Yes, I'm in China now
simonpettersson
March 19, 2010 at 10:05 AM posted in General DiscussionSo it seems some people have been curious about my whereabouts. Since March 2nd I have indeed been in Foshan, China. It's ninja heaven and I've simply been too busy having the time of my life to have time to get on here.
So, yeah, that's the reason. Since some time ago I've stopped using CPod for studying and instead used native sources. Now I've got native speakers, so I find I've certainly got all the material I need. Before, I went to CPod to use the Vocab tool and then synced to it with my iPhone, but here I don't have an internet connection on my phone, so I input everything directly into it instead. Hence my absence from this great community.
Buh, I'm not sure I have the time or energy to give an account of what I'm doing. Basically, I'm training Wing Chun, I've taken up Latin dancing and I'm spending the rest of my time with a beautiful young Chinese girl, hanging out in parks, going to restaurants, the police station (yeah … don't ask) and so on. Sometimes I spend the evenings out with some mates and a number of bottles of beer. This place is paradise.
I have been reminded again and again that ChinesePod is Shanghai-based and that Foshan is not Shanghai. Some of the cultural information I've learned through CPod simply doesn't apply. For example, I've met two persons all in all who can speak English to any degree above "Hello! How are you!". One is my shifu, who's an English teacher and who spends a lot of his time with foreign learners of Wing Chun like myself. The other one I've had some conversations with in English, but only on my suggestion, because I felt it was right I return the favor of language practice. Nobody has suggested I teach them English. I also asked about traveller's diarrhea, and the response was "Dude, China isn't like what you might have read". Neither I nor any of the other westerners I've met have had any problems. Also, I haven't found any opportunities for bartering. I tried it once, but the guy's respose was basically "No, you don't understand, look at the price tag." (which, I admit, might have been a clever bartering technique).
I'm also glad to find that barring really old people, everyone speaks fluent Mandarin. I've had no problems in talking to people. It took a week or so to get used to the accent, but other than that there are no problems. Sometimes I don't know a word, but I can usually talk around it. My talking skills are of course much worse than my comprehension skills, but that's in line with my priorities, as I find comprehension to be much more important. I have enountered some problems when moving onto abstract subjects like politics, philosophy and religion. I was a bit afraid that I'd have problems talking to people since I never used my Mandarin before coming to China, but I seem to have been worrying in vain. The vocabulary content of most daily conversations is quite limited and I find it's a lot easier to talk to someone than to watch a TV show or read a book.
Uh, what else? The local food is horrible. Cantonese cuisine seems to consist mainly of "X drenched in oil", "Wet cardboard with veggies", "Fish heads" and "Pig innards porridge". Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that 田鸡 means "field chicken". It's not chicken. Luckily, there's no shortage of other cuisines. I've grown particulary fond of the Dongbei food and I've become a regular at the local Dongbei restaurant.
I'm also relieved that people here don't have the attitude of Hong Kong people towards learners of Cantonese. I've heard people in HK don't want you learning it, but here everyone is really happy when you speak a few words.
Also, kung fu is everywhere here (well, at least in my neighborhood). The streets are lined with wushuguans and kung fu shops filled to the brim with weapons. It's pretty awesome.
I think that's it for now. I've got to go, as I'm off for some barbecued fish and maybe a beer, followed by an afternoon of Cha-Cha. Don't expect me to check in too often, as I'm not wanting to spend my time here online. I might return for some more advanced lessons in the future, when I feel I'm not getting further with the tools I've got here, but otherwise, I'm too busy having the best time of my life.
John
March 22, 2010 at 04:17 AM
Thanks for the report! Foshan sounds pretty interesting.
I learned most of my Mandarin in Hangzhou. It can be hard to separate experiences from those typical of a certain place and those typical of "small-town China" ("small" definitely being a relative term here). Regardless, neither Shanghai nor Beijing can be considered "typical"... both are totally unique in their own ways.
No "traveler's diarrhea" huh? Ha ha... be patient. I've been here for almost 10 years, and I'm still not immune. :)
suxiaoya
March 20, 2010 at 01:28 PM
Great to hear from you, Simon. Glad it's going so well!
As Pretzellogic suggests, it would be great to learn of any lesson ideas you may draw from your Foshan experiences over the course of your time there. I'm sure they would be useful for other learners. Maybe even the police station story could come in handy for some... ;-)
RJ
March 23, 2010 at 09:51 AM
Well Simon, hopefully there was nothing valuable in the purloined pouch (stolen bag). Perhaps you should set a trap for these ninja (or ninjette) super sleuths? I wouldnt feel too bad about not noticing the intrusion. Love is blind after all.
bababardwan
March 22, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Thanks for indulging us mate.
"(not very exciting) story"
..well you turned it into an entertaining story with your lovely turn of phrase:
"Laying in the grass, talking about all between heaven and earth"...[I think I spy a closet romantic]...ah to be young again
must have been a skilled ninja
...hehe,sounds like you were secretly impressed [but probably had to hide that admiration from the pretty girl]...I'm sure it appealed to your penchant for martial arts
Tal
March 22, 2010 at 03:15 AM
"The edible parts of an animal?" 
Chinese response? "It's all edible!"
pretzellogic
March 22, 2010 at 12:39 AM
simonpettersson, your smooth and easy sense of humor will be missed around here....
RJ
March 21, 2010 at 04:19 PM
Simon, the guys on scooters - thats their office. If you want to buy any grey market goodies, stop and chat. For others, its where they live :-)
bodawei
March 21, 2010 at 04:15 PM
The most interesting thing about the local police station is that it is called a 派出所 pai4chu1suo3.
simonpettersson
March 21, 2010 at 03:38 PM
I don't know if any or all of this is already lesson content, but here are some lessons I wish I'd studied (well, the first two I'd have needed in Russian, but still):
* "My flight was delayed, so I need express service to catch the next one."
* "What do you mean, 'overbooked'? I've got a ticket, I want on that plane!"
* "Why is my luggage in Bangkok, again?"
* "Yes, young lady, you can take a picture with me; no problem. Oh … your fifteen classmates also want to?"
* "Yes, that's a great technique. Could you tell me how to defend against it, too?"
* "Open my hips? Put the feet in the '8' position? I can't keep up with this quick-paced music!"
* "You call this song easy? It's too high! I can't sing this!"
* "Do you have any food made from the edible parts of an animal?"
* "So tell me again, what's the point of the crossings and the traffic lights?"
* "What the heck are those guys on the scooters doing? They seem to spend their days sitting on their vespas looking at the traffic."
I still haven't found the answer to that last one. Oh, and while I prepared myself by checking the words in a dictionary first, I still had an awkward moment or two when in the throes of passion. There are moments when "Uh, I don't know that word. Could you explain?" just doesn't seem appropriate.
simonpettersson
March 21, 2010 at 03:13 PM
Thing is: "Police station" and "Don't ask" sound a lot more interesting than what actually happened. Here's the (not very exciting) story:
Me and the pretty girl snuck into a restricted area in the local park. Laying in the grass, talking about all between heaven and earth, we suddenly realize that her bag has been stolen. It was right there beside us, so that must have been a skilled ninja (we weren't even … getting busy!). So she had to go to the police, to which I tagged along, as a gentleman should. At the station, we waited for the right guy to have time for about half an hour, then left, since we didn't want to wait longer. Not so exciting, except for the screaming woman who was also in the station.
bababardwan
March 20, 2010 at 01:34 PM
oh yes,you can't just drop something like "police station" and then say "don't ask".That's now what we most wanna know of course.
bodawei
March 20, 2010 at 10:10 AM
Hi Simon
I was intrigued by yr response to Cantonese food - I used to be anti-Cantonese food until I experienced the real thing. Particularly the 'pig innards porridge' - I think this holds the greatest promise. Seriously I love the 粥 zhou1 in 广东.. it is the pick of their dishes, and you don't need to eat it with giblets. Good luck with it!
bodawei
March 23, 2010 at 07:31 AM
原谅 - I had to look it up so it does not occur frequently in my world! :-)
Perhaps it is used formally. I would say 不好意思。。 which of course is a different form of speech, but this is very high frequency, used for a range of social contexts where you want to apologise, mainly for non-consequential misdemeanours, even if you are not really in the wrong. If I want to apologise when I have done something wrong I would say 对不起. I think that you hit it on the head with 'Engnese' - you take an English expression (please excuse my Engnese) and translate it; it's not necessary wrong, but often it's not natural. Or even not necessary.
Eg. A guy came up to me yesterday and sort of shifted himself onto 'my' sofa in the staff room. He did not apologise for moving my bag out of the way (as I would have done) - he asked, very politely, if he was 'intruding', but it wasn't even a question. It is the use of the particular word that makes the approach polite. So it is not just that Chinese people don't say please and thank you like we do, they actually express themselves quite differently. Politely in many cases.
He said: 我不想打扰 wǒ bù xiǎng dǎrǎo.. (do you mind if I disturb you?)
I'm glad he did - later he bought me and my wife lunch!
bababardwan
March 23, 2010 at 02:03 AM
对不起我的朋友。。请原谅我的Engnese。。我的意思是“baby bears congee"[of goldilocks and 3 bears fame...following on from both RJ's comment and your comment about keep looking]
btw ...I don't recall 原谅 popping up in any CPod dialogues and yet it seems a pretty straightfoward word...do the Chinese not use it much? Do they say something instead ..put it a different way? It gets a hsk 1 rating so that to me would tend to indicate it's common.I suppose it may be in some of the lessons I've not listened to.Maybe go_manly will know?
RJ
March 22, 2010 at 06:17 PM
well 油条 beats mystery meat as a topping for cognee， but I really like 油条 + 咖啡 for breakfast.
bodawei
March 22, 2010 at 10:35 AM
I'm beginning to agree; you guys must be victims of some 'foreigner' joke. 粥 (without 油条) is in my top 3 of all time great Chinese dishes. What can I say apart from 'keep looking'.
RJ
March 21, 2010 at 03:15 PM
Im with Simon on this one - Calling it wall paper glue is being kind. I didnt think anybody really ate this stuff, except maybe in that story about the blonde girl and the 3 bears. Remember? "Too hot", "too cold', and "Now I have gone and glued my mouth shut." :-)
simonpettersson
March 21, 2010 at 03:06 PM
I was having breakfast at the hotel one day and had a hard time reading the menu due to a nigh unintelligible font. I just asked the serving girl "What would you recommend? What do you like to eat?" She brought me the congee. I'd tried it once before at another place and didn't like it, but I thought I'd give it another chance. After one mouthful, I wanted to ask her "Really? This is your favorite? Really? This? Are you yanking my chain?"
Another time I was having some snacks with the girl I'm dating (though we were just friends at the time). She told me "This cookie is my favorite. It's delish." That was the abovementioned wet cardboard. I just cannot shake the feeling that I'm the butt of someone's joke. "Here, try it, it's boiled mud. Local speciality. Tastes great, really; you should try it."
bababardwan
March 21, 2010 at 12:26 PM
I really feel like some now.Not so easy to come across here though [perhaps I need to start looking harder].I've usually seen it at breakfast buffet's particularly in touristy hotels that Japanese tend to frequent to cater for them.
bababardwan
March 21, 2010 at 11:49 AM
I agree that congee [at least the stuff I've seen here] has the same appearance and consitency as wallpaper glue....but taste? Were you trying to work on your language glue or something at the time mate and thought that'd help?...How did that go?
bodawei
March 21, 2010 at 09:13 AM
okay I am going to write this down: before he leaves China simonpettersson is going to enjoy the delights of 粥. It'll grow on you Simon, like mould. ;-)
(I didn't know that about wallpaper glue.)
simonpettersson
March 21, 2010 at 08:56 AM
I'm quite sure the main ingredient in the 粥 is wallpaper glue. Lord knows it has the same appearence, consistency and taste.
RJ
March 19, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Now you are making me jealous. I do love Foshan. You are so right when you say its not SH. For one thing, everything in Foshan cost about half of what it would cost in SH. You may be right about the lack of bargaining. In SH I cant walk down the street without attracting 32 guys that want to sell me a watch. In Foshan I have walked through markets checking out the goods at every stand and even though I am the only foreigner for miles, and the chinese version of Billy Mays (was a famous infomercial pitchman in the US) is hawking goods on a microphone, no one tries to sell me anything. I actually felt invisible. Very comfortable. The people in Foshan are great. My favorite restaurant is "Song Chao Hai Xian". Give it a try.
changye
March 20, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Hi bodawei
Do you have enough water supply in Yunnan now? Can you take a shower everyday?
bodawei
March 20, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Hmmm RJ .. the pinyin on restaurant awnings is notoriously unreliable. I have a new restaurant just outside my gate with 百 in the name and the pinyin proudly proclaims the Dai ... 饭店。 Rather confusing because right next door there is a Dai Minority restaurant.
RJ
March 20, 2010 at 10:19 AM
Thanks Changye! and yes you are correct, its kind of a "play on words", but one of my translators actually translates it as "Song Dynasty seafood restaurant". All I can say is that they must have been very boisterous in the Song dynasty, because this place is even louder than most. And it is chao not zhao - of this I am sure (well, as sure as one can be about anything in China :-) because they include the pinyin in the sign out front.
bababardwan
March 20, 2010 at 04:41 AM
“worried look 。。。replaced by a big smile when I address them in Mandarin.”
..how delightful...must be a very special experience.Thanks for sharing :)
changye
March 20, 2010 at 04:21 AM
Hi rjverki
I don't know what the word “餸朝” means, but the character “餸” means "a side dish of food" in Cantonese. Actually, “餸朝” has the same pronunciation as that of “宋朝” (Song dynasty). Is this a kind of pun joke?
http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/1239/
P/S. It's "song4chao2", but not "song4zhao1". Right?
RJ
March 20, 2010 at 03:03 AM
Hi Simon, this one is tricky.
餸朝 song4chao2 but the "song" is a cantonese word and is a trad character. You are correct about the 海鲜。
餸朝海鲜酒家 is the full name. If that doesnt help I can probably get an address or at least a street name. The place is about 10 min out of town. To leave you must ask them to call you a cab or walk a quarter mile or so back over the bridge to the first intersection and you can grab a cab there much easier than in front of the restaurant. The food is all live when you get there. You have to pick your own shrimp etc and there are various cooking methods. Its helpful to take someone who knows how to order.
Send me a pm with your email address and I will buy you a beer the next time I am in Foshan.
simonpettersson
March 20, 2010 at 02:10 AM
Yeah, nobody has tried to sell me anything, either. My favorite part of interacting with the locals is the worried look on some people's faces when I approach them, which is then replaced by a big smile when I address them in Mandarin.
Thanks for the restaurant tip! I'm guessing the "Hai Xian" is 海鲜? "Chao", is that 炒? And what "Song" is that? If you don't remember the characters, do you at least know the tones? I can't really look it up otherwise.
bababardwan
March 19, 2010 at 10:48 AM
ps I suppose you're not keeping a blog or anything? I'm sure your exploits and the lessons you learn would make for some fascinating and entertaining reading.
catherinem
March 22, 2010 at 02:33 AM
You're welcome to visit the office whenever. We'd be happy to put you on a news and features!
bababardwan
March 20, 2010 at 04:33 AM
oh yeah,of course,you must go on N&F.That's one we can look forward to.
simonpettersson
March 20, 2010 at 04:25 AM
I'll go to Shanghai and visit CPod HQ at some time. If I can force myself into the News and Features show (now that there's no Dear Amber) I'll tell you guys all about my experiences here. And, of course, anyone who passes by Foshan ought to stop by for a drink or three.
bababardwan
March 20, 2010 at 02:11 AM
very wise actually...I'd do the same. We can only selfishly patiently wait and hope we'll hear about it all in a years time or so when you return.Jiayou.
simonpettersson
March 20, 2010 at 02:05 AM
If I did, it'd be in Swedish, anyway. But it's the same thing there; I don't want to spend my time here writing about it.
pretzellogic
March 19, 2010 at 10:44 AM
totally cool to hear all that. Thanks so much for the update. Language learning for its intended purpose. Cpod should definitely pick your brain for more lessons learned. Have a couple of local brews for me!
xiao_liang
March 19, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Wow, fantastic! Fighting, dancing, and carousing with pretty girls. You are a modern day musketeer!
bababardwan
March 19, 2010 at 10:27 AM
Great to hear you're having the time of your life mate and thanks for dropping by with a very interesting account of how you're getting on.
I'm wondering if ,just as Capoeira disguised martial arts in dance moves,you'll combine your Wing Chun and Latin Dancing into your own style.
I hope you will remember to drop by on occasion and update us,but in the meantime,continue to have a ball.Jiayou.
ps Personally I felt confident you'd go well with putting your mandarin knowledge into practice despite a former lack of interactive dialogue.I think your shadowing was an excellent idea.
simonpettersson
March 21, 2010 at 03:15 PM
YouTube? Surely you mean Youku? Anyway, I think someone recorded it, but I don't have the tape, unfortunately.
bababardwan
March 20, 2010 at 04:36 AM
"You can do a show for everyone! "
...yeah,and while you're at it,upload it to youtube and post the link here as your swan song for the time being.。。请问，麻烦你，求你
simonpettersson
March 20, 2010 at 02:04 AM
I actually did Capoeira for a year. It's so much fun. When my shifu heard that, he asked me to show him a few moves, then he said "Great! Tomorrow is my birthday party! You can do a show for everyone! And introduce the art using Mandarin, of course."
That was actually ok. I've done Capoeira for a year and I've been occasionally brushing up my moves. I was more uncomfortable with his putting us (three) students up to show Wing Chun, since I'd been doing that for about a week (and the other two about a month).
bababardwan
July 25, 2010 at 08:54 PMI wonder when we'll get another update from Simon.