Hey! So, last week I mentioned that I began reading a book, "The Power of Full Engagement" that a friend loaned to me. Well, this week I have had the opportunity to test out some of the principles from the book regarding my emotional and mental dimensions that were being challenged.
My teacher does a great job of working on my tones to make sure that I am speaking them correctly, but she does not always listen to me when I try to talk to her about my roadblocks in learning Mandarin. It has only happened a few times, but there have been a couple of classes where I have needed to take a break from practicing tones and work on something else as to not want to scream and walk out of class because I was frustrated. For me personally I always do better if I step away from a frustrating situation for a little bit, and then come back to it a little later on. Unfortunately, this week when one of those times occurred, instead of taking a brief break from tones, my teacher felt the need to keep pushing me and was literally in my face trying to correct my tones. I literally shut down at that point. My teacher finally realized that she was not challenging me to be better at that point, but was literally overdoing it. So, after taking a little break I went back to learning, but with something new instead.
That night I sat thinking if I could have done something to better communicate with my teacher, if I could have prepared myself better to have not gotten so emotional to the point of shutting down in class, and how I could mentally take this experience and not let it keep me from wanting to work on tones in future classes. So, I thought about some of the principles that I had just read about, and these were the ones that resonated with me the most. Like with training muscles physically - you have to stress them to the point of discomfort, but if you stress them too much or over train them, then injury can occur. The same is true emotionally - you need to be stressed emotionally so that you are challenged, but stressed too much and it becomes negativity. And mentally - the need to be stressed in order to focus attention, but over-stressed and it leads to burnout. So, my teacher and I talked about these things the next class and things were much better.
I realized that while I felt like I had been doing a good job of communicating with my teacher, that I needed to be doing it on a more consistent basis. I also realized that I needed to listen to her input as well in regards to ways of learning Mandarin easier rather than only using my methods. And of course, when needed there are a few pieces of fitness equipment in a nearby classroom that I can always go use during the class break since that makes me happy. Honestly, I feel like class was even better at the end of the week after all of this transpired.
Well, hoping you all are well and enjoying Memorial Day weekend.
P.S. I do not have pictures of the campus for you since it rained all week last week, and I was not able to take pictures. This week's weather is projected to be nicer, so hoping to have those this week instead.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Summer Already?
Wow, as an adult I finally understand the statement "time flies." Sometimes it seems like yesterday that I arrived here in China, but actually I have now been here for 9 months, and it is already summer too.
Classes are continuing to go well too, and I am enjoying the spring flowers that have been planted throughout the campus. I am hoping to take some pictures of the campus this week so you can see where I attend classes. Speaking of classes - last week I began book 3 (out of 5) of Chinese Made Easier. I most likely will only get through 1/3 to 1/2 of the book by time the semester is over; however, I still feel like that is great progress and is continuing to add to my knowledge of Chinese. My goal for my second year here is to finish books 3 -5 of Chinese Made Easier.
I have not given you an update on myself lately, so here it is: I am doing really well. I am healthy and have not had any more issues with my asthma, and only a mild case of allergies last week as it was changing from cooler weather to hot weather. I can honestly say too that I have not experienced any days yet where I "dislike being here or wanting to be back in America." I know that those are normal emotions that people go through when living in foreign countries, but so far I have not had that moment yet. I have had a few moments of being tired of being blatantly stared at, and being asked for the 100th time if I want to buy this specific soap after saying 'no' several times, but that's been about it. Since certain stores require their employees to try to get you to buy specific products, they literally will follow you down aisles pointing out everything that they think you should buy (which is actually the cheapest costing products, not the most expensive), so I have just learned to avoid those stores on days that I am feeling overwhelmed by people trying to persuade me on what to buy.
Two weeks ago I also begun reading a book called 'The Power of Full Engagement' that I borrowed from a friend. So far I am really enjoying it, and it has been going along with what I have been thinking about lately. I was talking one day about the six dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and environmental) and how sometimes it can be hard to balance all of those dimensions, especially if you are not doing well in one of the areas, then it will affect at least one, or all, of the other areas. This book is about giving principles that help to balance those dimensions and how to be energized in each of those areas rather than being drained. I will let you know what I thought of the whole book when I finish reading it.
Classes are continuing to go well too, and I am enjoying the spring flowers that have been planted throughout the campus. I am hoping to take some pictures of the campus this week so you can see where I attend classes. Speaking of classes - last week I began book 3 (out of 5) of Chinese Made Easier. I most likely will only get through 1/3 to 1/2 of the book by time the semester is over; however, I still feel like that is great progress and is continuing to add to my knowledge of Chinese. My goal for my second year here is to finish books 3 -5 of Chinese Made Easier.
I have not given you an update on myself lately, so here it is: I am doing really well. I am healthy and have not had any more issues with my asthma, and only a mild case of allergies last week as it was changing from cooler weather to hot weather. I can honestly say too that I have not experienced any days yet where I "dislike being here or wanting to be back in America." I know that those are normal emotions that people go through when living in foreign countries, but so far I have not had that moment yet. I have had a few moments of being tired of being blatantly stared at, and being asked for the 100th time if I want to buy this specific soap after saying 'no' several times, but that's been about it. Since certain stores require their employees to try to get you to buy specific products, they literally will follow you down aisles pointing out everything that they think you should buy (which is actually the cheapest costing products, not the most expensive), so I have just learned to avoid those stores on days that I am feeling overwhelmed by people trying to persuade me on what to buy.
Two weeks ago I also begun reading a book called 'The Power of Full Engagement' that I borrowed from a friend. So far I am really enjoying it, and it has been going along with what I have been thinking about lately. I was talking one day about the six dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and environmental) and how sometimes it can be hard to balance all of those dimensions, especially if you are not doing well in one of the areas, then it will affect at least one, or all, of the other areas. This book is about giving principles that help to balance those dimensions and how to be energized in each of those areas rather than being drained. I will let you know what I thought of the whole book when I finish reading it.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Pingliang
Hey everyone! Well, I had a great time last weekend in Pingliang, and have posted some pictures as well in case you have some time to check them out. The town is primarily 40% Muslim villagers, and has less people than Xi'an (however that is still 200,000 people).
The bus ride to Pingliang was quite the adventure as we apparently had chosen the non-express bus when we purchased our tickets. The bus ride added an extra hour to our trip, and included stops in every village on the way to pick up as many as people as we could fit in the bus. It is illegal to stop to pick up people that did not originally start on the bus in Xi'an; however, bus drivers that drive the back roads through the villages instead of taking the highway, see it as their way to make some extra money. So, it was definitely an interesting experience along the way.
Once we arrived in town we went to a local restaurant for some dishes of mutton, eggplant, and vegetables before heading out to explore the city. We did a little walking through the city's main street and back alleys and just enjoyed seeing the people out and about for the day. Of course I got many stares as well since I was one of a few foreigners in that town. That night for dinner we went to eat hot pot at the best hot pot restaurant, and luckily it was not dog hot pot. In all seriousness, in smaller towns dog is served as a main dish. There is a new law that has been passed that severely fines people that are caught serving dog, but it may take awhile to change people serving dog in small towns such as this one. Thankfully my friend does not eat dog meat and knows which places serve it and which ones don't, so we did not eat at any of the ones that did. We finished off the evening with an old movie that our Chinese teachers picked out called "Love Potion Number 9." If you don't remember it, it is one of the very first movies that Sandra Bullock filmed.
Sunday was another great day as we went down to the biggest park in town. This park has walking trails, a lake, and a small amusement park area as well. Again we had a lot of fun walking around and seeing people out at the park with their families for the day. We also did one round of bumper cars and had every Chinese person in the area watching us, but we had so much fun. After leaving the park we stopped in a few stores to visit some of the vendors that my friend has become friends with. For lunch that day we ate noodles with beef and vegetables, and for dinner we had ribs, all of which were really good.
On Monday morning my friend had to go to work, as her town decided to take Friday off for Labor Day (in China it is always on May 1) instead of Monday, so we were able to join her for one of her classes and meet her students before leaving town. My friend teaches at a vocational school that has a contract to allow my friend and the other foreigners there to teach an American curriculum all in English to these students. They are taught math, science, geography, computer skills, etcetera, but all in English. My friend on this particular day was teaching a phonics class when we observed. The students did very well and I was really impressed with this school and how they incorporate learning English with learning other subjects too. And after a lunch of dumplings with all the teachers from the school, my Chinese teacher and I headed back to Xi'an - this time on the express bus.
I had a great weekend and enjoyed my visit to Pingliang. Just like each of the states are different in America, cities here are quite different and I enjoy being able to see those differences. One thing I especially enjoyed seeing on this trip was the mountains. I have always loved the beach and the mountains, so I was very happy to see three different mountains in Pingliang.
Well, I will close for now, but hoping that you all are doing well and enjoying the warmer weather.
The bus ride to Pingliang was quite the adventure as we apparently had chosen the non-express bus when we purchased our tickets. The bus ride added an extra hour to our trip, and included stops in every village on the way to pick up as many as people as we could fit in the bus. It is illegal to stop to pick up people that did not originally start on the bus in Xi'an; however, bus drivers that drive the back roads through the villages instead of taking the highway, see it as their way to make some extra money. So, it was definitely an interesting experience along the way.
Once we arrived in town we went to a local restaurant for some dishes of mutton, eggplant, and vegetables before heading out to explore the city. We did a little walking through the city's main street and back alleys and just enjoyed seeing the people out and about for the day. Of course I got many stares as well since I was one of a few foreigners in that town. That night for dinner we went to eat hot pot at the best hot pot restaurant, and luckily it was not dog hot pot. In all seriousness, in smaller towns dog is served as a main dish. There is a new law that has been passed that severely fines people that are caught serving dog, but it may take awhile to change people serving dog in small towns such as this one. Thankfully my friend does not eat dog meat and knows which places serve it and which ones don't, so we did not eat at any of the ones that did. We finished off the evening with an old movie that our Chinese teachers picked out called "Love Potion Number 9." If you don't remember it, it is one of the very first movies that Sandra Bullock filmed.
Sunday was another great day as we went down to the biggest park in town. This park has walking trails, a lake, and a small amusement park area as well. Again we had a lot of fun walking around and seeing people out at the park with their families for the day. We also did one round of bumper cars and had every Chinese person in the area watching us, but we had so much fun. After leaving the park we stopped in a few stores to visit some of the vendors that my friend has become friends with. For lunch that day we ate noodles with beef and vegetables, and for dinner we had ribs, all of which were really good.
On Monday morning my friend had to go to work, as her town decided to take Friday off for Labor Day (in China it is always on May 1) instead of Monday, so we were able to join her for one of her classes and meet her students before leaving town. My friend teaches at a vocational school that has a contract to allow my friend and the other foreigners there to teach an American curriculum all in English to these students. They are taught math, science, geography, computer skills, etcetera, but all in English. My friend on this particular day was teaching a phonics class when we observed. The students did very well and I was really impressed with this school and how they incorporate learning English with learning other subjects too. And after a lunch of dumplings with all the teachers from the school, my Chinese teacher and I headed back to Xi'an - this time on the express bus.
I had a great weekend and enjoyed my visit to Pingliang. Just like each of the states are different in America, cities here are quite different and I enjoy being able to see those differences. One thing I especially enjoyed seeing on this trip was the mountains. I have always loved the beach and the mountains, so I was very happy to see three different mountains in Pingliang.
Well, I will close for now, but hoping that you all are doing well and enjoying the warmer weather.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Taking a Trip
Hey! Just wanted to post a quick blog now and I will be posting a longer blog on Monday. In seven hours I am leaving with two teachers from school for a weekend trip to Pingliang to visit my friend that lives there. My friend just left at the beginning of this week to head back for teaching, and I had no intention of visiting her this soon after she left; however, based on both of our schedules the next possible time to go besides this weekend would have been October. And Monday here in China is their Labor Day, so I have the day off from class. I am looking forward to this 2 day visit as my friend's city is mostly villagers and the entire city only has 10 foreigners. I will also be taking lots of pictures to share with you as well. So, until Monday...
Friday, April 23, 2010
New Chinese Friends and Recent Activities
Hey! So, I know it has been a little longer than normal since my last blog post, so for that reason this week I have written two blogs - this one and the one after this titled: 'Such Different Worlds.' Hope you enjoy reading them both.
So, I am writing this blog after a very fun evening with four of the teachers from school, the school director, and my Western friend from Pingliang (mentioned in a previous blog). My friend from Pingliang is leaving next week to return to her town to finish the school year teaching English, so I decided to have her over for dinner and to surprise her by inviting the staff from school to come too. She was definitely surprised and the night continued to get even better after that. I had prepared Mexican food (chips and salsa, chicken fajitas, refried beans, and watermelon) and there was not any food left. After dinner we chatted, watched the movie Hitch (complete with popcorn and M&Ms), and had an impromptu Cha-Cha dance party.
Well, in the past two weeks I have also met a few new Chinese people that I am excited to be able to spend time getting to know. The first person I met is Katie (her English name) and she works at a market in the downtown area. She was a broadcast journalism major so her English is excellent. Katie has asked me to come visit her at her store and has even offered to let me practice my Chinese with her. The second person that I met was Albert (his English name) at the gym one night. The second time that I saw Albert at the gym he asked me if I would be willing to play ping-pong with him since no one wanted to play. I was happy to oblige and I have to say that I kept the game pretty close. Ok, I know what you all are thinking - the Chinese are great at badminton and ping-pong, so how could you have possibly kept it close - let me live in dream world for a minute, ok? :) I am sure that Albert was being a gentleman and not making me look bad, but I had fun playing and talking with him during that time. Albert also knows a fellow classmate of mine (a guy) who has been helping him and going through the Book with him. And the third person I met only gave me her Chinese name, so I will let you know her English name when I find that out. I met her at McDonalds one night and she struck up a conversation with me. She is currently a senior at a nearby university and is hoping to attend a Master's program at a University in the States in the next year or two. She asked me if I would be willing to meet with her once a week, so of course I said yes. I am really excited about my new friends and will you updated on what transpires with these relationships.
Well, that is about it from here for now, but don't forget to check out the second blog for today. Hope that you enjoy your weekend and that your days are blessed.
So, I am writing this blog after a very fun evening with four of the teachers from school, the school director, and my Western friend from Pingliang (mentioned in a previous blog). My friend from Pingliang is leaving next week to return to her town to finish the school year teaching English, so I decided to have her over for dinner and to surprise her by inviting the staff from school to come too. She was definitely surprised and the night continued to get even better after that. I had prepared Mexican food (chips and salsa, chicken fajitas, refried beans, and watermelon) and there was not any food left. After dinner we chatted, watched the movie Hitch (complete with popcorn and M&Ms), and had an impromptu Cha-Cha dance party.
Well, in the past two weeks I have also met a few new Chinese people that I am excited to be able to spend time getting to know. The first person I met is Katie (her English name) and she works at a market in the downtown area. She was a broadcast journalism major so her English is excellent. Katie has asked me to come visit her at her store and has even offered to let me practice my Chinese with her. The second person that I met was Albert (his English name) at the gym one night. The second time that I saw Albert at the gym he asked me if I would be willing to play ping-pong with him since no one wanted to play. I was happy to oblige and I have to say that I kept the game pretty close. Ok, I know what you all are thinking - the Chinese are great at badminton and ping-pong, so how could you have possibly kept it close - let me live in dream world for a minute, ok? :) I am sure that Albert was being a gentleman and not making me look bad, but I had fun playing and talking with him during that time. Albert also knows a fellow classmate of mine (a guy) who has been helping him and going through the Book with him. And the third person I met only gave me her Chinese name, so I will let you know her English name when I find that out. I met her at McDonalds one night and she struck up a conversation with me. She is currently a senior at a nearby university and is hoping to attend a Master's program at a University in the States in the next year or two. She asked me if I would be willing to meet with her once a week, so of course I said yes. I am really excited about my new friends and will you updated on what transpires with these relationships.
Well, that is about it from here for now, but don't forget to check out the second blog for today. Hope that you enjoy your weekend and that your days are blessed.
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