Last Day of the Semester

Heading off to class in a bit. But this day marks the end of my first semester here at Shi Da. After this is a class trip to Sanxia (三峽) on Friday, and then I’m off for about a week.

It’s been an eventful semester. When I started out, my grammar was terrible and vocabulary infantile, thus I was afraid to speak. Nowadays, I’ll talk to anyone with my still-terrible grammar and slightly improved vocabulary. I learned a lot, but also learned just how much further there is to go.

To put in perspective:
My current book is only considered level 2. It is the first book for people who can already speak and read a little bit.
When I took the practice TOP exam it was only the 2nd level. Granted, I did well enough in that test but I’d definitely run into trouble if I were to take the next level.
I can’t read newspapers yet. I might be able to read a good amount of words from any given article but not understand any of it.
Watching the news is slightly easier, but a lot still gets by me.

So there is still a lot to learn. I’m going to be taking intensive course next term. It’ll be 3 hours a day now as opposed to 2, but there’ll definitely be a couple hours of homework. I just want to learn as much as I can in this semester, and when it’s over I’ll re-assess myself.

If I had to give myself a first-half grade, it’d probably be B. I’ve made improvements but there’s a lot of stuff I’ve been slacking on. I’ll need to emerge from the break with a renewed focus. Work hard, play hard.

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成語 – Chinese Idioms

There are thousands of Chinese idioms consisting of just four characters. These phrases are so compact yet so meaningful. Having a few under your belt instantly gives off the impression that you are learned in the ways of the Chinese language. Therefore, it can’t hurt to memorize a few to fire off at any given moment. The great thing about them is how ubiquitous they are– there are idioms for almost any situation. At the very least learn a few to use a pick-up lines?

Armed and ready.

I should carry this around everywhere I go and just chime in on strangers’ conversations with an idiom. Yes, I’m gonna be that guy.

Or maybe I’ll just post one or two every few days. That might be better.

Here’s one:

不辭而別 – bu4ci2er2bie2 – Leave without saying goodbye

 

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TOP Practice Test

Today the Mandarin Training Center is proctoring its own version of the TOP (Test of Proficiency). For ESL’ers, TOP is similar to the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam. In fact, the committee that distributes the real test changed the test’s name to TOCFL, probably to make it sound more official. It’s also become computerized like most major tests nowadays. There are four levels: Beginner, Learner, Superior, Master.

The MTC conducts its own version of the test but simulates the same conditions- same amount of time, done on computer, different levels, etc. The grading system will be altered however, to accommodate for the fact that each class is only expected to know what has been taught. For example, the test is divided into four levels. But even though our class is taking the second level test, there are going to be words we haven’t encountered yet in our textbooks. MTC is taking this into account, and thus we’ll be getting an adjusted score.

If we do well enough, they’ll give us a chance to take the real TOP/TOCFL for free! I’d be getting a good idea of where I stand in terms of Mandarin proficiency. However, it sucks that we’re only taking the 2nd level, which only means there is still so much more to learn. I guess my goal of mastering Chinese in six months is but a pipe dream.

edit: I got a 94 on the test. It consists of 2 parts: an audio section and a reading comprehension section.

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Sing for the Moment

The Mandarin Training Center is holding a KTV contest tomorrow. It’s pretty cool that they have events like this. There are even cash prizes for the top three performers. Gotta be in it to win it, eh?

Actually I’m only half-thinking about the prize. It’s kind of more about the song itself, which seemed perfect for me to sing when I got here. I’ll write about the song later, it’s all under wraps until the actual performance. Can’t have anyone stealing my thunder. You know, cuz everyone reads this blog.

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Fail

Remember I mentioned something about fantasy basketball draft? Yeah… so I uh, overslept today and couldn’t make it to class. Ugh. Might as well be productive and catch up on blogging.

I haven’t written about class in a while and what better time to do it than when I’ve skipped it, hm? After being at MTC for about a month, here’s my thoughts on it:

The quality of the teacher you get is of course of huge significance. Just as important, however, are the classmates you get. Both are pretty much crapshoots but having a strong mix of both will really reinforce your learning. If you have doubts about either early on, make the effort to switch classes. Easier said than done- there’s a lot of BS to go through in order to switch classes, but you don’t want to get stuck for 3 months in a shitty situation either.

I rolled the dice and stayed with my class, and it’s been going well for the most part. Sometimes I do wish I would have taken the intensive course; given my limited time here, I want to learn as much as possible. 老實說, 跟一些同學來比, 我們的中文程度差得很多. 有時候我覺得我們學得太慢.

It’s not like I’m not learning, however. There are lots of vocab and phrases I wouldn’t have known how to use if I weren’t taking the class. Also, it’s helped me correct my grammar tremendously, which might not have been the case by simply speaking to people. When I got here my grammar level was probably that of an elementary school child’s. Therefore people can understand me, but I wouldn’t necessarily be saying it properly. Also, my writing has lots of room for improvement. It too much resembles spoken dialog at times.

But ultimately, the class is what you make of it. Take advantage of the facilities while you are here. For example, the computer lab contains all the textbooks being used, in .pdf format. You can also watch Chinese movies and TV dramas there and it will count towards your supplemental class hours.

One last thing: there is a singing contest being held at school. Chinese songs only. I think I’m gonna do it. I’ve already been secretly practicing. Keep you posted =)

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Belated Teachers Day post

As I said last time, Sept 28 was Teacher’s Day.

Well, this is a late post in honor of that day.

K- Miss Walker
1- Ms. Salmoni
2- Mrs. Lereah
3- Mr. Altman
4- Mr. Weinman
5- Ms. Abrahams

Thank you.

Everyone else- you still have some years before you’re eligible for the Hall of Fame.

I’ve been getting good teachers here too. Lemme break down some vocab I’ve acquired (these are mostly colloquialisms, not actual definitions):

1. 瞎 (xia1) – almost interchangeable with “sucks” as in “this movie sucks”
2. 俗 (su2, Taiwanese: song3) – common / coarse. Used to describe bumpkins
3. 土包子 (tu3bao1zi) – bumpkin
4. 潮流 (chao2liu2) – Hypebeast
5. 正 (zheng4) – Fine. As in, “that’s one fine lady right there”
6. 扯 (che3)- Ridiculous. That definition probably comes from 扯鈴 (che3ling2), the Chinese yo-yo, which is very ridiculous in itself
7. 不值得 (bu4zhi2de2) – not worth it. As in: “Don’t worry man, she’s not worth it.”
8. 花心 (hua1xin1) – fickle (in love affairs). Translation: Playa
9. 夯 (hang1) – Popular
10. 馬賽克 (ma3sai4ke4) – mosaic. I only included this one as a reference for the next two…
11. 騎兵 (qi2bing1) – censored
12. 步兵 (bu4bing1) – uncensored

Cheers.

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Step By Step

In class we finished looking over chapter 5 of our textbook, so…today was our first test! It was a one-hour exam, all written. Not really much else to say about it; I went to work and that’s all she wrote. I might have to start studying extra stuff on my own.

Thunder cracked and it started to rain heavily just as class was ending. Since we were basically trapped, my classmate and I decided to tack on some extra “Supplementary Class” hours by heading to the auditorium to watch a movie. It’s an easy two hours added to your time card provided the movie turns out to be entertaining. In this case, it definitely was.

Trailer:

It was a Taiwanese film called 練戀舞 (English title: Step by Step). The male lead was a guy who took care of the elderly at a nursing home. The residents of the nursing home are all pretty lively but each person has his/her own quirks. Obviously taking care of them is no easy task but Mr. Liu (the male lead) manages by occasionally bending, if not breaking, the rules to keep them happy.

Later on we learn that the nursing home would be shutting down in a few months. In comes this dance instructor, the female lead of the movie. She shows up in their town and the people at the nursing home all want to learn tango from her. They want to enter and hopefully win a dancing competition before the home closes. Of course, she’s got her own set of problems which is why she is in town in the first place.

Anyways, I don’t want to give away too much but it was a good watch and had its share of heartfelt moments. My ex-coworker used to talk all the time about her days working at a nursing home. I imagine she went through similar ups and downs as Mr. Liu. However, there is a beautiful scene where the residents show their appreciation for Mr. Liu, letting him know how much he is loved and needed. Moments like that make you think, worth it. No wonder my coworker always talked about her “rezzies”.

Lastly, the female lead is pretty hot.

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My Class

As promised:

Been four days of classes so far.  Classes are from 12:20pm to 2:10pm, Monday to Friday, totaling 10 hours of the core Mandarin classes. On top of that we’re supposed to have 5 hours a week of supplementary classes, which ranges from learning Taiwanese to watching TV dramas to just studying in the library. The 5 hours a week is just the recommended pace, however. As long as you rack up 17 hours of extracurriculars a month, the school doesn’t really care how you do it. With my commute though it makes sense to stick around school for a couple hours.

During the first two weeks people are constantly switching classes which is why the teacher seemed a little bit all over the place. When we’re in session she’d sometimes misplace something or forget to print out some class material. She’d apologize and then go into story mode, telling us about the hardships of having class on multiple floors or having students who expect the teacher to have everything printed out for them…

As I said earlier I was really hoping my class would work out, because the process of changing classes is such a bitch. To change classes, you have to officially drop your current class which requires the current teacher’s signature. Every class has a maximum of 10 students, so there’s no point in even auditing another class unless there’s a vacancy. To top it off the teacher happily mentioned that, considering our language level, this was the only class truly suitable for us. We were all basically fucked either way. That’s why I said if the teacher wasn’t up to par (I had my reservations) then please let my classmates be chill.

It’s only four days but I think the class will be just fine when all’s said and done. True, all I can do is grin and bear it anyways, but I’ve got reasons to believe the situation’s not as bleak as I originally imagined. First, the teacher’s got over 20 years of experience. Maybe this means she’s locked into a certain way of teaching but I can tell at least she knows which areas students of our level need help. She’s using this week to hone in on our language ability, and I suspect next week’s class will be far more structured.

My classmates, meanwhile, all seem fairly cool. A lot of us are in the same boat; we grew up in Mandarin-speaking households so we have some conversational skills. In light of that, MTC dumped us all into this class that will focus more on writing. There aren’t any “foreigners” in my class (the closest is a mixed kid) but it still has an international feel. There are a few from the States- Cali, Pennsylvania, Seattle, and NY. We also have a girl from Brazil and a dude from Guatemala. The mixed kid I mentioned actually grew up in Taiwan so he speaks better than all of us. MTC is awesome in that we really do get to meet people from everywhere.

We get enough homework to keep us busy. Just the other day we all had to make an advertisement as if you were putting up an apartment for rent in the classified section. First time using it, but good looks to Microsoft Publisher. We already got quizzed on the words we learned. Next Monday is the chapter test. Not bad. Keep it coming, teach.

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First Day Jitters

I’ve spent about a week and a half here in the motherland, so when the day came to finally start class I was feeling pretty good about myself. Swag scooterin’.

…Today made me realize why I came out here in the first place. So many words to learn, colloquialisms to understand. Even my conversational skills leave much room for improvement. Speaking of which; 進步 (jin4bu4) = improve. We learned today it was often used incorrectly (guilty as charged) and we had write 2 sentences with it for homework.

Another good one to learn: 動機 (dong4 ji1) = motivation. The teacher had the impression that we were all fine with learning whatever, since no one had any particular requests with subject material or teaching methods. If I could I would’ve told her about everything I wrote in my blog. I would’ve mentioned the regret I feel in not being able to communicate with my parents very well. I would’ve mentioned my dreams of an international career in something to be named. I would’ve mentioned the slight embarrassment I feel when I mumble words I can’t read in karaoke (although enough alcohol usually solves that problem).

Or, the very fact that I’m not able to mention these things to her. Motivation. 動機.

I’ll talk more about 1st day of class later, gotta get my study on.

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Class starts tomorrow

First day of classes at MTC is tomorrow. Books are bought; ready to go.

Even dusted off the ol' textbook from college.

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