A word, like ma, can mean four different things, and it is all dependent on how you say it. This is because both languages utilize something called tonal inflection. Tonal inflection is not used in English the same way it is in the Chinese language family. One of the most common ways we use it is to indicate that we are asking a question. Have you ever noticed that when you ask a question, you tend to end the sentence on a higher note? In Chinese languages, there are four main tones you can use. When trying to learn Mandarin or Cantonese, it is important to learn how to recognize these tones. For example, the word ma means "mother," "hemp," "horse" or "to curse" depending on how you pronounce it! I think I would have gotten in trouble growing up, because I would probably have accidentally called my mom a horse every once in a while!
Although the language is tricky, I have gotten pretty confident in Hong Kong with something that I'm not used to at home: using public transport. As I've mentioned before, where I grew up in Missouri, the main type of transportation used is a car. Learning how to switch from a bus to a train to another bus was something that was new to me upon arrival in Hong Kong, but I've quickly come to enjoy using the MTR train system and bus routes here. The craziest route I've taken to get to a place in Hong Kong started with a bus, which I took to the nearest MTR station. At the MTR, I started at a station on the purple line, and rode the train until it stopped at a station that connected to the green line.
