Yuen Chee

I am currently living in China, but I was born and raised in Malaysia—a linguistically diverse place that made me a multilingual speaker from a young age. I never faced major struggles learning languages, but I’ve always loved digging deeper into them: I enjoy looking at languages from the perspective of someone who doesn’t speak them, exploring how each one carries its unique culture, and realizing that teaching a language is such a special way to share that culture with others. Traveling around the world to make friends has been a big part of this journey too—I’ve met people who speak all sorts of languages different from mine, and my favorite moments are when we start trading simple phrases: I’ll teach someone how to say “good morning” in Malay, they’ll teach me a phrase in their language, and we always end up talking about the stories behind those words. A friend I met while traveling in Thailand really inspired me here—they took time to teach me how to say “thank you” in Thai (khob khun) and explained why it’s often paired with a small bow, and that moment made me see how language isn’t just about words—it’s about connecting with people. That’s what led me to want to be a teacher: I wanted to help others not just learn Chinese (or other languages), but also understand the cultural heart behind the words. Today, my life is full of these small, meaningful moments: when I’m not tutoring, I love trying new foods from my friends’ cultures (like learning to make Sichuan mapo tofu from my Chinese neighbors, or sharing Malaysian laksa with my international pals), and I keep a little journal where I jot down fun language facts or cultural anecdotes to share with my students later. It’s these little bits of connection—through language, food, and stories—that make my days feel full and purposeful.