About Nick Norton

Nick Norton is twenty two year old college student majoring in Asian Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. Nick has always been interested in China - both its language and its culture. In high school, he had the opportunity to study Mandarin, and decided to stick with it in college. His goal is to just be conversational in Mandarin. He would classify himself as roughly an intermediate student. Nick's favorite lesson is the elementary lesson "I Need to Take a #2" which focuses on a topic that definitely wouldn't be covered in a normal textbook! It's great to expand your vocabulary into real world scenarios. Nick enjoys reading, writing, or just chilling out and watching movies on Netlfix. He also teaches yoga, and loves riding his bike through Detroit's urban landscape.

Posts by Nick Norton:

4 Tips For Keeping Your Own Chinese Diary

Nick Norton January 5, 2016

Practice makes perfect, right? Well, when it comes to learning Mandarin, you’re never going to be perfect… and that’s okay! In many ways learning Mandarin is like paddling a boat upstream: it is a journey that requires hard work, determination, and patience. However, there is a review method I learned in high school that has become a vital addition to my Mandarin studies: keeping a Chinese diary. Keeping a simple diary in Mandarin makes learning fun and also establishes a consistent routine.

So what do you need to make a Chinese diary? Well, obviously a notebook, a pen, and ChinesePod definitely helps. What I like to do is fire up a ChinesePod lesson, and then use my diary to reinforce the lesson as I go along with the podcast. Read more for four ways to get started on your very own Chinese diary!