China and "The Great Firewall"

An additional reason as to why I haven't been posting very much as of late: MyEducAsian.blogspot.com is blocked in China. Actually any blog being hosted by blogger.com is currently unavailable due to the "Great Firewall". I researched which blogging sites were accessible, back when I was in the states, and blogger.com checked out, I'm unsure of why things have changed. I hope this will be a temporary hiccup, and not a lasting burp, so I can get back to cooking up stories for dinner(don't worry, I don't even know what I meant by that). To circumvent the situation here, I have resorted to using proxies to get around the Great Wall. Unfortunately the only proxies I have been able to successfully use are often unreliable and too slow, not to mention my browser 'times-out' with content-rich websites. Sometimes I can write the post, using a proxy, but am unable to update the index file to reflect a new post (meaning nobody on the outside sees anything new). To summarize: Blogging has become a slow and tedious process and the blame of not updating lately, rests on both my shoulder and a top the great wall.


I've been in China for over a month now . .

Classes are going great, I'm learning a lot. I can understand a lot of words in spoken conversation, I am able to say a lot, even though I know very little - it's amazing how by switching up the order of words, you can make so many different phrases, thus conveying many different thoughts even with limited vocabulary.

The other day I read a paragraph in Chinese characters, then I had to answer some questions relating to said paragraph... THEN reality hurled a big wad of wet-napkin through a funnel shaped rod,with the words "AHHH" etched in the side, and smacked lopsidedly against my forehead - dripping with shock I realized, "Whoaaa, dude I can read Chinese". If you want to see where progress happens, feel free to swing by apartment # 1501 for a look-see *grin*.

Overdue

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. I've been pretty occupied with studying for tests and general language-related activities. But in between it all, of course, I've managed to have fun. Here's some pictures of how its been:

Problems Solved

Alright - the sidebar is back in place and the videos are playing again. Thanks to Mike Dobson for teaching me HTML back when I was 14 yrs old! Thanks man - there were errors and tons of mess ups for some reason in the coding, but its all smoothed out now! *wink*

Bible vs Sidekick

What If We Treated Our Bibles More Like We Treat Our SKII

God's Pumpkins

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

I met the best interpreter in the whole wide world.

ASL VLOG

My preemptive strike on the HSK

New goal added to my list of goals: Learn 3,000 characters (no easy task)


When people are hungry they eat. Drawing simply from that statement one could arrive at the natural conclusion that one eats because one doesn't wish to feel hunger anymore. I am hungry in the sense that I want to learn 3,000 characters during my stay here because I don't want to be illiterate in Chinese.

How do I go about quelling such a feeling? Well, much like a person with hunger wouldn't stuff an entire hamburger in their mouth, I can't cram 3,000 characters into my brain en bloc. I can't even cram 1,500, half of the burger, into my brain all at once. I need to take smaller bites, I need to input smaller bytes, I must chew.

The reason I'm aiming for around 3,000 characters is because I plan on sitting for the HSK in about 8 months time, and the entire exam is written in characters, no pinyin or English (NOTE: I've done some research on the exam and material one would have to know in order to place at a level in which I'd be be satisfied with, and at the pace I'm going and with the variety in how/what I focus my study time on, I'm not sure where I'd be nor how ready I'd be for what the test focuses on. For this very reason I've decided to be proactive and attack early-on with a plan, something with a bold and solid number). So I've done the math: 3,000 characters in 8 months would necessitate me learning about 13 - 14 new characters daily, to be up around 3,000 by exam time. Trust me this is still no easy feat, however in comparison, it is markedly easier than letting the mind run amuck contemplating such a seemingly impossible task of knowing, let alone learning, 3,000 characters.

Will I really be able to learn 13-14 characters a day, consecutively, for 8 months?
"Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars."

A question that I got hung up on for a couple of seconds, until a concept my Uncle Michael introduced me to over the summer, sprung to mind. Although I can't remember the specific vocabulary he used while explaining it to me, and as a result am unable to explain it as eloquently and articulately as he could, I do have a firm grasp on the concept he taught me.


In order to not get discouraged about progress, especially if things aren't going exactly at the rate you had planned, it is most important to give recognition to the things you have accomplished. For example, say I have an extensive list of things I hope to get done, and throughout the day I am bombarded with little interruptions and when its all said and done I can still cross quite a few items off the list, but not every single one. Should I be discouraged because I didn't reach my goal? No. The unforeseen things that sprung up throughout the day that had to be taken care of, took away from the things I had planned to do, yes, but also added to the list many accomplished tasks. Seeing as how I chose to take care of the things that were unexpected shows that these pressing matters were equal if not of more importance, it stands to be reasoned that in actuality, I accomplished quite a lot, if not more than what was expected. So at the end of the day there is cause to applaud, a right to feel good about all I've done, and not to despair over what I didn't accomplish. I should make another list of all the unexpected things that I had accomplished during the course of that day and cross them off. Work is work, affirm what you've done, don't negate your efforts; instead of thinking negatively, think positively.


Although I'm not going to write down every little thing I do here in China, having familiarity of this concept is quite beneficial to the mind. It brings to light the fact that even if I don't master 13 -14 characters daily, in my quest to reach my goal, I am learning and doing many other things that indirectly will help me reach my ultimate goal of doing well on the HSK. I need to be independent of the fact that I'm picking up many unaccounted characters every day, a new radical I just learned will be shared with quite a few other characters down the road, I'm learning things every time I walk down the street and analyze different signs. What about that time I went out with my Chinese friend's and asked about a few characters here and there, or all the characters I learned watching subtitled movies, etc, you get the idea. So here's the nitty gritty - it's very useful to be mindful of the unplanned accomplishments you make everyday. So congratulate yourself, keep hope, with the right attitude you really will achieve your planned goal(s). Our thoughts and motivation levels are static in nature, and easy to manipulate, why not live smarter and stay positive in all we do.



Special thanks to Uncle Michael, for always being a passionate teacher.

Chinese Immersion Learning is MSGs for the Brain

Learning Mandarin Chinese brings a great quote to mind that I read in a book not too long ago(can't remember which book it was in), more or less it goes like this: "The bigger the island of knowledge is, the longer the coastline of learning will be". Meaning the more you learn, the more you have to learn, the more you will want to learn. That is to say that, learning is a life-long journey, the acquisition of knowledge requires more knowledge to achieve an understanding of what you've learned.

For me this is a perfect correlation of how my studies here in China are coming along. The more I study Mandarin, the more I have to learn about Mandarin, the more I want to learn about Mandarin. The language is fascinating, intricate, complicated, and beautiful all at the same time. Learning Mandarin is quite the undertaking, I strongly feel I would be unsuccessful at grasping even basic aspects let alone profound details, had I decided to enroll in a class and study at a university without any travel abroad. I firmly believe that the advantages of getting vocabulary in context, and seeing culture in context is the gem of immersion learning. *Signs: 'H' vertically then horizontally* - woe to anybody wanting to learn Mandarin without plans of coming abroad to get exposure to the language.

I'm now in my 3rd week of learning, my brain has absorbed a lot, probably even more than I'm consciously aware of, yet I still feel that my language assimilation is going slow. Chinese really is a challenge, even Chinese people admit its a complicated language. But I'm without worry, I'm looking forward to my moment. I'm anxiously awaiting that sweet feeling of what I like to call "level breakthrough". Language acquisition for me, is made up of a lot of little unconscious victories accumulating to register in your consciousness, signaling an advancement of a level in your language abilities. The genius of acquiring a language in an immersed environment is that your brain is working even when you're not telling it to. Can you study Chinese in the states 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? No, you cannot. However when immersed the brain is a massive sponge soaking in mineral enriched Chinese H2O. By default, even if you never pick up a book or actively think about it, your brain is learning Chinese. It's like your brain being injected with MSGs, and deciding with or without your conscious choice, that it is going to continue gobbling up information. If I had to make up a percentage based on purely feelings, I'd pick a rather high percentage number, and say that x % of what you end up knowing(in an immersed environment) was learned in the background of your brain and not the foreground.

How do I explain arriving at such a conclusion?

My reason being is that there is a moment when it all "clicks" - the "level breakthroughs" of language learning. Through countless hours of your brain harmonizing and coding the different cantonations in the music of the language, developing links with vocabulary you've seen, analyzing sentence structure and word usage, and implementing body language and hand gestures - there comes a moment when it all clicks and you're floored. The realization hits you all at once, the unconscious language victories have all clicked together and materialized in the foreground of your brain, congratulations my friend, you've experienced a "level breakthrough". You smile and realize that your language acquisition really is progressing, you my friend, are progressing.

Although challenged, I am motivated, although overwhelmed at times, I am undeterred; I feel persistence(or perhaps MSGs, I could be mistaken) coursing through my vessels.

Investing in myself by moving to China has proven to be undoubtedly a positive venture:

"..statistics that show China's surging importance in the world's economy, security and culture:

• China's economic production tripled the world average from 1978-2002, and from 2001-04 accounted for one-third of global economic growth.
  
  
• U.S. trade with China exceeded $280 billion last year, ranking second to Canada.
  
  
• 95 to 97 percent of all Fortune 500 companies have unfilled openings for MBAs who can speak Chinese.
  
  
• Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world, and by 2007 will surpass English as the Internet's most popular language.
  
  
• The U.S. State Department designated Chinese as a critical language for the political and economic security of our country."
  
  
  "Hayes tells his students there's never been a time in U.S. history when knowledge of foreign cultures has been more important, both in terms of economy and security. And for those studying the language with professional goals in mind, he points out that students "can mix Chinese with just about any discipline."
  
  - http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1160491637159420.xml&coll=6

"...students can mix Chinese with just about any discipline" - That's a tune I've been singing for a long time. I cannot stress enough the beauty of learning a language, the versatile nature of having language ability and the applicability of it towards any field of your choosing.

i l o v e i t

Deaf Adventists in Shanghai

Video from last Saturday (10/7/06)

Back from Hangzhou

Everyone in China gets a week long hiatus from work/school, for a celebration of bringing family together and resting. The Moon Festival is celebrated with family and mooncakes under the full moon.

So my 2nd week here was not spent in classes, it wasn't spent on language study, it was spent on culture study, traveling that is. Since all of us students are not Chinese, and don't happen to have any family living in the Big Red, we didn't really have anyone to visit for the holidays. So what were we going to do for a whole week?

Then there were twelve, twelve students up for an adventure, up for some traveling and exploring. Here's a glimpse of the fun we had:

Hangzhou Footage:




Hangzhou Update Part 1(ASL)



Hangzhou Update Part 2(ASL)





You can find more factual information about Hangzhou here: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hangzhou.htm

The Family

In respective order from left to right: Chen Bo(Me), Mama Wong, Chen Zhou, Papa Chen.






Papa Chen and Mama Wong sure know how to play some ping pong!


Traveling around China for a couple of days with some other students, I'll let you know how it went when I get back!

VLOG Updates (ASL)

Everytime I VP with someone questions relating to how my language learning is coming along seem to arise, so it seemed like a worthy vlog to post on here, enjoy:






Part 2: SDA Church and Deaf Chinese VLOG: