I am way too hard on myself. I expect myself to be perfect, so when I am not perfect (which is quite often) it makes me grouchy. I then have to remind myself that I am not perfect, and that I really need to not expect so much from myself. I feel like this is probably the root of many of my problems.
Take today, for instance. All that I wanted to do was stay inside, watch movies, write my fable (that I have to write as homework. Fun, I know.) But I felt like I should go out and do things. I felt like if I didn’t go out, then I would be wasting my time in China. Which is absurd. I should just do whatever I want to do. That may be an easy thing for you to say/do, but believe me when I say it is not easy for me. That’s my little secret. Don’t tell anybody.
I ended up staying in my dorm for most of the day. I wrote part of my essay (250 characters out of 800 done… so not even close to being done yet), and watched a lot of movies. It’s interesting, I think that as the studious part of my brain works harder, the rest of my brain starts to shut down. All that I have room for right now is Disney movies. I need a holiday.
I left my room for lunch today, and completely gave into my cravings. That honestly is the only way to deal with your cravings. I got this yummy bread thing that you dip in sugar sauce (so much better than it sounds), stir fried beef and green peppers, and this weird green bean and tofu dish. And it was so good. Even though it was only me eating, I managed to finish off most of it (and for only 6 dollars). And it was glorious. To finish off my lunch experience, I bought myself a chocolate ice cream, and then headed back to my room. Cravings. Give in. You know you want to.
At 6:30, it was time to get my ass in gear, and go out. Tonight, our program was taking us to the Lao She Tea House, which is a famous Tea House in Beijing. What is a tea house, you might ask? Basically, it is a classically Chinese place, where you go and sit with about 6 other people around a table, and you drink tea and eat their provided snacks, surrounded by probably a hundred other people at similar tables. While you drink tea, there are performances on a stage at the front of the room for your entertainment. There were a lot of actually really fun performances.
The first one was a performance of shadow hands, where the guy made animal and singer shadows. The singers actually sang along with songs. I really wish that I could do that. New hobby! After that was one of the weirdest singing performances I have ever seen. Two singers walked on the stage, and then stuck a holder holding 3 candles into their mouths. Huh? Their job was to sing, without opening their mouths, because their mouths had to hold this holder. AND THEY COULD ACTUALLY SING. Even though they couldn’t move their mouths, I could still understand what they were saying. What I want to know is, who on earth decided that they should start singing without moving their mouths? How on earth did that start?
There were also the obligatory performances of acrobatics and Kung Fu. The acrobatics made me wince. I can’t believe how much they can bend. It made me hurt. I am not a flexible person at all, but I really wish that I was. And the Kung fu was obviously amazing. That always promises to be a good show. Those guys, throwing themselves around the stage, are definitely worthy of all the praise that they get.
There was one last weird performance. Three girls came onto the stage, and started dancing. They were supposed to be fish, so they were dressed in blue sparkly dresses, and very dressed up. And they started dancing. But it was incredibily weird, because honestly, they could have been dancing in a much more intimate place, if you get my meaning. All of us girls at least, were dying of laughter, and every man’s face in that place just lit up. Definitely one of the most memorable performances I have seen. I still don’t understand it.
And that was my night. Good night!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Hurricane Friday
You know those weeks where, at the end of them, you lie sprawled on your bed, thinking about the week, and all of a sudden feel the overwhelming urge to get out of reality as quickly as possible? This was one of those weeks, and today was the icing on the cake. To start off with, my shower was only luke warm. That is never a good sign.
Then came what shall be kindly referred to as the test from hell. It was the most ingenious combination of colloquial Chinese and literature Chinese that I have seen. It was also the most confusing one that I have had, and definitely the one that I have gotten the lowest score on. I still got a B-, but I don't want to go into details. Don't ask, don't tell, that's my motto. (As a point of fact, this motto has also gotten me through some rather trying dinner parties here in China... dog, anyone?) Some of the questions I just point blank did not know the answer to, but hey, 50 50 chance, why not risk it.
Then came the preparation for the oral test. We had two tests today. The first one was the memorization test, where we had to pick a paragraph (at random, obviously) and then recite it to our teachers for a grade. I spent half an hour, talking to myself in a corner, going over and over and over both paragraphs so that I wouldn't be quite so nervous, and obviously so that I would get a good grade. You know, that tiny little detail that teachers like to harp on and on about. One of the paragraphs I had down to pat: namely, the one that described Kong Yiji. It was easy to memorize, because it told a story, and actually had a point. The second paragraph was not so much fun. God, it is still running through my head right now, although I have since added some choice swear words as an accent. It was a paragraph simply describing leaves on the lake. I know that I have mentioned it before, but I want to make sure you that you completely understand the depth of its uselessness.
I also have a confession to make. Yes, I memorized it, but there are parts in that paragraph where I have absolutely no idea what I was saying. Not a clue. I simply memorized the sounds that I was supposed to be making, and went from there. Meaning? Completely over rated. In my defense, I simply decided that I had time either to memorize it, or understand the meaning. Priorities and all that. Well, what my teachers don't know won't hurt them.
When it was my turn to test (I was actually first) I walked in to the room, repeating a mantra in my head: "Kong Yiji, Kong Yiji, Kong Yiji..." Oh yes, I was hoping against hope that that was the paragraph I would pick. My teachers handed me two slips of paper, and I had to choose between them. Even though they were folded, I still held them up to the light to see if I could see which paragraph they corresponded to. It didn't help. So I closed my eyes, and picked one. Which one do you think I got?
If you said Kong Yiji, you would be 100% wrong. Nope, I got the one that started out as "On the winding lotus lake surface..." Fun stuff, let me tell you. It would be a pretty paragraph, if it wasn't so annoying. The only way that I memorized it is because I drew pictures in my head to describe each section. This didn't help my problem of talking with my hands. I swear, one of these days, they are just going to get out of control, and even though i may start out just trying to give a description, I am going to start hitting people. It's not my fault.
One exciting thing did happen in the midst of all this madness. After I was done with my speaking test, I decided that it was time to relax, so I went out to where a lot of chairs are, sat down, put my feet up, put some music on, and closed my eyes. I was in bliss. Until my teacher came over to disturb me. What for, you might ask? Well, earlier in the day, we had all had to translate some sentences, and turn it in to our teachers so that we could all participate in a translation competition. Apparently, I translated my sentences relatively good, so I got to go onto the next stage, and do more translations, and then read my translations out loud to one of the teachers. He seemed pretty impressed. I was feeling on top of the world. I have an extremely jaded view of my Chinese, so it is nice to get recognized every once in a while.
It was just after this, when I went back for the last hour of class, that I realized I had lost my textbook. For the last hour of class, we all had to, very informally, give a book report on a book of our choice (I did my on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.) I had made notes, mostly in the form of words I didn't know, and stuck it in my textbook for safe keeping, But when I went to get my book out of my bag so that I could get my notes, my book wasn't there. I had no idea where it went. That book is my life here at HBA this summer. It is my version of the Bible. Without it, I am a goner. So I was panicking just a little bit. As soon as the class was over, I immediately headed over to where I had been hanging out, looking for it. But bad news folks: I didn't find it. Looks like I am going shopping this weekend.
I was a bit frazzled by the time that we all had to go eat lunch (I never thought I would be so upset by losing my textbook) that I was still feeling a little bit prickly. Today, we went to go eat Korean food, at one of the small restaurants on campus. The food was not fantastic, to put it simply. It was amazingly spicy, so much so that even though I didn't eat a whole lot, but my stomach was not particularly happy. I also cut out early so I could go back to our classrooms and look for my book. I know, I am a nerd.
I was also employed today to bring some people to my favorite DVD place. They wanted to buy some DVDs, and I was more than happy to enable a bad habit. There were five of us, including me. (Actually, in a weird turn of events, as we were walking to the main gate of campus to leave, we ran into one of my old SYA teachers, who was here to attend a conference or something like that. How is that for coincidence?) We took the bus over to the store, and then went to town. One of the girls spent 45 dollars buying DVDs, and left with two bags bulging full. It was insanity. I am sure that the store people are celebrating tonight, what with having just fleeced a bunch of over eager foreigners. I am happy to report that I have a strict set of guidelines for myself whenever I go to the DVD stores, because otherwise, I would be the one spending way too much money.
For the rest of the afternoon, all that I wanted to do was stay inside and watch movies. You might say that this is a silly thing to do, but honestly, it has been one of those weeks. I feel like I should go fetal in one of the corners, and just rock myself to sleep. I have the desperate need to hide from the world. So I lay down on my bed, put on a movie, and relaxed.
The movie happened to be the Lion King, by the way. I almost started crying when Mufasa died. How is that for burnt out? I am now crying at Disney movies. Good thing I wasn't watching Bambi, I might have started bawling. Not enough tissues in the world. (I bet you didn't quite believe me when I said that it has been the week from hell. Do you believe me now? Crying over Disney movies...)
Unfortunately, I had to leave my Fortress of Healing (trying out new names for my room... what do you think?) and go to see Jack. He was in a super good mood tonight. Maybe he got a girlfriend. He was extremely chatty. I learned that what I consider tea (black tea with milk and sugar) is not tea. At least, not according to his standards. If you add things to it, it doesn't count. I tell you what, I will give up dinner, but I absolutely will not give up my cups of tea. The line has to be drawn somewhere.
The workout was super arm heavy today. I am definitely starting to get some muscle in my arms, but I still have a long way to go. I think that Jack just likes making me suffer. I told him today that I was onto him, that I knew he was secretly trying to kill me. He just laughed, and told me to keep exercising. That's not a good sign. To give myself a break, I started asking him about what he thinks I should eat everyday. I figure if I can keep him talking, then I can catch my breath. His advice falls somewhere between going vegetarian, and extreme dieting. Meat twice a week at the most, small portions of food, fruit for dinner. I am not entirely sure that I agree with him. It also doesn't help that some of the serious road blocks standing between me and vegetarianism are 1) I don't like eggs and 2) I like meat. I'm doing the best I can to listen to his advice, but obviously it gets broken. I'm not completely insane. Well, not yet, anyway.
There was also a little kid, 8 years old, working out with one of the trainers tonight. It was the cutest thing ever. He was this tiny little kid, fat as can be, jumping over boxes and standing up on his tippy toes, while this huge muscular Chinese man encourages him. I wish that I had taken my camera out, but that would have been AWKWARD. I couldn't get the story on him, because Jack was not too clear at all, but I have the feeling that he was related to the guy in some way. But who knows.
And now, I am writing my blog. I have spent most of my night in the same position, watching movies and reading Sherlock Holmes. It has been the perfect night. All that I want to do is stay in, and staying in is what I shall do. Sometimes, you just need you time, which includes becoming a hermit for a while. After the week that I have had, I would say, I deserve it. I can't even imagine only having two weeks vacation before going back to Vermont. I am going to be batty by Christmas time.
Good night!
Then came what shall be kindly referred to as the test from hell. It was the most ingenious combination of colloquial Chinese and literature Chinese that I have seen. It was also the most confusing one that I have had, and definitely the one that I have gotten the lowest score on. I still got a B-, but I don't want to go into details. Don't ask, don't tell, that's my motto. (As a point of fact, this motto has also gotten me through some rather trying dinner parties here in China... dog, anyone?) Some of the questions I just point blank did not know the answer to, but hey, 50 50 chance, why not risk it.
Then came the preparation for the oral test. We had two tests today. The first one was the memorization test, where we had to pick a paragraph (at random, obviously) and then recite it to our teachers for a grade. I spent half an hour, talking to myself in a corner, going over and over and over both paragraphs so that I wouldn't be quite so nervous, and obviously so that I would get a good grade. You know, that tiny little detail that teachers like to harp on and on about. One of the paragraphs I had down to pat: namely, the one that described Kong Yiji. It was easy to memorize, because it told a story, and actually had a point. The second paragraph was not so much fun. God, it is still running through my head right now, although I have since added some choice swear words as an accent. It was a paragraph simply describing leaves on the lake. I know that I have mentioned it before, but I want to make sure you that you completely understand the depth of its uselessness.
I also have a confession to make. Yes, I memorized it, but there are parts in that paragraph where I have absolutely no idea what I was saying. Not a clue. I simply memorized the sounds that I was supposed to be making, and went from there. Meaning? Completely over rated. In my defense, I simply decided that I had time either to memorize it, or understand the meaning. Priorities and all that. Well, what my teachers don't know won't hurt them.
When it was my turn to test (I was actually first) I walked in to the room, repeating a mantra in my head: "Kong Yiji, Kong Yiji, Kong Yiji..." Oh yes, I was hoping against hope that that was the paragraph I would pick. My teachers handed me two slips of paper, and I had to choose between them. Even though they were folded, I still held them up to the light to see if I could see which paragraph they corresponded to. It didn't help. So I closed my eyes, and picked one. Which one do you think I got?
If you said Kong Yiji, you would be 100% wrong. Nope, I got the one that started out as "On the winding lotus lake surface..." Fun stuff, let me tell you. It would be a pretty paragraph, if it wasn't so annoying. The only way that I memorized it is because I drew pictures in my head to describe each section. This didn't help my problem of talking with my hands. I swear, one of these days, they are just going to get out of control, and even though i may start out just trying to give a description, I am going to start hitting people. It's not my fault.
One exciting thing did happen in the midst of all this madness. After I was done with my speaking test, I decided that it was time to relax, so I went out to where a lot of chairs are, sat down, put my feet up, put some music on, and closed my eyes. I was in bliss. Until my teacher came over to disturb me. What for, you might ask? Well, earlier in the day, we had all had to translate some sentences, and turn it in to our teachers so that we could all participate in a translation competition. Apparently, I translated my sentences relatively good, so I got to go onto the next stage, and do more translations, and then read my translations out loud to one of the teachers. He seemed pretty impressed. I was feeling on top of the world. I have an extremely jaded view of my Chinese, so it is nice to get recognized every once in a while.
It was just after this, when I went back for the last hour of class, that I realized I had lost my textbook. For the last hour of class, we all had to, very informally, give a book report on a book of our choice (I did my on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.) I had made notes, mostly in the form of words I didn't know, and stuck it in my textbook for safe keeping, But when I went to get my book out of my bag so that I could get my notes, my book wasn't there. I had no idea where it went. That book is my life here at HBA this summer. It is my version of the Bible. Without it, I am a goner. So I was panicking just a little bit. As soon as the class was over, I immediately headed over to where I had been hanging out, looking for it. But bad news folks: I didn't find it. Looks like I am going shopping this weekend.
I was a bit frazzled by the time that we all had to go eat lunch (I never thought I would be so upset by losing my textbook) that I was still feeling a little bit prickly. Today, we went to go eat Korean food, at one of the small restaurants on campus. The food was not fantastic, to put it simply. It was amazingly spicy, so much so that even though I didn't eat a whole lot, but my stomach was not particularly happy. I also cut out early so I could go back to our classrooms and look for my book. I know, I am a nerd.
I was also employed today to bring some people to my favorite DVD place. They wanted to buy some DVDs, and I was more than happy to enable a bad habit. There were five of us, including me. (Actually, in a weird turn of events, as we were walking to the main gate of campus to leave, we ran into one of my old SYA teachers, who was here to attend a conference or something like that. How is that for coincidence?) We took the bus over to the store, and then went to town. One of the girls spent 45 dollars buying DVDs, and left with two bags bulging full. It was insanity. I am sure that the store people are celebrating tonight, what with having just fleeced a bunch of over eager foreigners. I am happy to report that I have a strict set of guidelines for myself whenever I go to the DVD stores, because otherwise, I would be the one spending way too much money.
For the rest of the afternoon, all that I wanted to do was stay inside and watch movies. You might say that this is a silly thing to do, but honestly, it has been one of those weeks. I feel like I should go fetal in one of the corners, and just rock myself to sleep. I have the desperate need to hide from the world. So I lay down on my bed, put on a movie, and relaxed.
The movie happened to be the Lion King, by the way. I almost started crying when Mufasa died. How is that for burnt out? I am now crying at Disney movies. Good thing I wasn't watching Bambi, I might have started bawling. Not enough tissues in the world. (I bet you didn't quite believe me when I said that it has been the week from hell. Do you believe me now? Crying over Disney movies...)
Unfortunately, I had to leave my Fortress of Healing (trying out new names for my room... what do you think?) and go to see Jack. He was in a super good mood tonight. Maybe he got a girlfriend. He was extremely chatty. I learned that what I consider tea (black tea with milk and sugar) is not tea. At least, not according to his standards. If you add things to it, it doesn't count. I tell you what, I will give up dinner, but I absolutely will not give up my cups of tea. The line has to be drawn somewhere.
The workout was super arm heavy today. I am definitely starting to get some muscle in my arms, but I still have a long way to go. I think that Jack just likes making me suffer. I told him today that I was onto him, that I knew he was secretly trying to kill me. He just laughed, and told me to keep exercising. That's not a good sign. To give myself a break, I started asking him about what he thinks I should eat everyday. I figure if I can keep him talking, then I can catch my breath. His advice falls somewhere between going vegetarian, and extreme dieting. Meat twice a week at the most, small portions of food, fruit for dinner. I am not entirely sure that I agree with him. It also doesn't help that some of the serious road blocks standing between me and vegetarianism are 1) I don't like eggs and 2) I like meat. I'm doing the best I can to listen to his advice, but obviously it gets broken. I'm not completely insane. Well, not yet, anyway.
There was also a little kid, 8 years old, working out with one of the trainers tonight. It was the cutest thing ever. He was this tiny little kid, fat as can be, jumping over boxes and standing up on his tippy toes, while this huge muscular Chinese man encourages him. I wish that I had taken my camera out, but that would have been AWKWARD. I couldn't get the story on him, because Jack was not too clear at all, but I have the feeling that he was related to the guy in some way. But who knows.
And now, I am writing my blog. I have spent most of my night in the same position, watching movies and reading Sherlock Holmes. It has been the perfect night. All that I want to do is stay in, and staying in is what I shall do. Sometimes, you just need you time, which includes becoming a hermit for a while. After the week that I have had, I would say, I deserve it. I can't even imagine only having two weeks vacation before going back to Vermont. I am going to be batty by Christmas time.
Good night!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Just How Good Is Your Memory?
The next time that I say that one of the reasons that I started learning Chinese was to read literature in Chinese, remind me to come back to this blog, and come back to Chapter 17 in my second textbook. I will immediately remember just how painful it really is. Let me explain why I am saying this.
Every night, we have to preview tomorrows lesson, which includes learning the words, reading the text, and becoming familiar with the grammar. I read the text for today last night, and it was painful. The entire thing described flowers and the moonlight on a lake at night. Basically, it was literature to the extreme. Somehow, this didn't set off any alarm bells in my head. Not at the moment, any way. Clearly, I am not as smart as my new glasses make me look.
The alarm bells finally went off as soon as we started class. The entire class, and yes, the entire day, was all about metaphors and personification. I don't even like doing those in English, much less in Chinese. Not to mention, Chinese literature is almost impossible to learn. Most of the rules that we have been learning for the past couple of years with regards to Chinese grammar and measure words, all of sudden no longer apply to Chinese literature. It is another language within a language. Sure, it is beautiful, anybody will tell you that (sometimes they will even harp on and on and on about it) but dear god, there is a time when enough is just enough.
I have found that my biggest problem with learning literature, and trying to imitate it, is that I am just not touchy feeling/cheesy enough to really get into it. During our conversational class, for example, we spent the entire time thinking up metaphors and personifications. One of the questions was "A perfect marriage is like..." and we had to think something up. My first instinct? "A happy marriage is like... A HAPPY MARRIAGE." The moonlight is like the moonlight, the sunlight is like the sunlight. I am pretty sure a person's eyes are just their eyes, not akin to the warmth of a summer breeze, or deep as the seven seas. I just don't have that artsy streak to me. I have a feeling that this is going to be a problem sometime in the near future (READ: test that I have in the morning.) Oh bugger.
I was torn when class ended today. On the one hand, I was absolutely over the moon, because I was starving and wanted lunch. On the other hand, being done with class meant that I needed to go outside, and it was a horrible day outside. You could feel the smog and the humidity pressing down on you. It was like walking through mud. There was also the promise of rain. You could feel it on your skin. On these kinds of days, I think that it is simply best to stay inside all day, and to go out as infrequently as possible. Just a suggestion.
During my one on one class with my teacher, we spent more time trying to make up metaphors. In addition to that, I had to give a book report on a book of my choice. What else could I choose? Obviously, it was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; one, because it is an amazing book, and two, it is the book that I can remember the most vividly right now, because it is the one that I have read most recently. Well, that trilogy, anyway. I hadn't really prepared for it all that well (as I have to do it for real tomorrow) but I thought that I pulled it off pretty well. Confidence boost! It was actually a pretty low key class, because my teacher was exhausted, and I would have rather been back in my dorm. Good times.
Today was my rest day from the gym, so I spent the rest of the afternoon studying, and reading. I have finally finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Amazing. I can't believe I am done with the series though, and that there aren't going to be anymore. It is such an amazing book. If you haven't read it, you need to stop reading this and start reading that. No joke.
Studying actually went pretty well. Our grammar this week is not all that hard, and I have prepared the book report for tomorrow. The hardest part? Memorization. I have the Kong Yiji paragraph down to pat, but it's the literature one that worries me. It's hard to memorize something when there is no story to follow. It is strictly a descriptive paragraph, so the words aren't nearly as fun to say. I think I have got it mostly down. If I can just say all the words in the right order, I will be happy. It's hard! Tones are another matter completely. I haven't quite gotten to the point where I can remember both tones, and the words. It's one or the other, and frankly, I am more worried about characters. I like to think that I have my priorities in a row...
And now, I am going to put myself and my rather large head ache to sleep. It's that time of the night. Besides, as well all know, it's better to get some sleep before a test than to stay up all night trying to study. If I don't know it by now, I'm not going to know it.
Every night, we have to preview tomorrows lesson, which includes learning the words, reading the text, and becoming familiar with the grammar. I read the text for today last night, and it was painful. The entire thing described flowers and the moonlight on a lake at night. Basically, it was literature to the extreme. Somehow, this didn't set off any alarm bells in my head. Not at the moment, any way. Clearly, I am not as smart as my new glasses make me look.
The alarm bells finally went off as soon as we started class. The entire class, and yes, the entire day, was all about metaphors and personification. I don't even like doing those in English, much less in Chinese. Not to mention, Chinese literature is almost impossible to learn. Most of the rules that we have been learning for the past couple of years with regards to Chinese grammar and measure words, all of sudden no longer apply to Chinese literature. It is another language within a language. Sure, it is beautiful, anybody will tell you that (sometimes they will even harp on and on and on about it) but dear god, there is a time when enough is just enough.
I have found that my biggest problem with learning literature, and trying to imitate it, is that I am just not touchy feeling/cheesy enough to really get into it. During our conversational class, for example, we spent the entire time thinking up metaphors and personifications. One of the questions was "A perfect marriage is like..." and we had to think something up. My first instinct? "A happy marriage is like... A HAPPY MARRIAGE." The moonlight is like the moonlight, the sunlight is like the sunlight. I am pretty sure a person's eyes are just their eyes, not akin to the warmth of a summer breeze, or deep as the seven seas. I just don't have that artsy streak to me. I have a feeling that this is going to be a problem sometime in the near future (READ: test that I have in the morning.) Oh bugger.
I was torn when class ended today. On the one hand, I was absolutely over the moon, because I was starving and wanted lunch. On the other hand, being done with class meant that I needed to go outside, and it was a horrible day outside. You could feel the smog and the humidity pressing down on you. It was like walking through mud. There was also the promise of rain. You could feel it on your skin. On these kinds of days, I think that it is simply best to stay inside all day, and to go out as infrequently as possible. Just a suggestion.
During my one on one class with my teacher, we spent more time trying to make up metaphors. In addition to that, I had to give a book report on a book of my choice. What else could I choose? Obviously, it was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; one, because it is an amazing book, and two, it is the book that I can remember the most vividly right now, because it is the one that I have read most recently. Well, that trilogy, anyway. I hadn't really prepared for it all that well (as I have to do it for real tomorrow) but I thought that I pulled it off pretty well. Confidence boost! It was actually a pretty low key class, because my teacher was exhausted, and I would have rather been back in my dorm. Good times.
Today was my rest day from the gym, so I spent the rest of the afternoon studying, and reading. I have finally finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Amazing. I can't believe I am done with the series though, and that there aren't going to be anymore. It is such an amazing book. If you haven't read it, you need to stop reading this and start reading that. No joke.
Studying actually went pretty well. Our grammar this week is not all that hard, and I have prepared the book report for tomorrow. The hardest part? Memorization. I have the Kong Yiji paragraph down to pat, but it's the literature one that worries me. It's hard to memorize something when there is no story to follow. It is strictly a descriptive paragraph, so the words aren't nearly as fun to say. I think I have got it mostly down. If I can just say all the words in the right order, I will be happy. It's hard! Tones are another matter completely. I haven't quite gotten to the point where I can remember both tones, and the words. It's one or the other, and frankly, I am more worried about characters. I like to think that I have my priorities in a row...
And now, I am going to put myself and my rather large head ache to sleep. It's that time of the night. Besides, as well all know, it's better to get some sleep before a test than to stay up all night trying to study. If I don't know it by now, I'm not going to know it.
从我的体验看中国的中医
This is the Chinese essay that I wrote about Chinese medicine as the result of my Social Studies Project. I know, it's in Chinese, but I don't have a translation of it on me. If you are interested, I can tell you all about it when I get back to America! I would be delighted to. Also, I will try to write a translation and post it this weekend.
中医是世界上最古老的医学之一。从三千多年前一直到现在，中医学家都在改进和发展中医的做法。固然中医是在中国起源的，但是现在，中医传播到很多别的国家如：美国、印度和英国等。中医，这个词，包括很多方面和很长的历史。在这个报告里，笔者会回顾中医的历史背景及针灸和拔罐儿的作用。
历史背景
上文已经提到，在有文字记录之前，中医已经有了很长的历史。针灸这个字最早出现在一本叫《针灸甲乙经》的书中。这本书是皇甫谧写的。他出生于公元 215年（东汉代时），去世于公元282年（晋代）。这是历史上最早关于针灸的一本书；因此这本书是历史上最重要的有参考价值的书。我们可以参考这本书的针灸和经纬。 这本书也介绍了在身体上应该放针的地方，怎么放针及针灸的作用和好处。
除了这本书以外，还有一部很重要的书是《黄帝内经》。这本书有两个部分：第一个是素问，第二个是灵枢。素问包括了中医根本的理论；灵枢很详细地讨论了针灸的作用。到现在，这本书的说法和建议还很有道理，因为书的内容涉及了全部的中医理论；这些理论还适用于今天的中医做法。
中医的理论基于道教的思想 （气、阴阳、五元素和这些元素的和谐）。传统中医学家认为身体健康是由阴阳、气和五行的和谐决定的。 气有三种：出生时有的气，自己积累的气和保护身体的气。中医学家认为对于保持身体健康而言，气是最重要的，别的东西都在其次。假如气突然不畅，病也就随即产生了。医生会看病人的症状（症状有赖于是什么样的气不畅了），就用针灸或拔罐或别的方法来治疗病人的病。通过病的症状，让大夫们知道哪一部分的气不畅了。中医学家认为这样的不畅是身体产生病的根本原因。身体里有12条气线，叫经纬。每一个经纬不畅的时候，都会有不同的症状， 因为每一个经纬都影响了不同的器官系统。
阴阳是气的一部分，因此也有相同的理论基础。阴和阳，这两个字，都有不同的意思。阴代表了女人、月亮、冷、黑等等；阳代表了男人、太阳、热、火、阳光等等。阴和阳相吻合，但是你不能简单地用只有阴或者只有阳来说明身体里的问题。固然这两个元素是相反的，但是也是相辅相成的。意思就是，假如没有阴的话，则阳也不能存在。太多阴，或者太多阳，都会引起不同的病。
五行是中医的特点；中医基于这个理论。这五个元素是：火、土、金、水和木。每一个元素都代表了一个器官或者器官系统。固然这些元素只关于一些器官，但是元素也影响了别的元素；因此，它们的关系也是相对的，它们之间不无关系。
到这儿，我还没写针灸和拔罐可以治疗什么样的病。针灸和拔罐儿可以治疗的病很多。一些可以缓解的病是： 太阳穴头疼，眩晕，拉肚子，孕妇生孩子以后的问题，等等。但是，这两个中医做法最重要的帮助还是缓解疼痛。
针灸和拔罐儿有一样的理论、作用和帮助。因此，上面写的理论适用于拔罐儿和针灸。
下面有两个我体验中医时的例子：
针灸
在这个星期，我总算有机会体验针灸。我一直想做，可惜至今我没有机会或者时间。我从小一直就有比较厉害的头疼，因此我想通过体验中医的机会来缓解我的头疼。老师们告诉我北京有一个大名鼎鼎的医院叫北京中医医院，所以我去了医院让人给我做针灸。中国的医院不同于美国的医院；因此我一个人去找大夫让我很紧张。到医院时，我在房间的外面等大夫，开始跟一个等待的病人谈话。他说，他和他的家人在20年的时间里一直来看这个大夫。他告诉我一些中医奇迹的故事。固然他完全相信中医的能力，但是对于一些病，他还是认为一个人只得去看西医（比如说，头疼的原因）。
我总算看到我的大夫了，发现她是一个年龄比较大的女人。开始做针灸以前，她花十分钟的时间问我一些问题。比方说：
1）你觉得你为什么常常头疼？
2）你每天吃什么？吃几顿？
3）你有没有胃问题？
4）你的尿液是不是黄色？
回答问题以后，我们总算开始做针灸。她把3个针放在我的额上，5个放在我的头上，两个放在我的颈上，4个放在我的腿上，还有4个放在我的脚上。她放针和起针的时候，有一点疼，还流了一点血（起针的时候），但是别的时间都没有问题。她放针的时候，先看我整个的身体，找到了我身体的经纬，才放针。放针以后，我安静地躺下，听着医院的声音。大夫离开了我们的房间，让我自己放松（这也是中医的一个大部分：放松）。等半个小时以后，大夫才回来起针。
始料所未及，我的头疼消失了。中医的做法真的有道理，真有帮助。
拔罐儿
拔罐儿的感觉不同于针灸的感觉：做针灸的时候，有疼的感觉，但是拔罐儿的时候，只有舒服的感觉。拔罐儿平常是在胃上和背上做的，但是也可以在脚，腿和手腕上做。（这三个地方的气经纬是有最大的帮助的。）我周六晚上去足疗中心做拔罐儿。拔罐儿的时候，拔罐儿者先准备那些罐（这次，她用了16个）。准备包括了点着了一个在罐子里面的酒精浸透的棉球，然后很快地把罐子放在我的背上,罐子马上开始吮吸我的皮肤。罐子在我的背上的时候，没有疼的感觉。
等了十分钟以后，我才可以起罐子。起了以后，我全背都有很大的罐子吸住的青瘀。那是拔罐的坏处之一。拔罐儿的好处是缓解疼痛，也可以清除身体里的垃圾。
结尾
开始研究中医之前，我不了解中医的作用，不知道历史上关于针灸最重要的书，也不知道传统的中医基于什么样的理论。这样的情况让我很难找到一个了解中医的切入点。到现在，我还没有找到；但是，我现在更了解中医。通过自己体验中医（和跟我大夫和别的中医病人交流）让我了解中医的作用，还有让我开始真正的了解身体里的经纬和中医怎么用气的经纬来治病。
归根到底中医，这个词，包括了很长的历史、很多方法（拔罐儿、针灸等等）和很多理论。这篇文章很难清清楚楚地介绍中医，但是，我比较简单的介绍了中医的一些基本情况。
中医是世界上最古老的医学之一。从三千多年前一直到现在，中医学家都在改进和发展中医的做法。固然中医是在中国起源的，但是现在，中医传播到很多别的国家如：美国、印度和英国等。中医，这个词，包括很多方面和很长的历史。在这个报告里，笔者会回顾中医的历史背景及针灸和拔罐儿的作用。
历史背景
上文已经提到，在有文字记录之前，中医已经有了很长的历史。针灸这个字最早出现在一本叫《针灸甲乙经》的书中。这本书是皇甫谧写的。他出生于公元 215年（东汉代时），去世于公元282年（晋代）。这是历史上最早关于针灸的一本书；因此这本书是历史上最重要的有参考价值的书。我们可以参考这本书的针灸和经纬。 这本书也介绍了在身体上应该放针的地方，怎么放针及针灸的作用和好处。
除了这本书以外，还有一部很重要的书是《黄帝内经》。这本书有两个部分：第一个是素问，第二个是灵枢。素问包括了中医根本的理论；灵枢很详细地讨论了针灸的作用。到现在，这本书的说法和建议还很有道理，因为书的内容涉及了全部的中医理论；这些理论还适用于今天的中医做法。
中医的理论基于道教的思想 （气、阴阳、五元素和这些元素的和谐）。传统中医学家认为身体健康是由阴阳、气和五行的和谐决定的。 气有三种：出生时有的气，自己积累的气和保护身体的气。中医学家认为对于保持身体健康而言，气是最重要的，别的东西都在其次。假如气突然不畅，病也就随即产生了。医生会看病人的症状（症状有赖于是什么样的气不畅了），就用针灸或拔罐或别的方法来治疗病人的病。通过病的症状，让大夫们知道哪一部分的气不畅了。中医学家认为这样的不畅是身体产生病的根本原因。身体里有12条气线，叫经纬。每一个经纬不畅的时候，都会有不同的症状， 因为每一个经纬都影响了不同的器官系统。
阴阳是气的一部分，因此也有相同的理论基础。阴和阳，这两个字，都有不同的意思。阴代表了女人、月亮、冷、黑等等；阳代表了男人、太阳、热、火、阳光等等。阴和阳相吻合，但是你不能简单地用只有阴或者只有阳来说明身体里的问题。固然这两个元素是相反的，但是也是相辅相成的。意思就是，假如没有阴的话，则阳也不能存在。太多阴，或者太多阳，都会引起不同的病。
五行是中医的特点；中医基于这个理论。这五个元素是：火、土、金、水和木。每一个元素都代表了一个器官或者器官系统。固然这些元素只关于一些器官，但是元素也影响了别的元素；因此，它们的关系也是相对的，它们之间不无关系。
到这儿，我还没写针灸和拔罐可以治疗什么样的病。针灸和拔罐儿可以治疗的病很多。一些可以缓解的病是： 太阳穴头疼，眩晕，拉肚子，孕妇生孩子以后的问题，等等。但是，这两个中医做法最重要的帮助还是缓解疼痛。
针灸和拔罐儿有一样的理论、作用和帮助。因此，上面写的理论适用于拔罐儿和针灸。
下面有两个我体验中医时的例子：
针灸
在这个星期，我总算有机会体验针灸。我一直想做，可惜至今我没有机会或者时间。我从小一直就有比较厉害的头疼，因此我想通过体验中医的机会来缓解我的头疼。老师们告诉我北京有一个大名鼎鼎的医院叫北京中医医院，所以我去了医院让人给我做针灸。中国的医院不同于美国的医院；因此我一个人去找大夫让我很紧张。到医院时，我在房间的外面等大夫，开始跟一个等待的病人谈话。他说，他和他的家人在20年的时间里一直来看这个大夫。他告诉我一些中医奇迹的故事。固然他完全相信中医的能力，但是对于一些病，他还是认为一个人只得去看西医（比如说，头疼的原因）。
我总算看到我的大夫了，发现她是一个年龄比较大的女人。开始做针灸以前，她花十分钟的时间问我一些问题。比方说：
1）你觉得你为什么常常头疼？
2）你每天吃什么？吃几顿？
3）你有没有胃问题？
4）你的尿液是不是黄色？
回答问题以后，我们总算开始做针灸。她把3个针放在我的额上，5个放在我的头上，两个放在我的颈上，4个放在我的腿上，还有4个放在我的脚上。她放针和起针的时候，有一点疼，还流了一点血（起针的时候），但是别的时间都没有问题。她放针的时候，先看我整个的身体，找到了我身体的经纬，才放针。放针以后，我安静地躺下，听着医院的声音。大夫离开了我们的房间，让我自己放松（这也是中医的一个大部分：放松）。等半个小时以后，大夫才回来起针。
始料所未及，我的头疼消失了。中医的做法真的有道理，真有帮助。
拔罐儿
拔罐儿的感觉不同于针灸的感觉：做针灸的时候，有疼的感觉，但是拔罐儿的时候，只有舒服的感觉。拔罐儿平常是在胃上和背上做的，但是也可以在脚，腿和手腕上做。（这三个地方的气经纬是有最大的帮助的。）我周六晚上去足疗中心做拔罐儿。拔罐儿的时候，拔罐儿者先准备那些罐（这次，她用了16个）。准备包括了点着了一个在罐子里面的酒精浸透的棉球，然后很快地把罐子放在我的背上,罐子马上开始吮吸我的皮肤。罐子在我的背上的时候，没有疼的感觉。
等了十分钟以后，我才可以起罐子。起了以后，我全背都有很大的罐子吸住的青瘀。那是拔罐的坏处之一。拔罐儿的好处是缓解疼痛，也可以清除身体里的垃圾。
结尾
开始研究中医之前，我不了解中医的作用，不知道历史上关于针灸最重要的书，也不知道传统的中医基于什么样的理论。这样的情况让我很难找到一个了解中医的切入点。到现在，我还没有找到；但是，我现在更了解中医。通过自己体验中医（和跟我大夫和别的中医病人交流）让我了解中医的作用，还有让我开始真正的了解身体里的经纬和中医怎么用气的经纬来治病。
归根到底中医，这个词，包括了很长的历史、很多方法（拔罐儿、针灸等等）和很多理论。这篇文章很难清清楚楚地介绍中医，但是，我比较简单的介绍了中医的一些基本情况。
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Miracles Happen
One major downside that any person who studies Chinese (any English speaking person, at least) will tell you about is that a lot of the time, Chinese people don't understand sarcasm. Everyone has the stories about how they were trying to be smart and sarcastic, and how it completely goes over everyone else's head. That has lead to some awkward explanations, let me tell you. But something amazing happened today: I learned about Chinese sarcasm. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it does exist. You might be laughing at me right now, saying that "Sophie, it's a language. OF COURSE THERE IS SARCASM." But in my defense, when I have tried to use sarcasm, it just hasn't worked. So I was excited to have an informal Chinese lecture, that focused on sarcasm.
It's not quite the same as the sarcasm that we have in English. It's not nearly as intense as ours. You know what i mean. Sometimes, we can have full on conversations where everything said is sarcastic. Not in Chinese. It is definitely much more of an art. But still so much fun to learn about. Obviously, I have only just started, and obviously, you can't learn everything in a classroom, but hey, it's a starting point. I will take it.
BY THE WAY, in case you were curious, I got another hot shower this morning. I think that this is now three mornings in a row. I feel spoiled.
I have actually been in a surprisingly good mood for most of the day. During class, it was all laughter, jokes, and sarcasm, even during the informal debate that we have to have every day during our conversation class. I was feeling on top of the world. I love doing conversational Chinese, as it is both more useful and more interesting than formal Chinese. Not that the literature aspect of Chinese isn't important, obviously, but I don't like reading paragraph upon paragraph descriptions of the wind on the leaves in English, much less in Chinese. I would rather learn things that I can actually use in conversation. Maybe that is why they had this class today. Maybe they could tell that all of us needed a little pick me up.
My normal lunch place, which has been closed for a week, is still closed, so once again, I had to get creative. It's getting harder and harder, trust me. There is no place in our area that is close and has good food. It's like the two are mutually exclusive. Add cheap in there and well, you might as well be hoping for snow in the middle of the Beijing summer. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
I had a good talk with my teacher during our one on one class, during which we talked about our ideas for the future, and then it was off to the gym to see Jack. He was in a super good mood today. I think that he likes making me work so hard so that he can laugh at me as I collapse on the floor. I have noticed that no one else does that, but I really don't care. He also informed me that I am a pretty runner. I assumed that he meant if you see me from a distance, because I know for a fact that my face was tomato red, and we all know that that is not attractive. Still, good to know.
I think that I was still sore from the other day's work out, because I was struggling much more than I normally do. Some of the time, it's not even because my muscles are sore, but simply because I can't catch my breath, or my legs are shaking so badly that I can't do what I am supposed to be doing. When we were doing arms, it got to the point where I just couldn't move them, and I could feel my arm muscles clenching up. That is always a fun feeling. Jack would just say "No problem!" and we would keep going. There was one point where he put a bench behind the two ergo machines, made me put my fore-arms on the bench, a foot on either seat of the ergo, and then pull my feet (and the seat) up to the end of the ergo, by throwing my butt up in the air. I had to use my abs to get my butt in the air, and my legs to steady myself on seats that were designed to move quickly. It was bloody hard, and I had to do it 60 times (3 times, 20 times each.) Let me tell you, there were definitely breaks. But by the end of it, my legs were shaking so badly that I just decided it was better to stay on the floor for a little bit.
I spent the rest of my night doing my homework. That was when my mood turned not so happy. Not for any reason in particular; it's just because when I get tired, I get super grouchy, and I let things get to me that I normally wouldn't let get to me. It has this horrible snowball effect, which usually ends up with me just giving up on the day, and going to bed. It's really the only thing that I can do with myself when I get to this point. What is getting to me this time? Well, I am glad that you asked.
It is, surprise surprise, Chinese. But this is not my normal tape of not being good enough at Chinese. I don't know how much you know about the Chinese education system, but the majority of it is based on the absurd amount of memorization that each and every student is required to do. I don't know how they manage to memorize so much.
Our American education system, as you know, is not based on memorization and recitation. Don't get me wrong, I have a good memory, and it is easy for me to remember things (most of the time). This comes in handy when I want to study Chinese, or remember where to transfer subway lines. But I don't like to waste my time, and I certainly don't like to memorize things that I don't need to memorize, or that will not add to my over all happiness.
So here now is the clash of opinions. We have to memorize these truly horrible literature paragraphs, which describe, in vivid detail, the moonlight on leaves, among other things. It is part of our test on Friday, and we haven't even really gotten the assignment until tomorrow, Thursday. Fun stuff, right? This is my problem. I don't like wasting my time, and that is exactly what I feel like I am doing, by memorizing all of this. On the bright side, when I am next trying to seduce someone, I will just bust out some of these paragraphs, and I am sure that the result will be me holding them all off with a stick. Ask me what I learned in China when I get back. I'll show you how it's done.
So that is my night, up until now. As I am sure you have already guessed, I am about to put myself to sleep, because there is simply no living with myself when I get grouchy. This division of one person (thinking of myself as someone that I live with that annoys me occasionally) may seem like something that I should go see a professional about, but who has time for that?
Night night!
It's not quite the same as the sarcasm that we have in English. It's not nearly as intense as ours. You know what i mean. Sometimes, we can have full on conversations where everything said is sarcastic. Not in Chinese. It is definitely much more of an art. But still so much fun to learn about. Obviously, I have only just started, and obviously, you can't learn everything in a classroom, but hey, it's a starting point. I will take it.
BY THE WAY, in case you were curious, I got another hot shower this morning. I think that this is now three mornings in a row. I feel spoiled.
I have actually been in a surprisingly good mood for most of the day. During class, it was all laughter, jokes, and sarcasm, even during the informal debate that we have to have every day during our conversation class. I was feeling on top of the world. I love doing conversational Chinese, as it is both more useful and more interesting than formal Chinese. Not that the literature aspect of Chinese isn't important, obviously, but I don't like reading paragraph upon paragraph descriptions of the wind on the leaves in English, much less in Chinese. I would rather learn things that I can actually use in conversation. Maybe that is why they had this class today. Maybe they could tell that all of us needed a little pick me up.
My normal lunch place, which has been closed for a week, is still closed, so once again, I had to get creative. It's getting harder and harder, trust me. There is no place in our area that is close and has good food. It's like the two are mutually exclusive. Add cheap in there and well, you might as well be hoping for snow in the middle of the Beijing summer. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
I had a good talk with my teacher during our one on one class, during which we talked about our ideas for the future, and then it was off to the gym to see Jack. He was in a super good mood today. I think that he likes making me work so hard so that he can laugh at me as I collapse on the floor. I have noticed that no one else does that, but I really don't care. He also informed me that I am a pretty runner. I assumed that he meant if you see me from a distance, because I know for a fact that my face was tomato red, and we all know that that is not attractive. Still, good to know.
I think that I was still sore from the other day's work out, because I was struggling much more than I normally do. Some of the time, it's not even because my muscles are sore, but simply because I can't catch my breath, or my legs are shaking so badly that I can't do what I am supposed to be doing. When we were doing arms, it got to the point where I just couldn't move them, and I could feel my arm muscles clenching up. That is always a fun feeling. Jack would just say "No problem!" and we would keep going. There was one point where he put a bench behind the two ergo machines, made me put my fore-arms on the bench, a foot on either seat of the ergo, and then pull my feet (and the seat) up to the end of the ergo, by throwing my butt up in the air. I had to use my abs to get my butt in the air, and my legs to steady myself on seats that were designed to move quickly. It was bloody hard, and I had to do it 60 times (3 times, 20 times each.) Let me tell you, there were definitely breaks. But by the end of it, my legs were shaking so badly that I just decided it was better to stay on the floor for a little bit.
I spent the rest of my night doing my homework. That was when my mood turned not so happy. Not for any reason in particular; it's just because when I get tired, I get super grouchy, and I let things get to me that I normally wouldn't let get to me. It has this horrible snowball effect, which usually ends up with me just giving up on the day, and going to bed. It's really the only thing that I can do with myself when I get to this point. What is getting to me this time? Well, I am glad that you asked.
It is, surprise surprise, Chinese. But this is not my normal tape of not being good enough at Chinese. I don't know how much you know about the Chinese education system, but the majority of it is based on the absurd amount of memorization that each and every student is required to do. I don't know how they manage to memorize so much.
Our American education system, as you know, is not based on memorization and recitation. Don't get me wrong, I have a good memory, and it is easy for me to remember things (most of the time). This comes in handy when I want to study Chinese, or remember where to transfer subway lines. But I don't like to waste my time, and I certainly don't like to memorize things that I don't need to memorize, or that will not add to my over all happiness.
So here now is the clash of opinions. We have to memorize these truly horrible literature paragraphs, which describe, in vivid detail, the moonlight on leaves, among other things. It is part of our test on Friday, and we haven't even really gotten the assignment until tomorrow, Thursday. Fun stuff, right? This is my problem. I don't like wasting my time, and that is exactly what I feel like I am doing, by memorizing all of this. On the bright side, when I am next trying to seduce someone, I will just bust out some of these paragraphs, and I am sure that the result will be me holding them all off with a stick. Ask me what I learned in China when I get back. I'll show you how it's done.
So that is my night, up until now. As I am sure you have already guessed, I am about to put myself to sleep, because there is simply no living with myself when I get grouchy. This division of one person (thinking of myself as someone that I live with that annoys me occasionally) may seem like something that I should go see a professional about, but who has time for that?
Night night!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Giggle Loop
Trivia for the day: If anyone can tell me what TV show the title if from, I will do absolutely anything you want. You will be my hero. And no checking on the internet. From the heart now, people!
And now, for my day. I woke up at 5:30, and I had already gotten the blankets halfway off before I realized that it wasn't actually 6:30, and that I was just being hysterical. It was surprisingly easy to go back to sleep. But when I did wake (for real this time) I got a hot shower. Two days in a row. I think that I must have done something karmically good, and the universe is finally smiling on me. Or maybe I have just been in China too long, and it is starting to affect my brain waves. That might be more likely.
Class was actually really interesting today, because, guess what? We have started reading literature. Finally. Well, I don't suppose you can actually call it literature. Well, what I mean is, my text book had a story from one of China's greatest writers, Lu Xun. So, it is proper literature, but it was in our textbook, so I don't really count it. But it was interesting. He wrote stories to try to wake the Chinese population up in the early 1900's. So most of his stories (actually, all of them) are very depressing. But it is proper literature. This is what I started learning Chinese for. And I feel extremely proud of myself. Granted, I had a word bank, but still. I did it. :)
Tuesday means Chinese tables. Lunch. I was so starving by lunch time that I was feeling lightheaded, and walking very quickly towards the restaurant. I was all excited for good Chinese food, in huge quantities, that someone else was paying for. So imagine my disappointment when we all walk into the restaurant, and there are individual plates of not so good Chinese food, swimming in oil. Yummy. But I'm not complaining. It is definitely better than the bread and butter that I normally have for lunch when I am in the States. And I finished eating early. Which is always a bonus. Well, not always. But right now, yes.
I spent the remaining hour of my lunch break trying to memorize the paragraph that I was going to be quizzed on in an hour. It was a paragraph describing Kong Yi Ji 's appearance (he is the character in the story that we read). Thank God I have a good memory. I must have looked like a complete fool as I was walking to class, saying the paragraph to myself. Ah well, a little crazy is a lot fun. Don't you agree?
I did make one tiny little mistake during my one on one class with my teacher today. I did the paragraph with not too much trouble, and then my teacher and I talked for a little bit. Then she looked at me and says "Now tell me about the author that you researched, and the book that you learned about." Huh. Right. WHAT???? That was basically my response. I had forgotten to look at the schedule. No one does! They always tell us what our homework is. So I missed this tiny little section. But this wasn't really homework, because we weren't being graded on it. But still. So that was my "What the Fuck" moment of the day.
After that, there was a short, 10 minute long practice for the HSK listening portion. Basically, they read us out questions from previous HSK tests, and then we have to answer them. It's practice, and completely optional. About 8 people came. We all sat down, eager and confident, and they started reading. We got to about question 3 before the laughter started. In this case, it was not happy go lucky laughter, but more of that desperate, hopeless laughter, the kind that says "As if I actually know what you are saying" and "there is no way that I am ever going to pass this test." Our teachers got mad at us for laughing too much. I don't want to think about the actual test. That is going to be painful. Surprisingly, I actually did better on the second half. That was when I figured that I should actually start really paying attention to the questions. And I did better. Funny how that works.
For the rest of the afternoon, I did my homework. Nope, no Jack today. Today is my rest day, thank god. I have actually forgotten what it feels like to walk, and not be in pain. I really do think that it is him helping me stretch that makes me sore, not the work out itself. That should say something about Jack, I think. I'll let you figure out what.
My homework. Here are the two paragraphs that I had to translate. I thought that they were special enough to post here:
"It was the winter of 1917, a strong north wind was blustering, but the exigencies of earning my living forced me to be up and out early. I met scarcely a soul on the road buy eventually managed to hire a rickshaw to take me to the South Gate. Presently the win dropped a little, having blown away the drifts of dust on the road to leave a clan broad highway, and the rickshaw man quickened his pace. We were just approaching the South Gate when we knocked into someone who toppled over.
It was a grey haired woman in ragged clothes, She had stopped out abruptly from the roadside in front of us, and although the rickshaw man had swerved, her tattered ragged waistcoat, unbuttoned and billowing in the wind, had caught on the shaft. Luckily the rickshaw man had slowed down, otherwise she would certainly have had a bad fall and it might have been a serious accident."
If the look on your face right now is a combination of disbelief, and laughter, and WTF, then have no fear, that was my reaction too. I'm going to be completely honest with you, I have absolutely no clue how on earth you say "unbuttoned and billowing in the wind." That's crap, that is. I mean, I can do a rough translation of this (with the help of a dictionary, of course) but it won't be pretty. These are literature paragraphs. They are supposed to be pretty, and flowing. Mine are definitely written by a foreigner. As it turns out, this is an English translation of a Chinese story, and our teachers want us to translate it so that tomorrow we can look at how it was actually written, and compare that to what we wrote. Just for funsies. Oh goody.
I have also spent some of the afternoon watching an exceedingly hilarious show called... well, I can't tell you, because that would be giving away the answer to my trivia question. But it is hysterical. I think that I actually may die from laughing from watching this show. It also has the horrible side effect of making me burst into laughter as I am walking down the street. If everybody didn't already think that I was the crazy foreigner... well, they certainly do now.
And now, it's that time of the night. I am going to bed. Check back tomorrow!
And now, for my day. I woke up at 5:30, and I had already gotten the blankets halfway off before I realized that it wasn't actually 6:30, and that I was just being hysterical. It was surprisingly easy to go back to sleep. But when I did wake (for real this time) I got a hot shower. Two days in a row. I think that I must have done something karmically good, and the universe is finally smiling on me. Or maybe I have just been in China too long, and it is starting to affect my brain waves. That might be more likely.
Class was actually really interesting today, because, guess what? We have started reading literature. Finally. Well, I don't suppose you can actually call it literature. Well, what I mean is, my text book had a story from one of China's greatest writers, Lu Xun. So, it is proper literature, but it was in our textbook, so I don't really count it. But it was interesting. He wrote stories to try to wake the Chinese population up in the early 1900's. So most of his stories (actually, all of them) are very depressing. But it is proper literature. This is what I started learning Chinese for. And I feel extremely proud of myself. Granted, I had a word bank, but still. I did it. :)
Tuesday means Chinese tables. Lunch. I was so starving by lunch time that I was feeling lightheaded, and walking very quickly towards the restaurant. I was all excited for good Chinese food, in huge quantities, that someone else was paying for. So imagine my disappointment when we all walk into the restaurant, and there are individual plates of not so good Chinese food, swimming in oil. Yummy. But I'm not complaining. It is definitely better than the bread and butter that I normally have for lunch when I am in the States. And I finished eating early. Which is always a bonus. Well, not always. But right now, yes.
I spent the remaining hour of my lunch break trying to memorize the paragraph that I was going to be quizzed on in an hour. It was a paragraph describing Kong Yi Ji 's appearance (he is the character in the story that we read). Thank God I have a good memory. I must have looked like a complete fool as I was walking to class, saying the paragraph to myself. Ah well, a little crazy is a lot fun. Don't you agree?
I did make one tiny little mistake during my one on one class with my teacher today. I did the paragraph with not too much trouble, and then my teacher and I talked for a little bit. Then she looked at me and says "Now tell me about the author that you researched, and the book that you learned about." Huh. Right. WHAT???? That was basically my response. I had forgotten to look at the schedule. No one does! They always tell us what our homework is. So I missed this tiny little section. But this wasn't really homework, because we weren't being graded on it. But still. So that was my "What the Fuck" moment of the day.
After that, there was a short, 10 minute long practice for the HSK listening portion. Basically, they read us out questions from previous HSK tests, and then we have to answer them. It's practice, and completely optional. About 8 people came. We all sat down, eager and confident, and they started reading. We got to about question 3 before the laughter started. In this case, it was not happy go lucky laughter, but more of that desperate, hopeless laughter, the kind that says "As if I actually know what you are saying" and "there is no way that I am ever going to pass this test." Our teachers got mad at us for laughing too much. I don't want to think about the actual test. That is going to be painful. Surprisingly, I actually did better on the second half. That was when I figured that I should actually start really paying attention to the questions. And I did better. Funny how that works.
For the rest of the afternoon, I did my homework. Nope, no Jack today. Today is my rest day, thank god. I have actually forgotten what it feels like to walk, and not be in pain. I really do think that it is him helping me stretch that makes me sore, not the work out itself. That should say something about Jack, I think. I'll let you figure out what.
My homework. Here are the two paragraphs that I had to translate. I thought that they were special enough to post here:
"It was the winter of 1917, a strong north wind was blustering, but the exigencies of earning my living forced me to be up and out early. I met scarcely a soul on the road buy eventually managed to hire a rickshaw to take me to the South Gate. Presently the win dropped a little, having blown away the drifts of dust on the road to leave a clan broad highway, and the rickshaw man quickened his pace. We were just approaching the South Gate when we knocked into someone who toppled over.
It was a grey haired woman in ragged clothes, She had stopped out abruptly from the roadside in front of us, and although the rickshaw man had swerved, her tattered ragged waistcoat, unbuttoned and billowing in the wind, had caught on the shaft. Luckily the rickshaw man had slowed down, otherwise she would certainly have had a bad fall and it might have been a serious accident."
If the look on your face right now is a combination of disbelief, and laughter, and WTF, then have no fear, that was my reaction too. I'm going to be completely honest with you, I have absolutely no clue how on earth you say "unbuttoned and billowing in the wind." That's crap, that is. I mean, I can do a rough translation of this (with the help of a dictionary, of course) but it won't be pretty. These are literature paragraphs. They are supposed to be pretty, and flowing. Mine are definitely written by a foreigner. As it turns out, this is an English translation of a Chinese story, and our teachers want us to translate it so that tomorrow we can look at how it was actually written, and compare that to what we wrote. Just for funsies. Oh goody.
I have also spent some of the afternoon watching an exceedingly hilarious show called... well, I can't tell you, because that would be giving away the answer to my trivia question. But it is hysterical. I think that I actually may die from laughing from watching this show. It also has the horrible side effect of making me burst into laughter as I am walking down the street. If everybody didn't already think that I was the crazy foreigner... well, they certainly do now.
And now, it's that time of the night. I am going to bed. Check back tomorrow!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday Blues
I didn't have some crazy Chinese girl knocking on my door to wake me up this morning. That was a plus, at least. And I got a hot shower this morning. A legitimate hot shower. That never happens. I was feeling on top of the world. Well, not really, actually. I was more feeling like I was moving through soup. I swear, waking up before 7 during the summer is barbaric. At least, it is when you are an 18 year old (but not for much longer!) college student.
Class today was... well... I managed to keep my eyes open, anyway. I always feel so bad when I am falling asleep in class. It's not because I'm not interested. I am. And I want to listen. I want to jump into the conversation. But I just can't. All I can think about is going back to sleep.
It actually wasn't bad today. I mostly understood what was going on, and I knew the grammar, and I knew the words. It wasn't too bad. It even made me forget about the absolute horrible weather outside. It felt like it was about a million degrees, and it was humid. You could feel the smog clinging to your skin. It was not a happy feeling, I can tell you that right now. It actually made me happy to be in class, so that I didn't have to be outside.
I grabbed a quick lunch of a couple of bao zi, and went back to my room to rest. And to try to get some of my homework done. We had so much to do tonight, I just didn't want to leave all of it to do tonight. We had to write 2 small essays, do some grammar points, read a small essay, memorize 50 characters, and memorize a large paragraph to recite to our teacher tomorrow. So you can see why I wanted to get a head start on it.
After my last hour with just me and a teacher (I still haven't figured out an English name for that class. It's annoying) I dragged myself to an HSK preparation class. One of the teachers was giving a lecture for half an hour on how to take the test, so I went. I figured, why not? I should go, so I went. It didn't really look like any of us wanted to be there, but honestly, I think that we got brownie points for going. And besides, it was helpful.
I saw Jack tonight. Third day in a row. I was still a little bit sore from yesterday. I have even tried to send him a text earlier trying to cancel, but in typical fashion, he wouldn't let me. So I went. The entire hour was all stomach and arms. I was exhausted by the end of it, but oh so happy with myself. There were times where I couldn't actually do what he wanted my too, because i couldn't really move my arms. That's always a fun feeling. He makes me do things in sets of threes, for the record. At one point, he showed me how to do something, and then made me do it 15 times. I used all my strength trying to finish, and if I hadn't already been lying down, I probably would have collapsed. Then he looked at me and said, you have to do this twice more, 20 times each. I started laughing. Honestly, it was either laughing or crying. It's sad how often those two emotions pop up when you are working out. Or maybe it is just me.
There is something actually happy about feeling all of your muscles crying out in agony. Well, at least, I know that I will feel better tomorrow. Jack definitely warmed up. He started out a little bit grouchy, but I think he enjoys watching me suffer. In a nice way, of course. And I think he is happy that I am finally becoming "prettier". I have some issues still when he says this, but hey, we all have our own baggage. Maybe this is just his hangover from his childhood. I am fine as I am, thank you very much!
The rest of the night was spent crazily writing my homework, and spouting random sentences in Chinese that I sure as hell hop that I am saying right. I know that they are at least mostly correct. And I'll take it! I've fond that having all of this homework is actually making me a little bit grouchy. Yes, I know, I am supposed to be here to learn Chinese. And yes, I love learning Chinese, and I love working this hard to learn it. But let's be real here. This is my summer vacation. I am in China. I have less than 3 weeks left here. I probably won't be back here for years. And I can't go outside and enjoy it, because I am trapped inside, working on my homework, that I almost can't finish. Is it so bad for me to want to actually enjoy my summer? Apparently so. No wonder I get grouchy.
Good night all!
Class today was... well... I managed to keep my eyes open, anyway. I always feel so bad when I am falling asleep in class. It's not because I'm not interested. I am. And I want to listen. I want to jump into the conversation. But I just can't. All I can think about is going back to sleep.
It actually wasn't bad today. I mostly understood what was going on, and I knew the grammar, and I knew the words. It wasn't too bad. It even made me forget about the absolute horrible weather outside. It felt like it was about a million degrees, and it was humid. You could feel the smog clinging to your skin. It was not a happy feeling, I can tell you that right now. It actually made me happy to be in class, so that I didn't have to be outside.
I grabbed a quick lunch of a couple of bao zi, and went back to my room to rest. And to try to get some of my homework done. We had so much to do tonight, I just didn't want to leave all of it to do tonight. We had to write 2 small essays, do some grammar points, read a small essay, memorize 50 characters, and memorize a large paragraph to recite to our teacher tomorrow. So you can see why I wanted to get a head start on it.
After my last hour with just me and a teacher (I still haven't figured out an English name for that class. It's annoying) I dragged myself to an HSK preparation class. One of the teachers was giving a lecture for half an hour on how to take the test, so I went. I figured, why not? I should go, so I went. It didn't really look like any of us wanted to be there, but honestly, I think that we got brownie points for going. And besides, it was helpful.
I saw Jack tonight. Third day in a row. I was still a little bit sore from yesterday. I have even tried to send him a text earlier trying to cancel, but in typical fashion, he wouldn't let me. So I went. The entire hour was all stomach and arms. I was exhausted by the end of it, but oh so happy with myself. There were times where I couldn't actually do what he wanted my too, because i couldn't really move my arms. That's always a fun feeling. He makes me do things in sets of threes, for the record. At one point, he showed me how to do something, and then made me do it 15 times. I used all my strength trying to finish, and if I hadn't already been lying down, I probably would have collapsed. Then he looked at me and said, you have to do this twice more, 20 times each. I started laughing. Honestly, it was either laughing or crying. It's sad how often those two emotions pop up when you are working out. Or maybe it is just me.
There is something actually happy about feeling all of your muscles crying out in agony. Well, at least, I know that I will feel better tomorrow. Jack definitely warmed up. He started out a little bit grouchy, but I think he enjoys watching me suffer. In a nice way, of course. And I think he is happy that I am finally becoming "prettier". I have some issues still when he says this, but hey, we all have our own baggage. Maybe this is just his hangover from his childhood. I am fine as I am, thank you very much!
The rest of the night was spent crazily writing my homework, and spouting random sentences in Chinese that I sure as hell hop that I am saying right. I know that they are at least mostly correct. And I'll take it! I've fond that having all of this homework is actually making me a little bit grouchy. Yes, I know, I am supposed to be here to learn Chinese. And yes, I love learning Chinese, and I love working this hard to learn it. But let's be real here. This is my summer vacation. I am in China. I have less than 3 weeks left here. I probably won't be back here for years. And I can't go outside and enjoy it, because I am trapped inside, working on my homework, that I almost can't finish. Is it so bad for me to want to actually enjoy my summer? Apparently so. No wonder I get grouchy.
Good night all!
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