Today was my second day at the Chinese Social Service Center, and it was quite different than the first, but equally fun. Neither of the women from yesterday showed up, but three boys did, ages 10, 12 and 14, respectively, and so while the 14 year old more or less looked after himself, Emily and I worked with the 10 year old and 12 year old. In typical little boy fashion, they spent 1/4 of the time working on their English and 3/4 of the time chasing each other around the room.
Some time near the end of the day, the 10 year old, Tommy, was running up and down the stairs, completely ignoring our requests to stop, lest he disturb the acupuncturist who rents the top floor of the building. Eventually, Emily took him by the shoulders and told him that he was being a bad boy, and good boys don't run up and down the stairs. Then she asked him, "Are you going to be a good boy now?"
His response, comically timed to perfection, was to fart noisily.
*Sigh*
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Like a mini-Joy Luck Club
Today was my first day volunteering as an English tutor at the Chinese Social Service Center in Richfield, and it didn't disappoint. There were two other volunteers there, one, an older woman who has worked there for quite awhile and is from Chengdu, the other a Chinese-American woman who's a rising sophomore at the U of M and who was working for the first time like me. Our students were two women who have been in the States for awhile, but have been working and haven't had the time to study English until now. One, a middle-aged woman named Jessica, is from Fujian, and works in food service at Eastview High in Apple Valley. The other, Lan, is quite young and is from Guangxi. Because we all speak Mandarin, the session ebbed and flowed quite easily between English and Chinese, and we talked about everything, from Minnesota winters to the political system in China. I think, because there are so few Chinese here, it's a relief for all of these women, whose mother language is Chinese, to be able to sit down and not have to think about every word that comes out of their mouths.
The funny thing was, because I'm Asian and I was speaking Mandarin with them from the very beginning, none of them realized I wasn't Chinese until quite late in the session. We were talking about personal backgrounds, and Jessica asked me where I was from, and in the context of the conversation, the question was, "Where in China are you from?" So I had to respond, "Er, I'm not Chinese at all." Cue outbursts of surprise and cries of "很厲害!" They assured me that my Chinese was really authentic and very standard, and because I'd been conversing with them for over two hours in strictly Mandarin, I couldn't help but take their word for it. It was actually really invigorating and uplifting to be able to sit there and chat in Chinese, even without the added praise once I was "outed" as a non-native speaker. I'm so glad I have this opportunity to practice my Chinese, because Chinese is hardly what you would call a widely spoken language here, and I know how fast second language ability can deteriorate if you don't keep it up.
I'll be back at the center tomorrow. Only Jessica will be there for sure, since Lan said she has to work. I'm really glad my first day went so well; I know not every day will be as great, but it's always nice to get off on the right foot.
The funny thing was, because I'm Asian and I was speaking Mandarin with them from the very beginning, none of them realized I wasn't Chinese until quite late in the session. We were talking about personal backgrounds, and Jessica asked me where I was from, and in the context of the conversation, the question was, "Where in China are you from?" So I had to respond, "Er, I'm not Chinese at all." Cue outbursts of surprise and cries of "很厲害!" They assured me that my Chinese was really authentic and very standard, and because I'd been conversing with them for over two hours in strictly Mandarin, I couldn't help but take their word for it. It was actually really invigorating and uplifting to be able to sit there and chat in Chinese, even without the added praise once I was "outed" as a non-native speaker. I'm so glad I have this opportunity to practice my Chinese, because Chinese is hardly what you would call a widely spoken language here, and I know how fast second language ability can deteriorate if you don't keep it up.
I'll be back at the center tomorrow. Only Jessica will be there for sure, since Lan said she has to work. I'm really glad my first day went so well; I know not every day will be as great, but it's always nice to get off on the right foot.
3-match weekend
...and two goals, so I feel pretty good about the weekend, on the whole. Especially since my first goal was a half-volley that went like an arrow right into the lower left hand corner, and I had missed a shot like that earlier in the match.
I'm starting my first of two volunteer positions today. Mondays and Tuesdays I'll be working with Chinese immigrant kids, tutoring English through the Chinese Social Service Center in Richfield. Wednesdays and Thursdays I'll be working as a food shelf translator at the Catholic Charities Branch I food shelf in south Minneapolis. The best part of both of these positions is that I get to use both my Chinese and my Spanish.
A quick word on the Liverpool front: there's a press conference scheduled for later today, and it has my stomach in knots because I'm pretty sure the conference is going to address the ongoing speculation about Xabi Alonso's future. He traveled to Thailand with the squad, so I'm hopeful that means Rafa is still playing hardball with Real Madrid, but anything can happen. I just really don't want to see one of Liverpool's top midfielders go to Real Madrid. He's like the antithesis of their big-money, showman's mentality, and I think he's much more respected and loved at Liverpool than he would be there. I hope he stays, I really do. *Fingers crossed*
I'm starting my first of two volunteer positions today. Mondays and Tuesdays I'll be working with Chinese immigrant kids, tutoring English through the Chinese Social Service Center in Richfield. Wednesdays and Thursdays I'll be working as a food shelf translator at the Catholic Charities Branch I food shelf in south Minneapolis. The best part of both of these positions is that I get to use both my Chinese and my Spanish.
A quick word on the Liverpool front: there's a press conference scheduled for later today, and it has my stomach in knots because I'm pretty sure the conference is going to address the ongoing speculation about Xabi Alonso's future. He traveled to Thailand with the squad, so I'm hopeful that means Rafa is still playing hardball with Real Madrid, but anything can happen. I just really don't want to see one of Liverpool's top midfielders go to Real Madrid. He's like the antithesis of their big-money, showman's mentality, and I think he's much more respected and loved at Liverpool than he would be there. I hope he stays, I really do. *Fingers crossed*
Monday, July 13, 2009
Match report v. Independiente: 2-2
Futbol this weekend was like a study in contrasts. Saturday we played a team that's just starting out and they were short players, so we won by a lot. Then Sunday, we played Independiente. Our relations with them are strained at best, in large part because a number of their players used to play for us. Matches against them often end up in lots of cards and/or out and out fights. We were all braced for a tough--and ugly--match.
We actually started the match short two players, and from the first minute we were under pressure. Our sole goal was to keep the ball out of our net and hope against hope that we could hang on for a 0-0 tie. At Cecy's direction, I was running all over the place trying to cover the midfield and keep them from getting long shots on net, and by halftime we were all dead tired, but we had a 0-0 tie in hand and were feeling pretty good about it.
Second half, more of our players showed up, and we eventually got some chances on net, one of which Casa converted. Then Independiente evened it up on a defensive mistake. Late in the half, Sabina took a shot that ricocheted off one of their defenders and eluded the keeper into the back of the net. We held them off until the final minute. Then they got a corner kick, and as soon as it floated into the penalty box I instinctively knew they were going to score. End result: 2-2.
In all honesty, we played better in the first half when we were short players, I think in part because we figured there was nothing to lose, we were already at a disadvantage, might as well go down swinging. Unfortunately, by the time we reached full strength in the second half, most of us were already beat from the first half, and I think mentally we let up too. But we're hardly professionals. For me, it just felt good to play a hard-fought match and come out of it feeling pretty good about both my own personal play and the play of the team as a whole.
We actually started the match short two players, and from the first minute we were under pressure. Our sole goal was to keep the ball out of our net and hope against hope that we could hang on for a 0-0 tie. At Cecy's direction, I was running all over the place trying to cover the midfield and keep them from getting long shots on net, and by halftime we were all dead tired, but we had a 0-0 tie in hand and were feeling pretty good about it.
Second half, more of our players showed up, and we eventually got some chances on net, one of which Casa converted. Then Independiente evened it up on a defensive mistake. Late in the half, Sabina took a shot that ricocheted off one of their defenders and eluded the keeper into the back of the net. We held them off until the final minute. Then they got a corner kick, and as soon as it floated into the penalty box I instinctively knew they were going to score. End result: 2-2.
In all honesty, we played better in the first half when we were short players, I think in part because we figured there was nothing to lose, we were already at a disadvantage, might as well go down swinging. Unfortunately, by the time we reached full strength in the second half, most of us were already beat from the first half, and I think mentally we let up too. But we're hardly professionals. For me, it just felt good to play a hard-fought match and come out of it feeling pretty good about both my own personal play and the play of the team as a whole.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
More futbol and interviews
Futbol this weekend was a little scrappy. On Saturday we won handily, but the coach of the other team started saying stuff to Cecy as we left the field and Cecy reacted in kind. On Sunday, we played this team who were just all around bitchy and yelled at the ref for everything. Plus they couldn't handle going shoulder to shoulder in the tackle, so when I went in for a tackle, the girl I stripped the ball off of kicked me in the back of the ankles. I appealed to the ref (successfully), and the girl was like, "Well don't push then." Later, I went into another tackle the same way and the girl tried to shoulder me back but ended up falling over. She and her teammates started yelling at the ref that I was pushing (which I wasn't, if you play football you know shoulder to shoulder is legal), and after that, every time I got the ball the other team was aiming for my ankles. The upside is that we won the game 2-0.
Today I had an interview with Catholic Charities in Minneapolis. I'm hoping to volunteer as a Food Shelf Translator at their south Minneapolis branch, where about half of the families who come in are Spanish-speaking and often have limited English ability. Assuming the coordinator I talked to today can get ahold of my references this week, I should be able to start fairly soon. I don't think it's a huge commitment, around 2-3 days, 4 hours a day, but it's good work, a chance to work on my Spanish, and it's something to do.
Other than that no real news. A quick update on Adriana, my injured teammate. She's home and recovering. A couple of my teammates went over to see her this weekend and said she's in a good mood, though worried of course about paying the medical bills. Like many Americans, she doesn't have medical insurance, so this will be a huge stress, but the most important thing is that she recovers well.
Today I had an interview with Catholic Charities in Minneapolis. I'm hoping to volunteer as a Food Shelf Translator at their south Minneapolis branch, where about half of the families who come in are Spanish-speaking and often have limited English ability. Assuming the coordinator I talked to today can get ahold of my references this week, I should be able to start fairly soon. I don't think it's a huge commitment, around 2-3 days, 4 hours a day, but it's good work, a chance to work on my Spanish, and it's something to do.
Other than that no real news. A quick update on Adriana, my injured teammate. She's home and recovering. A couple of my teammates went over to see her this weekend and said she's in a good mood, though worried of course about paying the medical bills. Like many Americans, she doesn't have medical insurance, so this will be a huge stress, but the most important thing is that she recovers well.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Hard Weekend
On Sunday afternoon, we were to play Tormenta in the Ecuadorian league. It rained off and on all day, and when we got to the field, it was very slick. Our coach warned us to be careful, as the field itself isn't in great condition anyways, and the rain just added to the danger of turning an ankle or knee.
Not fifteen minutes into the match, Adriana, one of our defenders, went for a tackle on a running opponent, lost her footing and slipped. It would have been a non-issue, except she caught her cleat in the mud. I had just stripped the ball off our opponent when the ref blew the whistle to stop play, and it took me a few seconds of seeing my teammates' behavior to realize that something very bad had happened.
When I reached Adriana, I saw that her left foot was turned at an awkward angle and there was a bump under her sock and shinguard that wasn't supposed to be there. She was yelling at Vanessa, our coach, to fix it, to do something, but there was nothing any of us could do, since none of us are trained medics. Sabina yelled for someone to call 911, and Vanessa did. Later, she told me that rationally, she had known she had to call 911, but it was like her brain had stopped functioning for a moment.
It wasn't until the medics got there and cut off her shinguard and sock that we really saw how bad it was. It was like her foot had disconnected completely from her leg and the only thing holding them together was some skin. Later we found out that it was only her shinguard that kept the bone from actually breaking through the skin. Everyone was really shaken up and emotions were running really high. It didn't help matters that the other team, Tormenta, were standing around laughing and joking like nothing was wrong. Some of my other teammates claim they heard them making snide remarks and deriding the whole situation. I heard nothing. But I did see them laughing and smiling, and both Romina and Sabi commented on it as we were standing there watching the medics wrap Adriana's ankle in ice. Romina wanted to know "Why the fuck are those bitches smiling?" and Sabi added, "There's nothing funny about this." Tormenta aren't known for respecting their opponents, and while I know there's no love loss between our teams, I don't put it past them to make snide remarks, even in such a serious situation.
I didn't really realize how shaken up I was until I got home and was able to kind of process everything that had happened. I guess I kind of got on auto-pilot and just started doing whatever needed to be done--gathering things up, making sure my teammates were okay, etc. It took awhile for it to sink in just how bad the whole situation was, how bad the injury was.
Vanessa called me last night to let me know that Adriana had had surgery to put some screws into her ankle. The dislocation had been fixed the night before, but there were still some broken bones that needed to be repaired. The big concerns now are how she heals, and how she and her family are going to pay for this. Vanessa mentioned that the league will probably take up a collection from all the teams to help with the costs.
Whether there will be some sort of action taken against Tormenta remains to be seen. No one in the league likes them, precisely because of their lack of respect for other teams/opponents, and the way they acted on Sunday was inexcusable. Luckily (I guess) Adriana's injury was an accident. If it had been caused by a bad tackle, I think there would have been hell to pay.
For now, we're just focused on making sure Adriana is okay and her family has the help they need. So if you have any good thoughts to spare, please send them our way. Thanks. :)
Not fifteen minutes into the match, Adriana, one of our defenders, went for a tackle on a running opponent, lost her footing and slipped. It would have been a non-issue, except she caught her cleat in the mud. I had just stripped the ball off our opponent when the ref blew the whistle to stop play, and it took me a few seconds of seeing my teammates' behavior to realize that something very bad had happened.
When I reached Adriana, I saw that her left foot was turned at an awkward angle and there was a bump under her sock and shinguard that wasn't supposed to be there. She was yelling at Vanessa, our coach, to fix it, to do something, but there was nothing any of us could do, since none of us are trained medics. Sabina yelled for someone to call 911, and Vanessa did. Later, she told me that rationally, she had known she had to call 911, but it was like her brain had stopped functioning for a moment.
It wasn't until the medics got there and cut off her shinguard and sock that we really saw how bad it was. It was like her foot had disconnected completely from her leg and the only thing holding them together was some skin. Later we found out that it was only her shinguard that kept the bone from actually breaking through the skin. Everyone was really shaken up and emotions were running really high. It didn't help matters that the other team, Tormenta, were standing around laughing and joking like nothing was wrong. Some of my other teammates claim they heard them making snide remarks and deriding the whole situation. I heard nothing. But I did see them laughing and smiling, and both Romina and Sabi commented on it as we were standing there watching the medics wrap Adriana's ankle in ice. Romina wanted to know "Why the fuck are those bitches smiling?" and Sabi added, "There's nothing funny about this." Tormenta aren't known for respecting their opponents, and while I know there's no love loss between our teams, I don't put it past them to make snide remarks, even in such a serious situation.
I didn't really realize how shaken up I was until I got home and was able to kind of process everything that had happened. I guess I kind of got on auto-pilot and just started doing whatever needed to be done--gathering things up, making sure my teammates were okay, etc. It took awhile for it to sink in just how bad the whole situation was, how bad the injury was.
Vanessa called me last night to let me know that Adriana had had surgery to put some screws into her ankle. The dislocation had been fixed the night before, but there were still some broken bones that needed to be repaired. The big concerns now are how she heals, and how she and her family are going to pay for this. Vanessa mentioned that the league will probably take up a collection from all the teams to help with the costs.
Whether there will be some sort of action taken against Tormenta remains to be seen. No one in the league likes them, precisely because of their lack of respect for other teams/opponents, and the way they acted on Sunday was inexcusable. Luckily (I guess) Adriana's injury was an accident. If it had been caused by a bad tackle, I think there would have been hell to pay.
For now, we're just focused on making sure Adriana is okay and her family has the help they need. So if you have any good thoughts to spare, please send them our way. Thanks. :)
Friday, June 19, 2009
A Pleasant Surprise
When I was in junior high, I used to volunteer as a junior counselor for the summer program at the park behind my house. It was basically like mini-summer camp for neighborhood kids and ran most of the summer. There were also senior counselors who were usually high school or college age kids who actually got paid for their work. One year, I worked with a senior counselor named Omar. He was really friendly and easy-going and one time I even ran into him at Southdale Mall. We didn't keep in touch, though.
Yesterday, I went to Children's Home Society and Family Services to do an adopted persons panel for prospective adoptive parents. When I and the other panel members walked into the room, I noticed that there was an African-American man among the prospective parents, which is rare. Adoptive parents tend to be almost exclusively white. In any event, I noticed him, figured "Cool. Good for him," and that was that.
A few minutes later, however, when I introduced myself and said I had grown up in St. Louis Park, the guy lit up with this smile of recognition, and I thought maybe he was from St. Louis Park or something like that. And then, when the questions started, he raised his hand and said, "Julia, I don't know if you remember, but we worked at the park together." And instantly, I recognized him. It was most definitely Omar, from way back when. He joked a little about how it was nice to see me grown up, and I was just kind of speechless with surprise.
Apparently he and his wife are thinking of adopting, and they're considering both Ethiopia and Korea. He asked us if we thought it would be difficult adopting from Korea because of his race. I answered that it wouldn't be so hard here in the States, but if he ever went back to Korea with his child, it would be very hard, because Korean society is so conservative.
After the panel, I went over to talk briefly with him and his wife. He said he's living in Crystal now, and teaching in Richfield. He and his wife already have a 6-year-old daughter, and their daughter wants a little sister, so they are looking into adoption. I wanted to talk more, but there was another panel after ours, and I didn't want to hold things up. But it was just such a wonderful surprise to run into someone from so many years ago and have them remember me and be so friendly, and then even more so to have this new connection over adoption.
Yesterday, I went to Children's Home Society and Family Services to do an adopted persons panel for prospective adoptive parents. When I and the other panel members walked into the room, I noticed that there was an African-American man among the prospective parents, which is rare. Adoptive parents tend to be almost exclusively white. In any event, I noticed him, figured "Cool. Good for him," and that was that.
A few minutes later, however, when I introduced myself and said I had grown up in St. Louis Park, the guy lit up with this smile of recognition, and I thought maybe he was from St. Louis Park or something like that. And then, when the questions started, he raised his hand and said, "Julia, I don't know if you remember, but we worked at the park together." And instantly, I recognized him. It was most definitely Omar, from way back when. He joked a little about how it was nice to see me grown up, and I was just kind of speechless with surprise.
Apparently he and his wife are thinking of adopting, and they're considering both Ethiopia and Korea. He asked us if we thought it would be difficult adopting from Korea because of his race. I answered that it wouldn't be so hard here in the States, but if he ever went back to Korea with his child, it would be very hard, because Korean society is so conservative.
After the panel, I went over to talk briefly with him and his wife. He said he's living in Crystal now, and teaching in Richfield. He and his wife already have a 6-year-old daughter, and their daughter wants a little sister, so they are looking into adoption. I wanted to talk more, but there was another panel after ours, and I didn't want to hold things up. But it was just such a wonderful surprise to run into someone from so many years ago and have them remember me and be so friendly, and then even more so to have this new connection over adoption.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Back in the groove
I played my first full weekend of football this past weekend, and I'm a bit rusty, but by the third game (yes, third), I was starting to find my touch again. I'm playing in three separate leagues at the moment, and the teammates of one of my Ecuadorian teams (Virgen de la Nube Juventus) are trying to get me to join a fourth ("Solo cuando descanses, no tienes que jugar todos los partidos!"). Sounds grueling, but to be honest, I live for these kinds of weekends. The girls are a ton of fun to be around on all the teams, I don't feel at all like an outsider, and for a few hours, I can just play football and be myself.
Finn, a Thai classmate of mine from Taiwan, came to visit me last week. She's going to be starting undergrad studies at UC-Berkeley in September, and she's taking an English class there over the summer, but she had a couple weeks between when she arrived in Berkeley and when classes started, so she hopped on a plane and came to visit. We spent a lot of time just hanging out and talking, which is what we so often did in Taiwan, but we also went over to the Mississippi River and took a boat cruise upriver and went to Lake Harriet to have ice cream and see a concert at the bandshell. Finn is from Bangkok, and she spent the past two years in Taipei. She was used to big-city lights and noise, so the suburban Midwest was a big change. I think she really enjoyed it though, and in any event it was just really good to get together again. Hopefully when Anna goes out there to start her graduate studies, she and Finn can share an apartment. Finn's relatives live right near campus and have a two-bedroom apartment that they're willing to rent out for a very reasonable price.
In other news, getting my Spanish visa looks like it's going to be the hardest part of this whole going-to-Spain deal. It's all paperwork and certificates and official seals, and the word is that the consulates are super strict about every little detail, so if you screw one thing up, you're out of luck. I guess after dealing with various other countries' government bureaucracies, though, I'm not overly stressed about whether things will work out. I nearly drove myself insane last summer with getting my Taiwanese visa and other things, but it all came together in the end and I had wasted a lot of energy stressing over nothing.
Finn, a Thai classmate of mine from Taiwan, came to visit me last week. She's going to be starting undergrad studies at UC-Berkeley in September, and she's taking an English class there over the summer, but she had a couple weeks between when she arrived in Berkeley and when classes started, so she hopped on a plane and came to visit. We spent a lot of time just hanging out and talking, which is what we so often did in Taiwan, but we also went over to the Mississippi River and took a boat cruise upriver and went to Lake Harriet to have ice cream and see a concert at the bandshell. Finn is from Bangkok, and she spent the past two years in Taipei. She was used to big-city lights and noise, so the suburban Midwest was a big change. I think she really enjoyed it though, and in any event it was just really good to get together again. Hopefully when Anna goes out there to start her graduate studies, she and Finn can share an apartment. Finn's relatives live right near campus and have a two-bedroom apartment that they're willing to rent out for a very reasonable price.
In other news, getting my Spanish visa looks like it's going to be the hardest part of this whole going-to-Spain deal. It's all paperwork and certificates and official seals, and the word is that the consulates are super strict about every little detail, so if you screw one thing up, you're out of luck. I guess after dealing with various other countries' government bureaucracies, though, I'm not overly stressed about whether things will work out. I nearly drove myself insane last summer with getting my Taiwanese visa and other things, but it all came together in the end and I had wasted a lot of energy stressing over nothing.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Back home
Well, I am certainly the worst blogger in the world, and I'm not sure anyone is still even reading this, but I figured I would make another effort this summer and into next year to try and keep this updated on a more regular basis.
I've been back in Minnesota for just over a week now, and the jet lag is finally starting to ease, though I did conk out for a good hour or two this afternoon without even realizing it. The key has been to simply stay out of my bedroom at all costs until the evening. That, plus lots of coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
It's hard to reflect on nine months living abroad. I'm glad to be home, I missed the quiet, Midwestern lifestyle pretty much the whole time I was in Taiwan. But my life in Taiwan was good, great even, and the life skills I learned during my time there are invaluable, as are the friends I gained from the experience. I'll be the first to admit that going to Taiwan for nine months to study Chinese after graduation was not my first choice, but in retrospect, it was probably a better path than going straight to graduate school. I gained some clarity about myself and where my interests lie, clarity that graduate school in the States wouldn't likely have given me.
At the moment, I'm facing a jobless summer in Minnesota, which is a little daunting, but a position as an English conversation assistant awaits me in Cebolla, Spain come October, and while the stipend for the position is hardly worth mentioning, it can't be worse than my first two months in Taiwan, when I was living on 50NT a day or less because the scholarship money was delayed in coming through. And with the economy the way it is right now, I'm just grateful to have something lined up for the future.
I've been back in Minnesota for just over a week now, and the jet lag is finally starting to ease, though I did conk out for a good hour or two this afternoon without even realizing it. The key has been to simply stay out of my bedroom at all costs until the evening. That, plus lots of coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
It's hard to reflect on nine months living abroad. I'm glad to be home, I missed the quiet, Midwestern lifestyle pretty much the whole time I was in Taiwan. But my life in Taiwan was good, great even, and the life skills I learned during my time there are invaluable, as are the friends I gained from the experience. I'll be the first to admit that going to Taiwan for nine months to study Chinese after graduation was not my first choice, but in retrospect, it was probably a better path than going straight to graduate school. I gained some clarity about myself and where my interests lie, clarity that graduate school in the States wouldn't likely have given me.
At the moment, I'm facing a jobless summer in Minnesota, which is a little daunting, but a position as an English conversation assistant awaits me in Cebolla, Spain come October, and while the stipend for the position is hardly worth mentioning, it can't be worse than my first two months in Taiwan, when I was living on 50NT a day or less because the scholarship money was delayed in coming through. And with the economy the way it is right now, I'm just grateful to have something lined up for the future.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Updates
Well I think I'm officially the worst blogger in the world, at least in terms of updating. I went the whole month of February without an update, and that's pretty bad, since tons of things happened in February.
First of all, the semester ended, which was kind of a shocker, since it still seems like I just arrived here. I did very well on my final exam, which was a nice way to end things, and I said goodbye to a number of classmates who were going back to their various parts of the world. Lauren and I have talked a number of times about how weird it is to be the ones staying, since the last time we were abroad in China, we were the ones who were leaving after only five months. It's really rather sad to realize that a lot of these people, who I've spent a lot of time with and gotten to know fairly well, I may very well never see again.
Then, my mom came to visit over the semester break, which was fantastic and just a really wonderful experience. We spent the first couple days in Taipei, mainly to let Mom adjust to the time difference/food/etc. We went to Da An Forest Park, not too far from campus, and walked around there, which was really nice. We also walked around Tai Da's campus itself and explored my neighborhood a bit. Mom got a kick out of the little alley market by my apartment and maintains that the best meal she had here in Taiwan was a steamed, vegetable-filled bun she got there.
Then we took the train down to Hualien, and spent two nights at Taroko Gorge, one of the most scenic spots in Taiwan (more pictures are on my facebook account). That was probably the highlight of the whole trip. Because we went in midweek, things were very quiet up in the gorge. The hotel we stayed in was absurdly wonderful, with these little cabins right in the heart of the gorge and windows looking right onto the faces of mountains. We fell asleep and woke up to the sound of wildlife, and at night we could stand out on the green in front of our cabin and look up at the stars.
Moreover, the hotel offered ridiculously cheap shuttle service to various parts of the gorge, and we took full advantage. The staff were really friendly and helpful, and since we were one of just a few guests at the hotel, they really seemed to go out of their way to help us and make us comfortable. We went to the Baiyang Waterfall Trail the first day, then went down to the tiny town of Tianxiang where most of the lodging in the gorge is located and wandered around there for awhile. We ended up kind of stumbling across a shrine up on top of one of the smaller hills, and from the top we got some amazing pictures of the gorge and the surrounding mountains. We then took a bus down to the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail and walked that. That trail was a bit more crowded, I think because it was further down the mountain and thus more easily accessible. We ran into a number of tour groups, some Taiwanese, some Korean. But it was still very peaceful and the scenery was amazing.
Our last morning, we walked part of the Swallow Grotto Trail, which started right by the hotel. The grade of some of the stairs was ridiculously steep, and we really felt it going back up, but the views yet again were stunning, and it was well worth it. Then the hotel provided a shuttle for us back to Hualien Train Station, and we took the Taroko Gorge Express (straight shot from Hualien to Taipei) back north.
After that, we did a lot more exploring around Taipei. We went to the tourist spots, like Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, and Shilin Night Market but we also went to Longshan Temple, Danshui and Ximending, just to get the feel of the city, and we went to dinner with Jessie, the friend who helped me settle in when I first got here. I confess, I did get a bit tired towards the end, but it was thrilling and exhilirating to be both showing off the city to Mom and also using my Chinese to get us around. Several of my classmates commented when I got back to class on Monday that my speaking appeared to have improved noticeably over the break, and I think part of that has to do with the fact that I was translating for most of the break.
Besides this, I also think I just got a really big lift from spending time with Mom. They say kids, as they're growing up, will keep going back to their parents for quick "recharges," and I think that's exactly what this was for me. I've been struggling a bit here, partly from culture shock, and mostly from post-graduation uncertainty. Mom's visit was a great chance for me to relax and have fun and not think about some of that stuff.
So now I have one semester left, and it's hard to believe that time has passed so fast. I remember arriving here, and being so nervous I wanted to throw up. It's hard to believe almost a year has passed since I was writing my comps and getting ready to graduate.
First of all, the semester ended, which was kind of a shocker, since it still seems like I just arrived here. I did very well on my final exam, which was a nice way to end things, and I said goodbye to a number of classmates who were going back to their various parts of the world. Lauren and I have talked a number of times about how weird it is to be the ones staying, since the last time we were abroad in China, we were the ones who were leaving after only five months. It's really rather sad to realize that a lot of these people, who I've spent a lot of time with and gotten to know fairly well, I may very well never see again.
Then, my mom came to visit over the semester break, which was fantastic and just a really wonderful experience. We spent the first couple days in Taipei, mainly to let Mom adjust to the time difference/food/etc. We went to Da An Forest Park, not too far from campus, and walked around there, which was really nice. We also walked around Tai Da's campus itself and explored my neighborhood a bit. Mom got a kick out of the little alley market by my apartment and maintains that the best meal she had here in Taiwan was a steamed, vegetable-filled bun she got there.
Then we took the train down to Hualien, and spent two nights at Taroko Gorge, one of the most scenic spots in Taiwan (more pictures are on my facebook account). That was probably the highlight of the whole trip. Because we went in midweek, things were very quiet up in the gorge. The hotel we stayed in was absurdly wonderful, with these little cabins right in the heart of the gorge and windows looking right onto the faces of mountains. We fell asleep and woke up to the sound of wildlife, and at night we could stand out on the green in front of our cabin and look up at the stars.
Moreover, the hotel offered ridiculously cheap shuttle service to various parts of the gorge, and we took full advantage. The staff were really friendly and helpful, and since we were one of just a few guests at the hotel, they really seemed to go out of their way to help us and make us comfortable. We went to the Baiyang Waterfall Trail the first day, then went down to the tiny town of Tianxiang where most of the lodging in the gorge is located and wandered around there for awhile. We ended up kind of stumbling across a shrine up on top of one of the smaller hills, and from the top we got some amazing pictures of the gorge and the surrounding mountains. We then took a bus down to the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail and walked that. That trail was a bit more crowded, I think because it was further down the mountain and thus more easily accessible. We ran into a number of tour groups, some Taiwanese, some Korean. But it was still very peaceful and the scenery was amazing.
Our last morning, we walked part of the Swallow Grotto Trail, which started right by the hotel. The grade of some of the stairs was ridiculously steep, and we really felt it going back up, but the views yet again were stunning, and it was well worth it. Then the hotel provided a shuttle for us back to Hualien Train Station, and we took the Taroko Gorge Express (straight shot from Hualien to Taipei) back north.
After that, we did a lot more exploring around Taipei. We went to the tourist spots, like Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, and Shilin Night Market but we also went to Longshan Temple, Danshui and Ximending, just to get the feel of the city, and we went to dinner with Jessie, the friend who helped me settle in when I first got here. I confess, I did get a bit tired towards the end, but it was thrilling and exhilirating to be both showing off the city to Mom and also using my Chinese to get us around. Several of my classmates commented when I got back to class on Monday that my speaking appeared to have improved noticeably over the break, and I think part of that has to do with the fact that I was translating for most of the break.
Besides this, I also think I just got a really big lift from spending time with Mom. They say kids, as they're growing up, will keep going back to their parents for quick "recharges," and I think that's exactly what this was for me. I've been struggling a bit here, partly from culture shock, and mostly from post-graduation uncertainty. Mom's visit was a great chance for me to relax and have fun and not think about some of that stuff.
So now I have one semester left, and it's hard to believe that time has passed so fast. I remember arriving here, and being so nervous I wanted to throw up. It's hard to believe almost a year has passed since I was writing my comps and getting ready to graduate.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Liverpool in Chinese
This is a little something I posted on the Red and White Kop forum for Liverpool a few days ago. I got on Liverpool's Chinese website and decided to see how their webmaster translated some of the players' names. Some of them were actually quite interesting, and even if you have no interest in Liverpool FC whatsoever, it's still kind of interesting to see the characters and the meanings they use to put together Western names. I thought Steven Gerrard's and Jose Reina's were particularly fitting, seeing as Gerrard is considered the heart and soul of Liverpool, and Reina is the keeper.
Liverpool
利物浦
利 Li (advantage, power, rights), 物 wu (things), 浦 pu (water’s edge)
Rafa Benitez
拉法.貝尼特斯
拉 La (pull), 法fa (the law), 貝 Bei (money), 尼 ni (phonetic), 特 te (special), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)
Steven Gerrard
史蒂文.杰拉德
史 Shi (history), 蒂 di (roots), 文 wen (culture, language), 杰 Jie (outstanding), 拉 la (pull), 德 de (moral, virtue)
*When Liverpool went to HK, the name on the jersey:
謝拉特 (http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/02192BDavm42J/340x.jpg)
謝 Xie (thanks, gratitude), 拉 la (pull), 特 te (special)
*I don’t speak Cantonese, but the pronunciation is likely totally different than in Mandarin
Xabi Alonso
哈維.阿隆索
哈 Ha (phonetic, laugh), 維 wei (support), 阿 A (phonetic), 隆 long (prosperous), 索 suo (rope)
*When Liverpool went to HK:
艾朗索 (http://redsports.sg/wp-content/uploads/Image/+challengerRF11.jpg)
艾Ai (to end, protect), 朗lang (bright, brilliant) 索suo (rope)
Jamie Carragher
杰米.卡拉格
杰 Jie (outstanding), 米 mi (rice), 卡 Ka (card) or Qia (choke), 拉 la (pull), 格 ge (standard)
Fernando Torres
費爾南多.托雷斯
費Fei (to spend), 爾 er (phonetic, sometimes means ‘only’ or ‘like this’), 南 nan (south), 多 duo (many, much); 托 Tuo (request), 雷 lei (thunder), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)
Daniel Agger
丹尼爾.阿格
丹 Dan (red), 尼 ni (phonetic), 爾 er (phonetic), 阿 A (phonetic), 格 ge (standard)
Jose Reina
何塞.雷納
何 He (what, which, any), 塞 se (block, impede), 雷 Lei (thunder), 納 na (receive, welcome, control)
Liverpool
利物浦
利 Li (advantage, power, rights), 物 wu (things), 浦 pu (water’s edge)
Rafa Benitez
拉法.貝尼特斯
拉 La (pull), 法fa (the law), 貝 Bei (money), 尼 ni (phonetic), 特 te (special), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)
Steven Gerrard
史蒂文.杰拉德
史 Shi (history), 蒂 di (roots), 文 wen (culture, language), 杰 Jie (outstanding), 拉 la (pull), 德 de (moral, virtue)
*When Liverpool went to HK, the name on the jersey:
謝拉特 (http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/02192BDavm42J/340x.jpg)
謝 Xie (thanks, gratitude), 拉 la (pull), 特 te (special)
*I don’t speak Cantonese, but the pronunciation is likely totally different than in Mandarin
Xabi Alonso
哈維.阿隆索
哈 Ha (phonetic, laugh), 維 wei (support), 阿 A (phonetic), 隆 long (prosperous), 索 suo (rope)
*When Liverpool went to HK:
艾朗索 (http://redsports.sg/wp-content/uploads/Image/+challengerRF11.jpg)
艾Ai (to end, protect), 朗lang (bright, brilliant) 索suo (rope)
Jamie Carragher
杰米.卡拉格
杰 Jie (outstanding), 米 mi (rice), 卡 Ka (card) or Qia (choke), 拉 la (pull), 格 ge (standard)
Fernando Torres
費爾南多.托雷斯
費Fei (to spend), 爾 er (phonetic, sometimes means ‘only’ or ‘like this’), 南 nan (south), 多 duo (many, much); 托 Tuo (request), 雷 lei (thunder), 斯 si (phonetic, cultured)
Daniel Agger
丹尼爾.阿格
丹 Dan (red), 尼 ni (phonetic), 爾 er (phonetic), 阿 A (phonetic), 格 ge (standard)
Jose Reina
何塞.雷納
何 He (what, which, any), 塞 se (block, impede), 雷 Lei (thunder), 納 na (receive, welcome, control)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Chinese words
Chinese is exceptionally complex in that every character is unique, and one line or one dot can change the entire meaning of a character. But in some ways it is also very logical, and I think this is most evident in how new words like Internet and television have been integrated into Chinese. For example: the Chinese word for 'internet' is 網路. The literal translation? "Net road." Another example: the Chinese word for 'movie' is 電影. Literal translation: "electric shadow." While some languages, like Japanese, and to a lesser extent, Korean, have simply adjusted foreign words to their own pronunciation (i.e. kom-pyu-ta for computer), Chinese tends to use already existing words to try and explain new words. Of course there are a lot of instances of phonetics taking precedent. For instance, "New York" becomes "niu yue" and "Starbucks" becomes "xing (star) ba ke."
And then of course, there are the rare instances in which phonetics and meaning converge. The best example of this is "Coca Cola." In Chinese: 可口可樂. Literal translation: Delicious and happy. Marketing doesn't get much better than that.
Here are a few other words that I find particularly creative in the way they use already-existing Chinese words to describe the function/use of the new word:
電腦: "electric brain" = computer
火車: "fire car" = train
直升機: "straight-rising machine" = helicopter
風潮: "wind tide" = trend
明信片: "clear letter card" = postcard
牛仔褲: "cowboy pants" = jeans
變色龍: "change color dragon" = chameleon
洗手間: "wash hands room" = bathroom
And then of course, there are the rare instances in which phonetics and meaning converge. The best example of this is "Coca Cola." In Chinese: 可口可樂. Literal translation: Delicious and happy. Marketing doesn't get much better than that.
Here are a few other words that I find particularly creative in the way they use already-existing Chinese words to describe the function/use of the new word:
電腦: "electric brain" = computer
火車: "fire car" = train
直升機: "straight-rising machine" = helicopter
風潮: "wind tide" = trend
明信片: "clear letter card" = postcard
牛仔褲: "cowboy pants" = jeans
變色龍: "change color dragon" = chameleon
洗手間: "wash hands room" = bathroom
Friday, January 9, 2009
Proficiency
When I was formally studying Spanish, I remember there was a point at which I realized I was thinking in Spanish, and that that step of first thinking in English and then translating to Spanish had disappeared. I think I've finally hit that point with Chinese, and let me tell you, that is a thrilling realization.
Chinese is, in some ways, easier than languages like Spanish or French because there are no verb conjugations, no past, present or imperfect tenses. In many ways, however, it is much more difficult, from the tones and pronunciation to sentence structure and characters. I think the most difficult thing about Chinese is the fact that you have to readjust the whole way you think about language. It's not just different words, it's a whole new way of conceptualizing communication, of thinking about the meaning and significance of words. Up until very recently, when I wanted to figure out what someone was saying, I first had to listen to their pronunciation and call up the pinyin (the romanization) in my head. Then I had to match characters to the pinyin, and then figure out what those characters altogether meant. The process got faster with more study, and I think at the very end of my semester in Nanjing, I was starting to get to the point of eliminating at least one of those steps.
But it wasn't until just recently that I realized I'm thinking in Chinese, and no longer jumping between English-pinyin-characters combinations. When I say "wo chi bao le," in my head I see "我吃飽了." It's actually slightly difficult for me to read pinyin now, because I'm so used to seeing characters.
I'm not saying I'm in any way satisfied with my level of proficiency. My tones still suffer greatly, especially with characters that I learned a long time ago and, until recently, got away with pronouncing in less than standard manners, and my sentence structure and grammar still tend towards English patterns. But most of my conversations are in Chinese now, and I don't feel uncomfortable or nervous about going into a store or a restaurant and having to negotiate a bill or reserving a seat. I'm sure that says something about my level of self-confidence and carefree-ness about making mistakes too, but I think there is noticeable improvement in my Chinese, and I hope I can really solidify that improvement over the next few months, so that when I return to the States, I can tell potential employers that yes, I can speak Chinese.
Chinese is, in some ways, easier than languages like Spanish or French because there are no verb conjugations, no past, present or imperfect tenses. In many ways, however, it is much more difficult, from the tones and pronunciation to sentence structure and characters. I think the most difficult thing about Chinese is the fact that you have to readjust the whole way you think about language. It's not just different words, it's a whole new way of conceptualizing communication, of thinking about the meaning and significance of words. Up until very recently, when I wanted to figure out what someone was saying, I first had to listen to their pronunciation and call up the pinyin (the romanization) in my head. Then I had to match characters to the pinyin, and then figure out what those characters altogether meant. The process got faster with more study, and I think at the very end of my semester in Nanjing, I was starting to get to the point of eliminating at least one of those steps.
But it wasn't until just recently that I realized I'm thinking in Chinese, and no longer jumping between English-pinyin-characters combinations. When I say "wo chi bao le," in my head I see "我吃飽了." It's actually slightly difficult for me to read pinyin now, because I'm so used to seeing characters.
I'm not saying I'm in any way satisfied with my level of proficiency. My tones still suffer greatly, especially with characters that I learned a long time ago and, until recently, got away with pronouncing in less than standard manners, and my sentence structure and grammar still tend towards English patterns. But most of my conversations are in Chinese now, and I don't feel uncomfortable or nervous about going into a store or a restaurant and having to negotiate a bill or reserving a seat. I'm sure that says something about my level of self-confidence and carefree-ness about making mistakes too, but I think there is noticeable improvement in my Chinese, and I hope I can really solidify that improvement over the next few months, so that when I return to the States, I can tell potential employers that yes, I can speak Chinese.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Long-overdue update
So I effectively dropped off the face of the blogging planet for the past few weeks or so. Apologies to any of you who have been checking here for updates. I've got a job now, which has been taking up a lot of my time, and add homework to that, and there's not a lot of time left for zoning out and doing other stuff. To be honest, it's good to be busy, it forces me to manage my time better, and I find I'm more productive when I'm on some sort of a schedule.
The holidays went pretty well here. Christmas was a very low-key affair. I did get to go to church with Jessie, and the service was up on Yang Ming Mountain, which was really peaceful and nice and a wonderful way to get out of the city a little and really feel the true sentiments of Christmas. I have to admit I got a little choked up during some of the carols because they reminded me so much of Lynnhurst, my old church back in Minnesota.
New Year's Eve was a pretty big deal here. I went over to Taipei 101 (after much transportation hassle and irritation at the unbelievable number of people out in the streets) and watched the fireworks, which were well worth the hassle and frustration, even though the show only lasted about 4 minutes. They literally shoot fireworks off the building, and it's sort of like a cascade effect, with all these colorful sparks just kind of flowing off the building. I shot a video of the show. It's here if you want to watch.
Chinese New Years is coming up next, in late January. I'm looking forward to it, although I've actually heard that Taipei is kind of quiet, since a lot of people leave to go south and visit relatives. We'll see though. I'm sure a lot of people stay around here too, and I've seen the long strings of firecrackers hanging up in doorways around the city, so I'm sure I'll be in for some noise come the last week of January.
Funny story. Was walking back from work a few nights ago along this side street between the main street in front of campus and the bridge that takes me home. I looked down, and running along the curb next to me is a rat. Good sized one too, just trundling along, minding his own business. No one else seemed to notice him. Frankly, rats don't freak me out that much. The thing is, a few nights before that, I was out with my roommate and some friends visiting from Japan. We were walking along that same road, and all of a sudden we hear a big commotion break out on the other side of the road. We look over and see people jumping off the sidewalk and squealing and carrying on, and then, from behind the row of motorbikes, a big rat comes scampering out. He didn't look too fussed, and I think he was probably enjoying the fact that he was able to clear the whole sidewalk for himself just by showing his face.
Has gotten a bit chilly here in Taipei. The worst part is that it's wet and rainy, which means you get chilled really easily if you sit still for too long. I find I'm comfortable if I'm up and around, but if I sit still for too long, I get really, really cold and uncomfortable.
In football news, I watched Liverpool demolish Newcastle United last weekend, and it was an awesome match to see. I think it was the clinching evidence that everyone's been looking for to show that Liverpool can really put in a title challenge this year. Won't say much more, don't want to jinx it, but Liverpool are playing some brilliant football right now, and I believe they have a great shot to bring home the title this year.
And in completely unrelated events, I just finished reading The Kite Runner. What a fantastic, heartbreaking book. I couldn't stop reading it. Once I started it, I read it straight through in about two and a half days. I was even reading on the metro to and from work. If you haven't read it, read it. It's thoroughly amazing.
The holidays went pretty well here. Christmas was a very low-key affair. I did get to go to church with Jessie, and the service was up on Yang Ming Mountain, which was really peaceful and nice and a wonderful way to get out of the city a little and really feel the true sentiments of Christmas. I have to admit I got a little choked up during some of the carols because they reminded me so much of Lynnhurst, my old church back in Minnesota.
New Year's Eve was a pretty big deal here. I went over to Taipei 101 (after much transportation hassle and irritation at the unbelievable number of people out in the streets) and watched the fireworks, which were well worth the hassle and frustration, even though the show only lasted about 4 minutes. They literally shoot fireworks off the building, and it's sort of like a cascade effect, with all these colorful sparks just kind of flowing off the building. I shot a video of the show. It's here if you want to watch.
Chinese New Years is coming up next, in late January. I'm looking forward to it, although I've actually heard that Taipei is kind of quiet, since a lot of people leave to go south and visit relatives. We'll see though. I'm sure a lot of people stay around here too, and I've seen the long strings of firecrackers hanging up in doorways around the city, so I'm sure I'll be in for some noise come the last week of January.
Funny story. Was walking back from work a few nights ago along this side street between the main street in front of campus and the bridge that takes me home. I looked down, and running along the curb next to me is a rat. Good sized one too, just trundling along, minding his own business. No one else seemed to notice him. Frankly, rats don't freak me out that much. The thing is, a few nights before that, I was out with my roommate and some friends visiting from Japan. We were walking along that same road, and all of a sudden we hear a big commotion break out on the other side of the road. We look over and see people jumping off the sidewalk and squealing and carrying on, and then, from behind the row of motorbikes, a big rat comes scampering out. He didn't look too fussed, and I think he was probably enjoying the fact that he was able to clear the whole sidewalk for himself just by showing his face.
Has gotten a bit chilly here in Taipei. The worst part is that it's wet and rainy, which means you get chilled really easily if you sit still for too long. I find I'm comfortable if I'm up and around, but if I sit still for too long, I get really, really cold and uncomfortable.
In football news, I watched Liverpool demolish Newcastle United last weekend, and it was an awesome match to see. I think it was the clinching evidence that everyone's been looking for to show that Liverpool can really put in a title challenge this year. Won't say much more, don't want to jinx it, but Liverpool are playing some brilliant football right now, and I believe they have a great shot to bring home the title this year.
And in completely unrelated events, I just finished reading The Kite Runner. What a fantastic, heartbreaking book. I couldn't stop reading it. Once I started it, I read it straight through in about two and a half days. I was even reading on the metro to and from work. If you haven't read it, read it. It's thoroughly amazing.
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