User Comments - abelle
abelle
Posted on: Famous Characters in Chinese Literature
August 24, 2011, 11:44 PMWhen I first visited China in 1997, I bought an English translation of "Dream of the Red Chamber", a 3-volume set. I read the first volume, but never got around to finishing the entire book. I think I found it rather depressing, because of characters like 林黛玉 and the unfair way the men treated the women in general. (I know that was the way Chinese society was back then.) So I have had the book for 14 years and never finished it. I am thinking of giving it away to one of my classmates at the local college because we are moving into a smaller house and have to get rid of a lot of unnecessary items. It's shame, but somehow I just can't get myself to finish the book!
Posted on: Shopping in China
June 05, 2011, 08:22 PMThanks for sharing. One of my Chinese language teachers from Beijing showed me photos from the late 1970s after she graduated from college and was a teacher at a middle school there. These photos reminded me of her photos: everyone wearing similar styles and colors of clothes. Then she showed me a photo of a recent photo of a reunion with the other teachers, who came to visit her here in Washington DC, now wearing modern and colorful clothes. What a difference! She and other teachers from the Mainland also have told me about having to use coupons to buy food and clothes 30-40 years ago.
Posted on: Understanding China's Geography
June 02, 2011, 06:51 PMBodawei, I agree with you about Yunnan. A couple of months ago our class covered a textbook lesson on Yunnan. It really piqued my interest in that area: this history, the geography, the culture of the various ethnic groups, tourist areas, etc. If and when I go back to China for the third time, I would definitely like to go to Yunnan instead of the main cities on the East coast as I've done previously.
Posted on: Language Power Struggle
March 25, 2011, 08:15 PMMy husband, who has studied Spanish and volunteers as a medical interpreter, talks on Skype for about an hour every week with a doctor in Guatemala and every 2 weeks with a teacher in Argentina. They speak the first half hour in Spanish, and the second half hour in English. This system works for them as it seems to be fair for both parties. One of my teachers from Taiwan told me that if I ever visit there, everyone will want to speak English with me. No one will want to speak Chinese.
Posted on: Merry Christmas!
March 17, 2011, 11:11 AMI missed the inauguration of this series too! I haven't logged onto ChinesePod since about Christmas due to the holidays, traveling, and my heavy homework load from Chinese language class. I finally logged on a few days ago and discovered this series. It's great and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the installments.
Posted on: Evading Nosy Questions
March 07, 2011, 12:02 AMThis is a very amusing lesson, which definitely hit home with me. Chinese people certainly are not the only nosy people around. Coming from a Filipino family, I can tell you Filipinos are extremely nosy! My parents always ask what my husband and I make every time we visit. Of course, they also ask my brother and sister-in-law how much they make. Then they turn around and tell my husband and I that my sister-in-law (a doctor) makes the same amount of money on her own that my husband and I make together. My son and I will be visiting my parents in a couple of weeks during his spring break and I am already dreading the "nosy questions" like "Jeremy (my son), do you have a girlfriend? Why not?"; "How much do you pay for college tuition, room and board, snowboarding, etc.?"; And for me: "When are you going to finish studying Chinese and get back to work?"; "Are you going to earn more money now that you know some Chinese?" (我不知道!)
Posted on: Playing Ice Hockey
January 12, 2011, 06:04 PMbweedin: So far I have had 3 Chinese language teachers: 2 from Taiwan and one originally from Harbin and educated in Beijing. The Taiwan teachers will absolutely not visit the Mainland, mainly because their relatives who didn't move to Taiwan were killed during some of Mao's "movements". The Mainland teacher has been lived in the US for 20 years and visited several countries in Europe, but she has no interest in visiting Taiwan. I found their attitudes interesting that they have no desire to visit each others' countries. Also depending where they come from, they tell me privately: "The teachers from Taiwan are the better Chinese teachers" or "the teachers from Mainland China are the better teachers, etc." However, all the teachers are very cordial to one another whenever they meet in the lunchroom, hallways, or department meetings.
Posted on: Lili and Zhang Liang 12: The Breakup
January 12, 2011, 05:54 PMThanks for this lesson; the vocabulary is very useful and timely. Often I have to write a few paragraphs on what is happening in my life for class. As all I do these days is study Chinese and attend classes, my life is not too exciting :-). So sometimes I write about my family. Last week my daughter and her boyfriend 分手了 precisely because he is 无耻 and not 正人君子 . 甩掉 他 also fits in.
Now I have something to write about with the needed vocabulary for next week. Thanks again Chinesepod!
Posted on: A Tour of the Office
January 07, 2011, 12:56 AMThanks, I'll ask my teacher about that when I see her next week.
Posted on: Believing in Santa
December 25, 2013, 08:55 PMMerry Christmas to my fellow Cpoddies, from Washington DC (where it's freezing, but at least no snow!)