User Comments - davidincalif
davidincalif
Posted on: Welcome to ChinesePod
June 01, 2009, 12:31 AMNi hao, Mystic.
I have several "real" dictionaries; the approaches in each are different. I like Berlitz Mandarin Chinese Compact Dictionary for an easy reference book. (Chinese-English; English-Chinese) It is intuitive and remarkably complete for its size. I got this at Borders, and have sent a copy to a Chinese friend in Chongqing. I also have a larger reference dictionary, but even that gets stumped sometimes. It is hard to beat the online dictionaries for translating rare words.
Posted on: I Want This
August 15, 2008, 03:13 PMPirate jokes?
Why are pirates so angry?..........
They just Arrrrrrgghhhhh!
Posted on: Gymnastics
October 23, 2007, 09:57 AMI met Vera and Angie and John B today on my visit to chinesepod corporate headquarters hidden behind a non-descript facade. Very cordial welcome, matching the high quality of their presentation. Xie xie.
Posted on: Why are You Studying Chinese?
June 04, 2009, 04:30 AMI took a non-credit Mandarin class in college in 1971. Our (American) teacher was the interpreter for the Chinese ping pong team that toured the US around that time. Later I took lessons from a lovely Taiwan lady teacher at adult school in southern California and fell in love with the language. I had taken political science and history courses in college on China, and the culture lessons we learned added to my passion.
Finally in 2007 I visited China on a ten day tour. I found business reasons to go back, and I have been to thirteen cities there so far on my many trips. I will see three more new cities on my trip later this month. And I will visit Vera at Chinesepod, as I do every time I am in Shanghai. I have made many good friends on these trips, and often I am the only laowai in sight. I am very comfortable with that.
I have taken private putonghua lessons here, and download C-pod to my laptop so I can listen as I drive. I just recently connected with other Chinesepod members in Los Angeles.
I realize that the more I learn about Chinese language and culture, the more there is yet to discover. There is an incredible richness in the people there. China will be a part of my life from now on.