The Beginning

Firstly, let me note- the internet here is very unpredictable so I will update as I can. I had intended to post this on Sunday, however, as my situation is, this entry has now become a compilation of entries for multiple days.

Sunday May 11, 2014

My first full day in Chuxiong. Some of our Chinese tutors accompanied us to Walmart. Yes, a Walmart. And Walmart it is, although, you find people dressed in normal clothes at this one, unlike many of the stores in the U.S. Haha... It had all kinds of great stuff, and the fresh food section had all kinds of meats provided in ways one would never see in the U.S. A very clean Chinese market. I like this city.

Shanghai was fun, we saw many sights on the first day. We went to a museum, a historic area rebuilt to look like parts of Shanghai did, took a river cruise at night to see the newer part of the city lit up. I liked it. :) However, Chuxiong is much smaller by comparison, and subsequently feels more relaxed. So far I have yet to see any other foreigners outside of our group. I have heard that a few of the teachers here are from Europe or the U.S., but as stated earlier, I've just heard rumor.

Our first day of classes begins tomorrow. We're going to participate in the opening ceremonies, so we need to look very professional. I look forward to working with my tutor to improve my conversational skills.

Chuxiong claims to be the Land of the Dinosaurs. As we took a shuttle (bus) from Kunming to get here, I saw many older houses along the way with dinosaur illustrations painted on their walls. I'm excited to visit the archaeological museum they have in the city. The dinosaurs, mountains and red rocks around here remind me very much of home. It is crazy how many similarities I've noticed. Granted, it is much greener here and slightly more humid, and while it's hot in the sun, it is considerably cooler than Utah in the shade or in a building with its windows open.

Wow, my brain is everywhere today.

Monday May 12, 2014

Today, we had orientation and the opening ceremonies. We were introduced to the teachers for our classes, and all of our tutors. I really like my tutor. Her name is Zhou Qian, or she goes by her English name Lucy. She doesn't speak a large amount of English, but she understands more than I understand Chinese. I am excited. The language barrier will help me work to learn how to speak and understand more.

After introductions we had a small test to assess our Chinese comprehension level. We had a list of characters to translate, after which we were to give a short three minute introduction of ourselves and why we desire to learn Chinese. I think I got a majority of the characters I answered correct, but the second part was more concerning. However, as I wrote up what I wanted to say, I remembered the presentation I had given in the end of class last semester. That gave me plenty of content.

Later, we went down to another part of the city today, in an effort to get additional pictures taken for some documentation, We later found out the endeavor had been unnecessary, as Yuan Laoshi had already obtained digital copies of our visa photos. However, I loved the whole thing. We went to a city center with a large pond, many flowers, trees and some monument-like statues.

The best thing about this place was how many old people there were there. Many were playing Mahjong, or card games. Others were singing or playing musical instruments together, others were dancing. Many people stared at us as we passed by, or when we were standing around as we were asking for directions. Some came and talked with us or asked us questions. One lady invited us to come back to watch (or participate in, I'm not sure which) a dance later at 8:30. A handful of people took pictures of us. Haha.... Such is life in China when you're a foreigner.

We got a new book today, so I've been reading over the first few chapters in preparation for tomorrow. I don't know how much we're going to cover, but much of what I read was review, with some vocabulary here and there that I didn't know. I figure there is no such thing as studying too much when I want to learn as much as I can during this experience abroad.

I'm excited to see what the first day of class is like tomorrow. I look forward to it.

Tuesday May 13, 2014

First day of actual class. The first part was really boring. The content is very basic, a majority of which we have already learned. (I can only imagine how bored the advanced students were.) While the content is something I'm very familiar with, I still have difficulty understanding my teacher when she speaks. She speaks quickly, even when she tries to slow down. But it's okay. I know I'll start picking up on it soon enough. It's kinda funny though. My reading comprehension is perfectly sufficient for the material we are covering- though my pronunciation can always use improvement here and there- but I think my inability to understand verbal questions causes my teacher to wonder if I understand anything at all.

I am getting a little ahead on the homework. I intend to work hard and stay ahead in order to learn as much as I can while I'm here. While my understanding in class seems unbalanced, I enjoy working with my tutor. Her English is very limited, so she explains grammatical concepts and tonal concepts in Chinese. Some of the vocabulary she uses are words that I am unfamiliar with, and many times we have difficulty conveying and understanding the ideas we are trying to explain to each other. However, while it was a little overwhelming for a brief period today, and while thinking so much in Chinese made my brain feel like it was melting, today's language learning has been very satisfying.

Melissa, Scott and I went out to shop a little again. Without fail, many people stared and gawked as we went around town. Some people are shameless. They stare as they're right next to you, or the group, and then walk a circle around as they continue to stare. It's quite comical. I love how many people react with smiles and a laugh when we say hi. Children are my favorite. Many of them are shy and don't know how to react when we start talking with them. Others, like a group of boys from the neighboring elementary waved and shouted things like “Nice to meet you”, “Hello”, and “How are you?” laughing and giggling as they went along.

The Moral of the Story: If you inadvertently draw attention to yourself, be friendly. You'll probably cause someone to smile, even if it's because you're funny looking. The worst thing that could happen is someone may be less than interested, and they'll just walk away.