn, in fact listening to a song I have no understanding of is a good way to relax in a way.

The twist is that I had even been around Cantonese for more than two years. And back then I didn’t try to to read and would freak out if there were no English subtitles. Which approach to learning Cantonese is crazy? Avoiding it or trying to live it?

Thanks again Katz. PS You’re not crazy … I hope.