Fun fact of the day: There are no verb conjugations in Chinese (for example, I am, you are, he is, etc.). Because Chinese is a character based language, the same verb is used without modification for a certain tense, regardless of what the noun or pronoun forming the subject is.
我是- I am
你是- you are
他是- he is
我们是- we are
Monday, July 30, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Adventures in Shanghai!
 |
| 东方明珠塔- Pearl Tower, a TV tower and one of the tallest buildings in Shanghai, viewed from across 黄浦江- Huangpu River |
 |
| Historic building in 豫园-Yu Yuan Garden |
 |
| Rawrr! A mighty lion! |
 |
| Lotus flower blooming in 桂林公园- Guilin Park. |
The subway and public bus systems are really great for allowing people to get to literally all of Shanghai on just a couple of kuai (1 RMB).
Also, is anyone looking forward to the Olympics? I know I am; this will be my first time watching it in Chinese!
Lastly, my new favorite food addiction, just a couple of minutes from campus:
Lastly, my new favorite food addiction, just a couple of minutes from campus:
 |
| 猪肉馍-Pork bun sandwich, 6 kuai. |
 |
| Shawarma, Chinese style. The cumin seasoning is a delicious and zesty addition |
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Fun fact of the day
Fun fact of the day: When shopping at supermarkets you are charged for asking for plastic bags to put groceries in. It's a measure taken to encourage shoppers to bring their own reuseable bags and it's a good step taken towards better environmental conservation.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Bring it on
Before these past few days I never thought I'd have a Japanese roommate.
Before today I had never talked to a German, an Indonesian, a French student, Japanese students, and French Asians in the same day.
Before today I hadn't thought I'd be okay with attempting a book where I only knew 40% of the words in the title...of Lesson 1.
Bring it on, Shanghai.
Before today I had never talked to a German, an Indonesian, a French student, Japanese students, and French Asians in the same day.
Before today I hadn't thought I'd be okay with attempting a book where I only knew 40% of the words in the title...of Lesson 1.
Bring it on, Shanghai.
 |
| Also, a different kind of dorm food |
Monday, July 2, 2012
Excited!
In just a short week I'll be starting my summer Chinese class at Shanghai Normal University! I'm super stoked because over 3 hours of classes a day is definitely going to help whip my speaking abilities into shape.
The time I've spent in China so far has been fantastic. Seeing the small roadside grocery markets and food vendors, and twenty something floor apartments gives off a totally different feel than anywhere I've lived in Texas. Even the traffic is different; there are many more pedestrians, people on bicycles and motor scooters, and many more taxis. It's the type of transportation structures that exists when few people own or need to own cars. Even though I'm the type of person that prefers the comfort of familiarity, I'm enjoying the change of pace of this new environment
Being away from fluent English speakers has forced me to step out of my comfort zone and converse with people even though I know my speaking skills are still lacking. I have a tendency to not say anything if I can't say it perfectly but right now I'm working hard at suppressing that tendency.
I'm currently doing some studying on my own for the time being and learning Chinese is still presenting the same difficulties it did the last couple of times in my life I studied it. There's a unique challenge in learning a language that isn't alphabet-based. The amount of memorization gets to be really confusing, especially with the characters that look really alike. Writing presents another challenge in that trying to remember how to write new characters or even characters that I know I've seen before in a way is kind of like trying to draw logos, like the Disney logo. It's distinct, something I've seen many times, yet would be difficult to replicate right away.
The time I've spent in China so far has been fantastic. Seeing the small roadside grocery markets and food vendors, and twenty something floor apartments gives off a totally different feel than anywhere I've lived in Texas. Even the traffic is different; there are many more pedestrians, people on bicycles and motor scooters, and many more taxis. It's the type of transportation structures that exists when few people own or need to own cars. Even though I'm the type of person that prefers the comfort of familiarity, I'm enjoying the change of pace of this new environment
Being away from fluent English speakers has forced me to step out of my comfort zone and converse with people even though I know my speaking skills are still lacking. I have a tendency to not say anything if I can't say it perfectly but right now I'm working hard at suppressing that tendency.
I'm currently doing some studying on my own for the time being and learning Chinese is still presenting the same difficulties it did the last couple of times in my life I studied it. There's a unique challenge in learning a language that isn't alphabet-based. The amount of memorization gets to be really confusing, especially with the characters that look really alike. Writing presents another challenge in that trying to remember how to write new characters or even characters that I know I've seen before in a way is kind of like trying to draw logos, like the Disney logo. It's distinct, something I've seen many times, yet would be difficult to replicate right away.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)