2010 Introspection on Chinese Study

Every year around this time I post an introspection on my Chinese study.  This is the start of my fifth year with Cpod.  I had studied three years before I found Cpod, using various sources, but I have never had any formal classes.  I also have only taken short trips to Greater China.  The rest of the time, I live in an English speaking environment.  None-the-less, my goal is to become fluent in Chinese.  Consider it a gias that was placed upon me.

I have kept current with Cpod lessons as they have come out.  So, I can still claim that I have studied every lesson that is in the archive, at one time or another.

The nut I am currently trying to crack is to be able to understand the advanced lessons without resorting to reading the transcript.  After reading the transcript and listening a few times, I can follow the dialog and lesson banter with little difficulty, but before reading the transcript there are always some gaps that I just can't piece together on my own.  Sometimes that is also true of UI lessons.

Last year is the first year that I have systematically augmented the input I get from Cpod, because it is not enough to fill my available study time.  For that I have been reading a novel 《奋斗》。  I picked it because I have a DVD with the corresponding TV series and a friend sent me an electronic version of the novel.  I have gotten kind of bored with the plot, but the writing is fairly eligant.  So, I am getting lots of new vocabulary from it.  David's series about 《麻花辫儿》 exhibitted similar literary tendencies, but was too short to get bored with the plot.

I took advantage of a promotion and am using the Guided subscription level.  It is very helpful, but ten minutes of speaking practice a week is not enough to get to verbal fluency.

I still find that Intermediate lessons and Qing Wen are helpful.  They often include grammar tips that complete my understanding of a usage pattern and usually a word or two of new vocabulary.

When I started with Cpod, the Intermediate lessons were challenging.