Year 3 as a poddie

coljac
 February 04, 2009, 12:17 AM posted in General Discussion

I just renewed my CPod subscription for the 3rd year in a row. Even with the Aussie dollar in the tank, the Premium still seems a good investment. The quality of the material, presentation of the site, and engagement of the staff with the community continue to improve and are all first-rate.

I have precious little time these days to study, but Chinesepod is so much fun - and I feel like I know John and Jenny by now - it really helps keep my motivation up. It doesn't feel like work to listen to a lesson at all. I'll make a better effort to use the site to its fullest this year. It'd be nice to be more involved in the community here, too, like I once was.

It's clearly good business when people are so happy to pay. I've always been secretly jealous of Chinesepod - I've built a successful tech business but never managed to combine work and my love of language study, even when I was consulting in the e-learning space. It's something I'm still constantly brainstorming.

That leads to my bigger resolution - I want to come to Shanghai and spend a few months this year, in a hopefully not ill-conceived effort to boost my Chinese to the next level via full immersion. Is it worthwhile to do, even if I can't study full time?

 

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pearltowerpete
 February 04, 2009, 01:34 AM

Hi coljac

Wow, three years with CPod. That's great to hear.

I think coming to China is a very good idea, and will definitely reinforce (and push you to improve) your Chinese skills.

But I'm curious about why you chose Shanghai. If you have some business here or something, that's one thing. Or maybe you just want to make a pilgrimage to CPod HQ, in which case you are very welcome!

But if you want a less English-friendly environment, there are better choices. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Nanjing, and some people swear by Dalian in the north. Those cities have a lot of fun attractions, are a bit cheaper than Shanghai, and will give your Mandarin more of a workout.

And of course, it is possible to have a very Chinese-rich lifestyle in Shanghai. It ultimately depends on who you hang around with ;-)

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chanelle77
 February 04, 2009, 01:54 AM

Hello Coljac,

Even if you can't study one hour a day it is still very useful I think. Just being there and doing your business / living your life / enjoying yourself IS learning Chinese (often without knowing it). In the taxi ride, in restaurants, in shops, on the street everything you hear and see will be in Chinese.  The exposure to and interaction with the language (characters and speech) and culture will be very beneficial to your learning progress. After three years you probably have a decent foundation and you will learn very quickly. After repeatedly encountering: hearing and or seeing a word, character / phrase that is unfamiliar, things just start to click after a while.  If you hear expressions very often they pop up in the same situation and you can use it very natural. Also, experiencing the language (in an original context) makes a much deeper impression (for me it does) and things just stick better. From experience  I can assure you that you learn Chinese faster in China then anywhere else. If you go to China, i think Shanghai (besides Nanjing) is one of the most exciting/fun cities so you cannot really go wrong there :-).  In conclusion: If you can do it: go for it and enjoy China!

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coljac
 February 04, 2009, 02:27 AM

Thanks guys for the responses.

I considered Shanghai because it's a pretty exciting city, and I know one or two people there. I don't intend to go to China and hang around with expats, but it would be nice to be able to meet up occasionally with like-minded folks. "English-friendly" probably isn't great for language learning but might make finding an apartment and getting set up a bit easier. In short, I thought I might have more fun there!

I also thought the weather would be OK but Nanjing and Dalian might be good as well.

These days I seldom have a chance or a reason to speak Chinese, except the odd phrase or two. That part of my brain sorely needs the exercise, which would be a big reason to go to China. While there I can hopefully find a few people to have a lengthy conversation with on a daily basis. If that doesn't help me break out a bit, what will?

It's a big move, but I'm very lucky in my business to have the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world so I think I am going to do it!

By the way, I'm now a little unsure of the etiquette on the site - I clicked on "Me" and wrote the post on a whim. Is posting to the whole "conversations" stream considered a bit of a faux pas? Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to move it to somewhere more appropriate.

 

 

 

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pearltowerpete
 February 04, 2009, 02:50 AM

Hi coljac

Your reasons for choosing Shanghai seem good to me. I love the city, and have lived here for almost three years now. It is extremely dynamic and well-located for visits to other cities like Hangzhou, Nanjing, Yangzhou, etc.

And as for forum courtesy, we absolutely encourage people to make their own posts! As much as possible, we try to keep the lesson discussions focused on the lessons.

If you have other questions or ideas, creating your own post is the way to go.

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chanelle77
 February 04, 2009, 02:58 AM

Coljac, To be honest I don´t know if Nanjing is as exiting as Shanghai (2:13 from Nj to Sh by train btw), but there sure is some nice nature and cultural sites here, decent uni's to study Chinese (ft and pt) and the expat community is not as big as in Shanghai which some people might consider a benefit. I love it here and If I'm fed up with it I go to Sh, Bj or other trip for a few days. Enough of the Nj promo: If you need some info please feel free to contact me (I live there). And as for all fellow poddies goes: whoever is around, be welcome at my place for a coffee beer or whatever :-)

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coljac
 February 04, 2009, 03:05 AM

Thanks again for the feedback. I'll start hassling people for advice on where to live, how to find a place, and how to survive the big city. The sooner I plan, the better - April might be a good time to move.

So I'll continue to abuse the post system. :)

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John
 February 04, 2009, 02:38 PM

coljac,

Thanks for the post. It's really great to hear this kind of thing. I look forward to meeting you when you do come.

From what I've gathered over the years, some of the best places to live in China are:

  1. Kunming
  2. Qingdao
  3. Dalian (never actually been)
  4. Nanjing
  5. Hangzhou
  6. Shanghai
  7. Tianjin
  8. Harbin (never actually been)
  9. Beijing

I agree that Shanghai is not the best place to live as a learner looking for speaking practice; it's a comfortable place to live after you've acquired the language.

Also, if you don't mind a little shamleless self-promotion, I've written quite a bit about various cities in China over the years. Here are some links:

Hope that helps!

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jennyzhu
 February 05, 2009, 12:56 AM

Hi Coljac,

One of my friends (who also happens to be an Aussie) put it brilliantly: come with no expectation or preconception and you will have a blast here. Also China, and Shanghai in particular is a place where things get done, and people think that way, which an entrepreneur like yourself might find extremely stimulating. I think you will love it. We'd love to invite you to the office.

Cheers!

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coljac
 February 05, 2009, 01:49 AM

@john: I [re]read the posts you helpfully listed for me. It gives me a lot of food for thought. I know people in Hangzhou and Beijing as well, which is a plus.

I guess I need to think carefully about what I hope to get out of my stay. I need to be realistic - I'm not going home fluent, I just want to leave my current plateau and get on an upwards trajectory again. I also want to have a good time and make new friends. Living in a smaller city and cutting myself off from laowai and English would probably be better from a linguistic point of view, but is probably not realistic given I have to work and write. Perhaps I will come for a shorter stay and make plans for a longer sabbatical depending on how it goes.

@jenny: Indeed, soaking up that anything-goes Shanghai spirit is very attractive. I'd like to make some contacts on the business side as well, and being plugged into the scene there is attractive. (I spent 6 years in Silicon Valley and loved the albeit different freewheeling atmosphere there too.) So that is good advice: I'll take the plunge and see what hand fate deals me.

I have a habit of gratefully accepting such invitations, so I'll see you in Shanghai soon. :)

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Purrfecdizzo
 February 06, 2009, 03:36 AM

How long is it of a train ride from Beijing to Shanghai?