MALIKA Ross of Kiltern Village, Corentyne, had travelled to China to pursue a medical career but after spending the initial year learning the Mandarin language, she had to return home because of health issues.
Prior to her departure from that foreign land, she successfully completed the fourth and fifth levels of the HSK examinations at the Shandong University in Jinan Province, China.
HSK is the abbreviation for Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi and is an international standard skill test for persons who are not native speakers of the Chinese language. HSK is the official Chinese exam for foreigners, similar to Cambridge for English.
The test was introduced in 2010 by the Chinese government. The HSK exam consists of two separate sections: a written and an oral examination. The written exam consists of six levels from HSK Level 1 to HSK Level 6. The oral exam is sub-divided into three stages comprising HSK basic, HSK intermediate and HSK advanced.
Having completed the fourth and fifth levels, Malika cannot only speak fluent Chinese and communicate with native speakers, but she can also read Chinese newspapers and magazines and enjoy Chinese films and television programmes.

With this knowledge, the now 28-year-old mother of one has commenced virtual classes for persons interested in learning Mandarin, which she believes is essential , due to the influx of Chinese and the growing number of Chinese-owned businesses.
Guyanese, she noted, are encountering much difficulty in communicating with these foreigners; it is for this reason that there is the need to learn the language.
Standard Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. It is also one of the four official languages of Singapore and is used as one of the working languages of the United Nations (UN).
Prior to leaving for China, the then 17-year-old former student of J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School had secured 12 CSEC subjects which had afforded her the opportunity to secure a Government of Guyana scholarship.
Although it was unfortunate that she was unable to complete her medical training, Malika advised future scholarship awardees to face their hurdles, to manage their lifestyles, to take care of their health and to trust God, who has a master plan for our lives.
Malika can be contacted on 697 8466.