I finally got wifi at my meager apartment at the school. That means I can stay up late watching shows on youtube and netflix.
Yesterday I actually had a very limited conversation with a stranger in my broke chinese. It is actually sort of a milestone, because not only could I understand him, he could understand me.
Last evening I went out to get a bite to eat. I brought along my ipad which had the chinese characters for a spicy beef glass noodle dish. I got to the restaurant, which is sort of a hole in the wall type joint where you eat on stools, no tables.
The cook said he had one dish I wanted, so I ordered it. He then misunderstood me and gave me a second serving. The dish actually was not close to what I had previously enjoyed at another restaurant. It was however still relatively palatable.
I wrapped one serving up to take back to my apartment, and sat to eat the other serving. I could tell he was concerned I didn't like the food. I told him he and the other cooks were good men and the food was good. This of course was cause for laughter on their part.
I had been at this restaurant before while with a student, and the cook asked me something about the student, which I understood and said they were my student. He then asked if I worked at the school, to which I said yes.
This is sort of a milestone, because I was asked two questions, neither of which I really have been asked before. I could understand and respond.
One of the most difficult things for me is speaking intelligibly. I need to work on all aspects of my Chinese, so I guess pronunciation is just going to take time.
Yesterday I actually had a very limited conversation with a stranger in my broke chinese. It is actually sort of a milestone, because not only could I understand him, he could understand me.
Last evening I went out to get a bite to eat. I brought along my ipad which had the chinese characters for a spicy beef glass noodle dish. I got to the restaurant, which is sort of a hole in the wall type joint where you eat on stools, no tables.
The cook said he had one dish I wanted, so I ordered it. He then misunderstood me and gave me a second serving. The dish actually was not close to what I had previously enjoyed at another restaurant. It was however still relatively palatable.
I wrapped one serving up to take back to my apartment, and sat to eat the other serving. I could tell he was concerned I didn't like the food. I told him he and the other cooks were good men and the food was good. This of course was cause for laughter on their part.
I had been at this restaurant before while with a student, and the cook asked me something about the student, which I understood and said they were my student. He then asked if I worked at the school, to which I said yes.
This is sort of a milestone, because I was asked two questions, neither of which I really have been asked before. I could understand and respond.
One of the most difficult things for me is speaking intelligibly. I need to work on all aspects of my Chinese, so I guess pronunciation is just going to take time.
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