Chinatown remains one of the more interesting neighbourhoods in Vancouver partly on account of the language barrier it often presents to those who don’t speak Cantonese. If you’ve ever wanted to attempt to scale that barrier, Centre A (Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) is now offering a ‘quick & dirty’ series of classes that will not only school participants on the basics of how to communicate with shop owners, but also provides some cultural and historical context for the neighbourhood. “The streets, shops and spaces of Chinatown will be our classroom and its people will be our textbooks. Classes will include: basic Cantonese greetings, numbers, getting around, how to order food in a restaurant, and grocery shopping. We will do short field trips around the neighbourhood and hear stories about Chinatown history, community organizing, and historic and current relationships with the diverse cultural communities who share the space. Our final exam will be a grocery shopping expedition and collaboratively created meal.” How awesome is that? The seven classes will run you $60 ($9 drop-in). Super deal!

Saturdays | 10am-12pm | April 26 – June 7 | Centre A (229 East Georgia St.) | DETAILS