"As a result, we were [each] given the opportunity to serve as a youth ambassador, which we gratefully accepted."
Josh says he was overjoyed to be chosen as one of the youth ambassadors.
"It seemed as though my time and effort spent working on my speech with the teacher had at last paid off.
"Not only was I really proud of this accomplishment, but my entire peer group and family was as well.
"For the rest of my life, I will never forget that particular moment."
He says he started his studies as a Year 9 student and has been studying Chinese for the past three years.
"I chose Chinese as my study option because I've always believed that learning about other cultures and their languages helps you speak with more people and is a great way to meet new people.
"I first encountered the Chinese language when my good friend and I chose to compete in the 2019 Rotorua Chinese Language Speech competition.
"We managed to finish in second place, which gave me a lot of confidence and motivated me to keep studying the language."
He says he really enjoys picking up new words and using them in entirely new sentences.
"I feel like I'm continually picking up new knowledge and honing my Chinese language abilities, and it's always a good feeling for me to know that."
Joshua believes learning multiple languages is fantastic since it will enable you to communicate with more people throughout the world.
"As a skill, that may open up more work options, travel, and cultural understanding. Learning a language other than the one you grew up speaking can be quite beneficial for any ambitions you may have in the future."
He thinks it is important to support New Zealand Chinese Language Week because it allows New Zealanders to interact with and learn something new about Chinese language and culture.
William says he felt honoured and privileged to be selected as a youth ambassador, and that being chosen represented a culmination of all the hard work he had done in the past few years during his Chinese learning journey.
"As youth ambassador, I believe it is my responsibility to represent the Chinese culture and language, as well as stoke an interest within people of my generation."
William has been formally learning Chinese for the better part of three years now. However, he was first given exposure to the language at school in 2017.
"Originally, I did not have any interest in the language; however, I found that I was able to pick it up rather quickly and easily, and thus decided to pursue it from there.
"From Year 9 onwards, my interest in the language grew larger and I became very interested in Chinese history and culture.
"Around this time, my mother had told me that her grandfather was from China, which further broadened my interest as I felt as though I had a connection with the language, culture, and likewise, history."
He says he enjoys learning Chinese as he has found it to be a relatively easy language to learn in comparison to his native language of Khmer, as well as other languages he has had some experience with, such as Russian and Japanese.
"The main form or variety of Chinese spoken and taught to us at school and in the mainland is Mandarin or Putonghua."
He says other aspects he enjoys is the fact that it is a very old and ancient language that throughout history has influenced nearby languages to an extent, as well as that the writing system used has also changed to a considerable degree.
William thinks it is great to learn different languages as it allows you to connect with different cultures and people groups, therefore widening your view of the world.
"Native speakers of a language such as Chinese are generally happy when non-native speakers are learning their language and using it to converse with them... You are able to relate to a lot more people and become immersed in their culture."
He believes it is great to support New Zealand Chinese Language Week as it encourages people to learn a new language and culture.
"Even if one is not completely interested or invested in learning Chinese, it is still fun to learn a few simple phrases in the event that one has a Chinese neighbour or has a Chinese friend.
"Through learning a few simple phrases and making connections to other Chinese people, one may eventually over time develop an interest in the language and may choose to learn it, as was the case with myself."
He extends his gratitude and appreciation to his parents for working hard everyday and for supporting him along my Chinese learning journey.
"I would also like to thank Ms. Chen, my Chinese teacher, for teaching me Chinese and making the experience interesting, as well as my peers such as Josh, for being supportive and encouraging."
