Six years ago , Michael Britton , a high school student from Ottawa , told his parents he wanted to learn Chinese in his free time . They were surprised and said , “It will be difficult for you because all the other students will have one or two Chinese parents . ” Michael wasn’t worried . He liked a challenge and spent six years on Mandarin , the official language of China . He went to language class every Saturday morning . In the afternoon , he learned about Chinese culture by making crafts ( 工艺品 ), playing ping-pong , and practicing kung-fu. Michael said the most difficult part was learning to write the language . Each word has its own symbol and you have to remember every one . He knows 2,000 Chinese characters and can write 1 , 000. Michael graduated with a 75% average . He wanted a higher mark but all the other students had Chinese parents to practice with . Michael’s teachers made him tapes and he used his English-Chinese dictionary to learn new words . He was the first non-Chinese student to graduate from the school. Chinese is not Michael’s only hobby . He also studies French,speaks a little German,plays the recorder,collects stamps and coins,and is interested in science .