Monday, August 4, 2008

pointers to posts of interest

While I was in Shanghai in the late winter and into the spring, I wrote a few posts on my other blog that might be of interest to readers here.  They also deal with Chinese culture and language, and with language learning.  Here’s the links:

Some thoughts on suicide in China
About the difference between three closely related Chinese words
Frustrations with language learning, and some fun thoughts that resulted from some frustration situations
Some interesting thoughts I heard in a lecture while I was in Shanghai
A review of a performance of Hamlet in Shanghai
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

A Day in Shanghai

I wrote this “wenzhang” several weeks ago.  I think it is still the one that I am most pleased with, despite the fact that I’ve written half a dozen or so more since then.

The subject assigned was “A Day in Shanghai.”
上海的一天
上海是一个非常繁华的城市。上海的人很多；到处都是人山人海。不习惯住大城市的人，如果第一次到上海，可能会觉得有一点不舒服。习惯住大城市的人会特别喜欢上海。

上海清晨的时候，路上的人已经很多了。学生们都去上学，大人们都去上班。从六点到十点，车上的人，地铁上的人，骑车的人，走路的人都很多。坐公交车的话，有时很难挤上去，肯定没有位子坐。走路也要挤来挤去，因为有太多人在走路。路边也有很多卖早餐的小摊。很多顾客买早饭时，会挡路。路边卖的早饭又便宜又好吃；难怪这么多人很愿意买。

十点以后，车上，地铁上的人才少了一点。十一点左右路上的人又多起来，因为吃午饭的时间到了。去哪儿吃都很难找位子。无论是去很贵的餐馆吃饭还是去吃很便宜的一碗面，都不容易找一个安静的地方。要等到一点多，人家都回办公室以后，才能看到一些人不太多的餐馆。

黄昏的时候，路上仍然有很多人，尤其是靠近学校的马路。如果路过一所小学的校门口，会看到很多老人在等孙子孙女放学。如果是中学的校门口，路上都是学生。他们最喜欢一边慢慢地走路一边大声地说话。碰见一大堆学生一边走路一边聊天，才知道”热闹“是什么。

晚上时，路上的人一般不是老人，也不是学生，而是刚刚下班的人。下班以后，上海人很喜欢和朋友一起去吃饭。所有的餐馆里都坐满了人。他们都穿得很漂亮，吃得很起劲，谈得很开心。

半夜的时候，上海的路上人才少了一些。在这方面，上海不像纽约，洛杉矶，或美国其它的大城市。这些地方半夜才热闹起来。上海半夜时，除了酒吧和便利店，整个城市都会睡觉了。在上海，只有大概晚上十二点到早上五六点才能看到空空的马路。

上海虽然是个非常热闹的城市，可是也有安静的时候。
Posted by poetically challenged at 04:27:54 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Spring Time in Shanghai

Posted by poetically challenged at 04:06:59 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, February 22, 2008

Language Studies in Shanghai

Well, the time is here, and I am finally starting on something I have said I would do for a very long time now.  I’ll be starting language studies in Shanghai on Monday.


I’ve found a flat, and moved in.  I’ve registered for the course at the Mandarin Center, and am more or less on my way now.  It should be lots of fun.

I will be studying in a one-to-one setting three days a week.  It is only a 3-month course (90 hours), but I hope to see a good deal of improvement in my language skills between now and the time the course finishes.  Already, there have been a few times I felt pushed to use the language in ways I am not used to, and that has to help in my overall skills.  Just the other night, when I was looking for a flat, the agent asked me how the property market in the US is going.  That’s not something I often talk about in Chinese, and answering the question stretched me just a little.

Looks like it could be lots of fun!
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Friday, September 14, 2007

I found it!

I’ve been trying for some time to figure out how to continue to progress in my language studies.  It seems that all the various programs I’ve looked at (and started, some) haven’t been quite right.


This past week, I’ve been spending my time in Shanghai looking for an appropriate program, and I have found it.  I will be able to concentrate on lessons for 3 months at a time, and will focus on reading and writing (while improving my oral Chinese, of course).  The school I’ve found has a very professional approach, and I was impressed with both the staff I met and the materials they use.

I looked at several different programs this past week.  Some, while not quite for me, still looked very good.  I will try, over the next few weeks, to highlight some of those that looked interesting.
Posted by poetically challenged at 04:40:54 | Permalink | No Comments »