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| From [08.09.09] School shots |
I know, I know … it’s been a while. But, but, but … I have a good reason! Actually a few good reasons. The first is that I took the GMAT. Despite the testing room nearing 100 degrees Farenheit and the marker hardly working, I faired very well. More importantly, I’m just happy the standardized testing portion of my life has come to a complete close. Well, at least until I have to take my HSK Chinese proficiency test next July. Man, it just does not stop.
The second thing comsuming my life right now are business school applications, which are also going well but taking a lot of time and energy. I’m happy to inject my all into this process, however, because we’re not just talking about my future, we’re talking about the assumption of a ridiculous amount of debt. So, my life has been pretty boring lately.
One thing I get to see a lot of is school, so I thought I’d give you a quick glimpse into a day in the life as a Chinese language student.
I attend class 5 days per week, 4 hours a day from 8:30-12:30. There’s actually 2 full classes in that time (new lesson and review). At this point, everyday we learn about 20-30 new characters. My teachers are great and the class is well-taught and thorough. That said, we’re going really fast adn sometimes I find it hard to keep up. While the lessons are very comprehensive on reading and writing, speaking and listening are more difficult and, I feel, are not as emphasized. Mayeb it’s just my American ears having trouble reconciling this very different linguistic approach with my anglo and romance language background, but it’s hard, yo! Once I’m through this month — which I’ve dubbed “Black Hole October” — I’m getting a private tutor and a language partner.
While I’ve already mused on the bathrooms (which I’m SO OVER by now), I thought I’d show you some pictures of the campus at large. It’s actually quite beautiful, with trees sheltering quite green niches all around the grounds. There’s a few restaurants on campus that offer great food for ridiculously cheap prices. We’re taking a feast for 8 at 14 kuai/head. That’s $2!!!!
Here’s some snaps I took earlier this year. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/nagrag44/080909SchoolShots#5245735221395899426
October 27, 2008 at 8:14 am |
Hi Colleen, I live in Tel Aviv and I ran into your blog. I read that you are learning Chinese. Coincidentally, I have a friend who lives in Shanghai and has a website devoted to this task. I thought you might want to check it out: http://www.sinosplice.com
Oh, and I promise this isn’t spam or I don’t work for them or anything like that. Just a happy coincidence.
Cheers.
-Mya