I'll write this post first instead of starting from a photo, because today my phone said it could not connect to its camera.  OMG! Disaster. So no photos.  (Later a friend just suggested a re-boot, which of course worked fine.)
Anyway....A famous writer wrote a book around the concept that we need to remember, "Life is difficult.“  His point (in part) was that we should wake up and embrace the moment instead of whining about it so much whenever we encounter a problem.  Well, Chinese is surprisingly difficult. First there is new vocabulary with no free hints like we get in, say, Spanish.  Second, words do not always say the same things but can change according to word order and context.  Third, meaning is affected by tones which do not stick very well in aging Western brain cells.  OK, so now we have learned the words and we're ready to understand them right? Wrong, of course.  The teacher speaks at normal speed and I try to translate in my head resulting in my losing track constantly because I'm too slow.  The difference is shocking! I know that the word 'yifu' means 'clothes', but I will still get lost until the word itself contains the meaning in my mind without my having to think about the English word.  While I think, 'oh I know that one, it means clothes', several more words will have gone by.
But that is not all, said the cat in the hat.  Oh no, that is not all.  Everything is written in Chinese characters.  So what I see on the board is 衣服.  Got it?  Try copying it.  See how long it takes you.  Then have a go at re-producing it without looking.  I spent years learning Pinyin where the Chinese sounds are transliterated into alphabet symbols - 'yifu'.  You still have to know the tones but at least you have a fighting chance.  However, in Taiwan they teach writing first.  Western letters are absent.  If a character comes along that I don't know, which happens constantly. there is no easy way to discover what it is.
People DO learn Mandarin Chinese.  Children learn it.  Foreigners learn it.  Even 64 year old foreigners can learn it.  I just happen to be in a class with ten or so other students who can ALREADY read and write.  I know, I could have joined an easier class, but that would have been a beginner class.  Our teacher teaches in Chinese, but I actually do know almost all the vocabulary.  Its just that the other students have this enormous advantage over me - reading and writing.  The teacher (affectionately known as Zhang Laoshi - teacher Zhang) is very sympathetic and tries to help me out.  She uses adaptations for me and encourages me to stay in the class.  She reminds me to not compare myself to others - true, but not easy.  I soldier on.
It must be said - I AM learning.  Today I wrote a whole sentence on the board (mostly correct) and presented some pictures about seasons to the class.  It has only been 3 weeks so far out of a 3 month course.  After the 4th week there is a 4 day break and I'm going to Macau, so that's something fun to anticipate.  Meanwhile - life is difficult.  So what did you expect?
"Say not the struggle naught availeth"