User Comments - sballa

Posted on: Counterfeit Money and Driving in China

After a recent trip to Shanghai, I'm back here in Beijing with a pocket full of coin (the change from all of those baozi runs).  It'll be weeks before I get rid of the stuff!

Steve

Posted on: On the Way

Small observation about tonal practices when it comes to the word 上（shang4).  The word is taught, on its own, as being fourth tone.  But then, when it is the second character in a two-character word, it is pronounced as a neutral tone.  That is the case here with 路上 (lu4shang).  I've also come across this in other lessons, like for example 晚上 (wan3shang).

Steve

Posted on: Stopped at the Gate

I really love those rolling metal gates that are often found at the edge of residential or office complexes.  You know, the kind that collapse to open the way or expand to close the entrance.  (Don't have a picture on hand.)

Not long after arriving in China, I was out for a run, exploring the neighborhood.  Being oblivious to local custom, I went jogging right up to the next complex over from mine.  Since I had the iPod powered up high, yelling at me was not working, so the security guard started closing the automatic rolling gate just as I was about to arrive.

Now that got my attention!

Steve

Posted on: No Walking on the Grass

Since arriving in China, my 11 year old son carries his badminton equipment with him practically wherever he goes.  One day, he and the family were visiting my office.  They spotted a nice green patch of grass right outside my window.  Out went my wife and son, to have some badminton fun.  It was a matter of seconds before the building guard chased them away.  He was, though, kind of sheepish about having to do this, and directed them to a place where they could play.  My daughter and I, watching from the safety of my office, thought it was pretty fun.

The family learning experience goes on.  Those little moments are so cool for cultural understanding.

Steve

Posted on: Good Night

So does 晚上好 (wan3shang hao3) also function as a way to say "goodbye" to someone in the evening?  （In addition to acting as a greeting.)  In the podcast, Ken mentioned that 晚安 definitely doesn't function this way.

Steve

Posted on: Where's the garbage?

So when I'm working in my office, how can I ask the custodial staff to empty my little garbage can?  Would something like "ke3yi3 bang1 wo3 reng4 la1ji1 ba" work?

Steve

Posted on: Clearing the Table

In going through this podcast a second time, I was reminded of a question I have had about service in Mom and Pop-type restaurants in China.  When we first walk into a restaurant and sit down, the 服务员 will often stand right next to our table, presumably waiting for us to order something.  The difficulty, for us, is that we may not know right away what we want to order, especially if it is our first time in the place.

So should we "ignore" the 服务员 and look through the menu until we are ready?  Or should we somehow communicate that we need a couple of minutes to figure out what we want to order?

(We've been following the second strategy, saying something like 菜单看一下. "Let us take a look at the menu."  First of all, this is probably terrible language.  And secondly, we often get chuckles in response.)

Steve

Posted on: Clearing the Table

Great stuff!  After two months of living in Beijing, this is exactly the kind of language that our ele-level family has been using on a daily basis in our neighborhood alleyway restaurants.  My wife and I were just talking about how we've been dropping all of those 请.  And about how just calling out 服务员 (maybe with an 儿 thrown in at the end) now seems so natural and not rude at all.

The latest visual in these little places that has caught our eyes?  All of those tables of young 20-something-ish guys, with bottle after bottle of Yanjing pijiu (hey, we are in Beijing) scattered about.

Steve

Posted on: A Flat Bicycle Tire

Gotta love ChinesePod.  Here it is, nearly two years after the lesson, and the back tire on my bike is going flat.  Uh oh.  How am I going to tell the repair guy at the front of my xiao qu what the problem is, without resorting to the dreaded hand signals?  Answer?  Quick search on ChinesePod and up pops exactly the lesson I need right now.  So I'll study for a few minutes, and then head home, hopefully ready to get this transaction done! 

Steve

Posted on: Getting Internet at your Apartment

As this is something I will be doing _very_ soon, are the prices quoted in the dialogue pretty accurate and up-to-date?  Supposing they are, is there variation across parts of the country, say Beijing v. Shanghai?  Anything else to look out for, as a dumb waiguoren just arriving in the country?

Thanks!

Steve