Last night we were invited Bella to attend an English Corner on the new campus. We enjoy doing things like this the only thing is coming home gets expensive with the price of a taxi. After school activities usually keep us there after the time for busses either the city bus or the school bus. Living on or near the new campus would defiantly greatly help this. Anyway the evening was fun I gave a speech to start the evening telling the students what is needed to succeed in speaking English. Funny but what I told them they should do are also the same things that I need to do while I am learning Chinese. Number one is to talk to everyone you can.
You can not get better by going to class or tutoring once a week and not practice what you learn. Think in the language that you are studying; now this takes a little practice it is normal to think in your mother tongue but if you can see 绿茶 and think lvcha and then green tea you are thinking in the language you are learning. Try putting simple sentences together and asking someone if the sentences make sense. I tried this and sent it to Qi Yan: 我很喜欢喝豆浆。 (Wo hen xihuan he doujiang) I really like to drink soya-bean milk.
Well after I talked and was asked to sing a member of the English Club stood and gave a speech of welcome to us in Chinese. I have some of it on video. After that Bella arrived and brought with her three Indians who speak English and are on the 郑州大学(zhengzhou daxue) Zhengzhou University and we soon had centers around the six of us English speakers for the students to walk around and listen to other teachers.
Ellen, my BFF, everyone is still fascinated by my hair. I’ve adopted a combination of braids and twists in my hair. Twists are pretty but very labor intensive and a huge time commitment to do and keep looking nice daily. Braids I can put in my hair in like 10 minutes twists 4-6 hours. I even braided the hair of one of the girls.
Our taxi ride home was an adventure as a lot of the roads between our house and the new university are under construction there were lots of detours most roughly paved paths. You don’t know how glad I was that I went to the restroom BEFORE we left campus! Anyway Nate and I came up with a new television show PIMP MY TAXI. Our taxi had blue lights around the back window that were activated when the brakes were applied. We imagine that taxis around the world will be trying to out PIMP their rides now.
Today Chuck and I have come to Boobear coffee. Our internet is not working today and Chuck had a test and I needed to post my blog and also my story ‘Coffeehouse’ on
www.fictionpress.com . Before coming to Boobear we stopped by the back doctor chiropractor in America. My back feels lovely now that it has been adjusted I am hooked on natural remedies that don’t involve drugs or surgery. Like my mom I think my problem is I really don’t know how to travel light. I’ve got two bags plus my clutch purse. Wayyy to much stuff.
As always check out the pictures I’ve uploaded some new ones…ENJOY!
August 29, 2013
Today Nate and I went to the Gongren market hoping to get some things today. While we did get cereal and hangers there seems to be no earring hangers or jewelry cleaner in China, or at least in that market. Chuck had his paper to write so we took off so he could write in peace. We had lunch out at KFC and I tried the new mushroom burger. This was a beef patty with mushrooms and cheese on it, the patty was neat in that it had layers of thinly sliced beef wrapped in a beef patty to make one large patty. Because it has mushrooms Nate refuses to try it, but I broke off a piece of the patty for him and he loved that after eating chicken burgers for most of last year this was a welcome and different taste. I think Nate is going to be conflicted, does he not like mushrooms enough to not eat this burger or will the desire for a beef patty over rule? We shall see.