On Facebook I recently linked to a Ted.com article about how speaking different languages affect your brain. In the article they use an example of Mandarin and how people address the family. In China there is no generic grandma, grandpa,
Learning English by Using Chinese
My little hairdresser was looking at my Chinese textbook the other day, and noticed that I had written pinyin (or the alphabet version of the words pronunciation) under the Chinese characters so I could pronounce them. “You know, I used
Life in the Advanced Class
Oy, sorry little neglected blog. Between teaching (and prepping class) learning chinese and dealing with all the demands on my time, my blog has been slightly lonely. That’s what happens when you fall asleep at 9pm. (Yes, that happened to
The Incestuous Group of Youtubers I Learn Chinese From
Awhile ago I came across a youtube clip done by two Chinese called Off The Great Wall. It’s Dan and Carmen, two young people who are Chinese but have spent most of their lives living abroad. They speak English natively
Making it Official: My New Goal
Okay, I have thought long and hard about this and after looking things up on the internet and talking to several people I have decided to make a major commitment: On July 21st, I am going to take the HSK
Google Translate Meet the Fresh Prince
http://youtu.be/LMkJuDVJdTwI’ve said in the past that for Mandarin Chinese Google Translate ain’t the best. But I got the app on my phone, and use it to translate big chunks of text when I’m feeling lazy. So these crazy people decided
I Hired a Tutor!
So, I finally decided to fork over the cash, and get my own chinese teacher. You see, speaking Chinese is now a common thing in my life. I speak, or write, Chinese every single day now. Sometimes a lot, sometime