马拉维夫妇计划开办“中式”幼儿园 Malawian couple plans 'Chinese-style' kindergarten

A Malawian couple(夫妇) plans(计划) to open(开办) a "Chinese-style" kindergarten(幼儿园) in Malawi by the end of this year, chinanews.com reported.

When asked why they wanted to open a "Chinese-style" kindergarten, Mike told chinanews.com it's because his son Jordan had changed a lot during his four-year kindergarten life here.

Jordan and his classmates pose for a photo upon graduation from kindergarten.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

Mike lives in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, with his wife Xie Xin and their six-year-old son Jordan. Mike is pursuing a PhD in economics at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, where his wife also graduated with a bachelor's degree.

Jordan, Mike's son, came to Chengdu to live with Mike in 2014, two years after Mike came to the city to study(学习). Having lived in China for four years, Jordan can already speak(说) fluent(流利) Chinese, recite(背诵) Chinese poems(诗歌) and sing(唱) Chinese songs(歌曲).

Jordan has dinner with his father Mike and his mother Xie Xin. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Mike said learning Chinese was important for better promoting trade cooperation between China and his country. "Some colleges(学院) and universities(大学) in Malawi offer Chinese courses(课程), but there is no kindergarten offering Chinese courses yet. I hope I can help more people learn about China and its culture in this way," Mike said.

From Jordan's kindergarten life in China, Mike has seen how Chinese kindergartens operate. In Malawi, kids don't have as much time to learn because the kindergartens there close at noon. This was a key motivator(动力) for Mike's endeavor.

词汇 Words:

[fū fù] 夫妇 couple
[yòu'ér yuán] 幼儿园 kindergarten
[jì huà] 计划 plan
[shī gē] 诗歌 poem
[gē qǔ] 歌曲 song
[kè chéng] 课程 course
[dòng lì] 动力 motivator
[kāi bàn] 开办 open
[xué xí] 学习 study
[shuō] 说 speak
[bèi sòng] 背诵 recite
[chàng] 唱 sing

重点词汇 Key word:

办 <动词 v.> 

• Do; handle; manage; deal with
  E.g. Zěnme bàn?
  怎么办?
  What shall we do?

• Buy/purchase supplies; get something ready
  E.g. Nǐ shénme shíhòu bàn xǐshì?
  你什么时候办喜事?
  When are you going to get married?

• Set up; establish; run
  E.g. Gǔlì shèhuì lìliàng bànxué。
  鼓励社会力量办学。
  Social groups are encouraged to run schools.