Daniel Mejia uses songs to build his Mandarin vocabulary and improve pronunciation.
Daniel Mejia performs with his daughters at an EFCI Chinese School event in Irvine.
TCML-EFCI Chinese School showcases beautiful calligraphy works.
TCML-EFCI Chinese School performs a traditional lion dance.
What began as a father's effort to support his daughters has grown into a meaningful journey of language, family, music and faith for engineer Daniel Mejia.
In 2023, Mejia began attending classes at EFCI Chinese School in Irvine alongside his daughters. When the school launched its Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning (TCML) program the following year, he quickly enrolled as one of its first students.
After two years of intensive study, Mejia has made remarkable progress. He has performed Chinese songs with his daughters at school celebrations, accompanying them on guitar, and has even given a bilingual presentation in English and Mandarin for students and families at the school.
Born in Mexico, Mejia grew up studying French and German and later took a year of adult Chinese classes after moving to the United States. His interest in languages, however, became more personal after he married a Taiwanese American.
Mejia often speaks Mandarin with his parents-in-law, giving him regular opportunities to practice. His two daughters were also exposed to Mandarin from an early age through Mandarin-speaking caregivers.
As the girls entered elementary school, however, Mejia noticed that they were using Mandarin less frequently and beginning to lose some of their conversational ability. He decided to create a stronger Chinese-language environment at home.
In addition to enrolling them in Sunday classes at EFCI Chinese School, the family established what they call “Mandarin Fridays.” On Fridays, Mandarin replaces Spanish as the family’s primary language at home.
For Mejia, learning Mandarin has not always been easy. He considers mastering the four tones one of the biggest challenges for non-native learners. Writing Chinese characters also takes considerable time and practice. Still, he believes steady progress is possible when students follow a structured curriculum and practice consistently.
Music has become one of his favorite learning tools. When Mejia first began studying Chinese, he joined a church choir and learned Chinese worship songs using pinyin. Singing the same lyrics repeatedly helped him improve his pronunciation while expanding his vocabulary.
“Songs helped the words stay with me,” he said. Many of the Chinese expressions he first learned through music eventually became part of his everyday vocabulary.
His enthusiasm has also inspired the school community. TCML-EFCI Chinese School, affiliated with Evangelical Formosa Church of Irvine, was founded in 1993. Principal Nellie Liu said Mejia and his daughters were the first father-daughter pair in the school’s history to perform together at a promotion ceremony.
Their participation, she said, was especially meaningful for teachers and parents because it showed that learning Chinese can become a shared experience for an entire family.
The school’s TCML program currently offers two classes based on proficiency level. Many of its adult students have personal, family or professional connections with Taiwan.
Mejia himself has visited Taiwan five or six times. His Chinese studies have strengthened that connection, and he hopes to return to Taiwan one day for missionary work.
For Mejia, learning Mandarin is about much more than memorizing vocabulary or mastering characters. It has become a way to connect with his daughters, communicate with extended family, explore another culture and bring together two things he values deeply: language and faith.
And whenever learning Mandarin becomes difficult, he has found a simple way to keep going: pick up his guitar and sing.
more OCAC News, welcome to
OCACNEWS.NET.
